LEGOs? Gold? Data? Watch Out for Collectibles Thieves

Welcome, Collectors.

Another week, and another episode of “Mantel Quality Stories”.

Between art, music, and sports, DJ and producer Steve Aoki’s passions shined in this installment. And his house looks like a collectibles museum.

Long Beach Collectible Thieves Make Waves

Multiple collectible thieves have dominated the headlines recently, including two separate incidents in Long Beach, California. Last week, a two-pound gold nugget worth $82,000 was stolen from the Long Beach Convention Center. A relic from the California Gold Rush, this nugget is worth far more as an intact collectible than it would be as melted-down gold. Bob Campbell, the owner of the nugget, has offered a $10,000 reward for anyone who turns it in.

Elsewhere in Long Beach, nearly 3,000 boxes of Legos were discovered in a home. According to the LAPD, Blanca Gudino had been robbing local retailers since at least December 2023. In June, officers witnessed Gudino stealing items and delivering them to accomplice Richard Siegel’s home. In a raid of Siegel’s home, police discovered Lego sets stacked from floor to ceiling. One of the sets was a demo in plexiglass casing. Per police, potential toy buyers showed up to the house during the raid. Seems that Siegel was quite literally running a toy auction … house.

Investigators arrested Siegel for organized retail theft, and Gudino for grand theft.

Saturday Night Fever Dance Floor Struts Onto Market

How deep is your wallet? The dance floor used on-screen in “Saturday Night Fever” (1977) is headed under the hammer with Julien’s, and the estimated final price is between $200,000-$300,000. Although originally built for the film’s production, the floor was used afterward at Odyssey 2001, a Brooklyn nightclub featured in the film. (The club closed in 2005.) At 24 feet x 16 feet, this isn’t quite the prop to place on your shelf – but it’d be a great addition to your Mantelpiece. Here’s hoping the winning bidder finds a proper use for it. After all, you should be dancing.

Fanatics and Sotheby’s: “Let’s Make A Deal!”

Fanatics and Sotheby’s on Tuesday announced a new partnership to showcase a curated selection of cards worth over $100,000 in live and online auctions about four times per year. The joint venture will officially launch in September, in an auction headlined by a 1948 Jackie Robinson rookie card, estimated to be worth between $275,000-$350,000. Additionally, Fanatics is rebranding its recently acquired PWCC Marketplace as Fanatics Collect, which will connect buyers and sellers of lower-priced cards.

Ancient Books Continue to Pop

In April, we filled you in on the Crosby-Schøyen codex, one of the world’s oldest bound books. Estimates put the final price between $2.6 million-$3.8 million. But when bidding wrapped Tuesday, the final number stood at $3.9 million. 

Of course, this rising interest in ancient books could bring more sales on the open market. On Tuesday, Sotheby’s announced the sale of the Shem Tov Bible… with an estimated $5 million-$7 million price tag. This is a chance to own more than a collectible — it’s an inside look at the foundations of modern religion.

Christie’s Stand-Off Hits Climax

The ongoing Christie’s data breach seems to be nearing a conclusion, for better or worse. RansomHub, the hackers who initially stole Christie’s data, claim to have sold the information. However, Christie’s also confirmed the hackers only impacted 45,000 individuals – far lower than the initial fears of 500,000. The data likely only includes basic information (such as birthdates and genders) and no financial transactions, but experts say that only two forms of personal information are required for identity theft. In response, a Christie’s client is slamming the auction house with a lawsuit that questions its security protocols.

T206 Honus Wagner Card Premieres on Netflix

The newest season of Netflix’s “King of Collectibles” dropped on Netflix on Wednesday, and it includes a big discovery: a T206 Honus Wagner card surfaces for potential sale. That’s just one of the items Goldin Auctions CEO and founder Ken Goldin told Mantel he’s excited for viewers to see in Season 2 of his Emmy-nominated show, produced by Mantel partner, Wheelhouse Entertainment.

Mantel Post of the Week

Let’s end this week’s newsletter by highlighting one of our favorite recent posts from a Mantel user. When someone spends a weekend watching old XFL game footage to authenticate a collectible, you simply have to respect the commitment.

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