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Fanatics gets into grading (sort of) + a Beatles record

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🎉 Lennon guitar sets all-time Beatles auction record

Wednesday morning at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square, Julien’s Auctions took over the lower level and transformed it into a wonderland of music memorabilia from history’s biggest stars. As the clock struck 10 a.m., bidding commenced on lot number one, though everyone in the room and watching live from around the world was waiting for lot number 51.

A guitar used by John Lennon in recording sessions for Beatles albums "Help!" and "Rubber Soul" sold for $2,857,500, becoming the most expensive Beatles guitar ever sold and the fifth-most valuable guitar sold publicly. Our report, from inside the auction.

 ⭐️ These are definitely not the droids you’re looking for

The most beloved card from the 1977 Topps Star Wars set doesn’t belong to Luke Skywalker or Princess Leia. Instead it belongs to C-3PO… but only because of one extremely noticeable error, which we will refrain from pointing out explicitly in this email for fear of being relegated to your spam, however, you should realize the mistake rather quickly upon close review.

So how does a child-friendly card come off the production lines with a decidedly NSFW theme? We dug in to the story of the “Golden Rod.”

🛒 Fanatics is grading hobby shops … but why?

Fanatics has evaluated 60-70 stores on a three-point scale, but the impact of scores remains unclear, as our Ben Burrows reports.

Of the elements Fanatics is evaluating, most would be expected of any modern business in 2024. Organization and cleanliness are basic requirements, while digital point-of-sale options, inventory management systems and active social media accounts aren’t unique to the collectibles industry.

💰️ Auction preview

🏀 Kobe’s “Achilles” jersey sits at $1.22 million

  • Bidding for one of Kobe Bryant’s most significant jerseys, which closes this weekend at Goldin, has yet to exceed the $1.22 million mark set earlier in the month, when the auction house accepted its first irrevocable bid, taking the lot from $435,000 to $1.22 million.

📸 Playboy #1 waiting for initial $183,000 bid

  • The single-highest graded copy of Playboy #1, featuring Marilyn Monroe, has yet to receive a bid in the Goldin 100 auction. If the lot attracts a single bid, it will automatically become the most expensive CGC-graded magazine in history.

🖼️ Goldin hopes for no “happy accidents” in Bob Ross auction

🎥 Movie houses: Worthy of a Hollywood premium?

After news the "Home Alone" house, in Winnetka, Illinois, was placed for sale Friday, we dive in to the history of similarly famous movie homes at market and whether or not they fetch a bonus.

💵 How to price your cards

It doesn’t matter if you’re buying, selling or just curious, knowing the value of your sports and non-sports cards is one of the most important parts of collecting. That’s why we created out latest cllct guide, full of tips and tricks from the cllct team to get you started.

🏒 The greatest prank in sports history?

👂 Have a pitch?

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Thanks for reading, we’ll see you on Monday