#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 18, 2025, WorthPoint added over 250,000 new auction items to their database—bringing the total value up to a cool $23.3 million. That’s around $92 per item. I’ve dug through the latest finds and rounded up some of the most interesting (and quirky!) pieces to share with you—because who doesn’t love a good auction surprise?
A Crock with Charm
First, a Valley of Virginia crock recently stole the spotlight at Damewood Auctioneers, a full-service auction house that’s been a fixture in Northern Virginia for over 40 years. This 13-inch tall, 2-gallon L. Gardner crock, decorated with a charming leaf and floral design, might have had a few chips to the glazing, but it still managed to fetch an impressive $6,555. While the finish wasn’t perfect, the demand for rare Virginia pottery is anything but. The region takes its crockery seriously, and this piece—complete with side “ears” for that extra touch of rustic charm—proved that even with a few imperfections, it’s still worth its weight in antique gold.
A $60K Card…and Laundry Tag
Goldin Auctions made waves again with a 2018 Panini National Treasures Josh Allen rookie card, which sold for a jaw-dropping $63,440. Graded Mint 9 by PSA, this 1/1 patch card features a player-worn laundry tag with the NFL Shield and Nike logo—an eye-catching collectible for any Bills fan or card enthusiast. But here’s where things get interesting: Josh Allen may be a superstar, but he’s no Patrick Mahomes when it comes to public perception. To put this into perspective, Mahomes’ 2017 Beckett 1/5 rookie card went for $840,000 in 2021—over 10 times the price of Allen’s card. So, are prices dropping, or is Mahomes simply worth more? It’s a fascinating question for the world of sports memorabilia.
A Touch of ‘Bird’ Magic
Lastly, in the “weird but fun” category, two Robert Wallace Martin Wally-birds brought impressive prices at Rago Arts and Auction Center, selling for $50,800 and $30,480 each. I’ve always considered Rago one of the top art pottery auction houses in the U.S., and these birds are definitely proof of that. What’s even more interesting is the price jump over the years. Take a look at a 2012 Antiques Roadshow segment with David Rago, where he appraises a similar Wally-bird humidor valued at $7,000 in 1996 and jumped to $15,000-$20,000 on the show. Fast forward to today, and these prices have really taken off!
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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