#Insights #Auction #Sales #January #WorthPoint
Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint, enjoys watching the items sold at auctions held by our WorthPoint Industry Partners. We thought it would be a great idea for him to select some of his favorite sold items and explain why those sales stood out to him. Gaining insights from Will is an excellent way to learn about buying and selling trends in our industry. We want to empower you to buy and sell with confidence. Take a look at his thoughts on a few of our partners’ recent sales.
On January 16th, 2025, the WorthPoint Price Guide added over 261,800 new items, bringing the total value to more than $30 million. That works out to about $114.72 per item on average. Among all the latest additions, a few items really caught my attention—let’s dive into those!
Tee it Up
Let’s kick things off with a real gem: a Shadow Box lot of Memorial Day Golf Tournament Patron Passes from Muirfield Village, home to one of the most iconic events in golf. This tournament is not just any competition—it’s hosted by none other than Jack Nicklaus himself! The lot, which included about 25 passes, was sold for a steal at $264.45 through Apple Tree Auctions. If you’re doing the math, that’s a bargain, considering that a couple of the passes are from 1999, the year Tiger Woods took home the trophy. Those alone could fetch $400 each, making this lot a serious treasure trove for golf collectors.
What makes this lot even more exciting is the potential for big returns. Golf tournament badges, especially from major events like the Memorial Tournament, have a knack for appreciating in value—especially when a Hall of Famer like Tiger Woods makes history that year. So, if you’re the lucky buyer of this lot, you could easily see returns that are eight times what you paid, if not more. If you’re into golf history and memorabilia, this is one of those “Why didn’t I think of that?” finds.
Pump It Up
A Sinclair “Dino” Gas pump with globe just stole the show at Beyond the Door Auction, selling for $1,740. While it had been beautifully restored, it didn’t have its original globe, which likely held the price down a bit—though it still fetched a decent amount. Honestly, I think this one could have easily gone for double that or more if it had the original globe intact. For comparison, a similar pump in similar condition sold for a whopping $4,800 at Morphy Auctions in 2022. So, if you’re lucky enough to find one of these with the original globe, you’re sitting on a potential goldmine!
A Signed Steal
Talk about a steal! MaxSold auctioned off a signed Lalique Saint Francois Vase for just $1,606; in my opinion, that’s a great price for both the buyer and the seller. Made in 1930 and standing 7 inches tall, this piece is a stunning example of Lalique’s craftsmanship. The glass even has a special light-reactive quality, glowing yellow in daylight, a rare and beautiful feature. While this model doesn’t hit the market every day, when it does, prices can swing—so this one is definitely a solid deal. For a piece by one of the most iconic names in art nouveau and art deco, I’d say it’s a bargain that’ll likely increase in value!
An Unusual Sale
And finally, in the “I can’t quite believe this” category, a pair of Pablo Escobar’s Ferrari sunglasses with a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) sold for a jaw-dropping $25,000 on eBay. Now, I’m all for unique collectibles, but it’s hard to say if these sunglasses belonged to Escobar, despite the COA that claims family provenance and even includes fingerprints. I’m not sure that would boost my confidence in their authenticity. But hey, I’ll give them a solid “high cool factor” for the sheer audacity of the sale—and the fact that someone is willing to drop 25 grand on a pair of shades linked to a notorious drug lord.
Will Seippel is the founder, president, and CEO of WorthPoint. Will has been an avid collector since 1974 and dealer of just about all things antique—with an emphasis on ephemera— since 1984. He is also the creator and founder of HIP, a website devoted to recording the best of the world’s history that has been saved on film.
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