If you hear the sounds of jubilation echoing all the way from southcentral Pennsylvania, don’t worry. It’s the staff of Hake’s Americana & Collectibles celebrating the monumental conclusion to Auction #222, which realized $1,754,464.

It seems fitting that Hake’s would reach this achievement during the last auction commemorating their 50th year in historical and pop culture sales. The auction was primed to be a stunner, with extremely rare political material, key comic books and art, and the inaugural offerings from the Star Wars Collection of Russell Branton.

That $1.75 million total marks an auction record at Hake’s, beating the previous total of $1.3 million, set in 2013. But, it wasn’t the only record broken by Auction #222. This sale had the best opening day in company history and crossed the $1 million mark faster than any previous auction. The Tuesday political and historical items continued the momentum, then on Thursday as morning turned to afternoon, that total just kept climbing, eclipsing hundred thousand increments in a matter of hours.

“Talk about ending a half century with a bang,” Hake’s Founder Ted Hake said. “My two most exciting auctions have to be #1, which saw 155 items gross $193.67, and now Auction #222 with a gross exceeding $1.75 million. My wife, Jonell, and I began as a mom and pop operation, but over the years we assembled a great staff, all collectors at heart, as the business grew based on authentic collectibles accurately described. Selling the business in 2004 to Steve Geppi, owner of Diamond Comic Distributors, propelled Hake’s to a new level. With Alex Winter now at the helm as Hake’s President, we plan to keep Hake’s focused on quality collectibles while remaining true to our principles that have earned the trust of our bidders and consignors.”

Taking the top space was the friendly neighborhood Spider-Man. A copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 CGC 7.5 ascended to $140,760. This key Silver Age comic from 1962 featured the first appearance of Spider-Man, Aunt May, and Uncle Ben with a story by Stan Lee, cover by Jack Kirby, and art by Steve Ditko. It topped the previous CGC 7.5 record of $102,001, which was achieved in May 2017. (This auction clinched other records for CGC-certified books, which can be seen in our Auction Prices section.)

Things started well for Branton’s Star Wars collection, proving how strong The Force is with fans. The Ben (Obi-Wan) Kenobi 12-back-A double telescoping action figure AFA 80 realized $76,700. This piece from the 1978 Kenner toy line is incredibly rare, as few double telescoping action figures were produced.

Another piece from the Branton collection that had Star Wars fans excited was the Luke Skywalker 12-back-C AFA 95 (yellow hair). It brought $50,622 ‒ more than doubling the estimate of $10,000 to $20,000. The Luke Skywalker figure on an unpunched card was made for Kenner’s ’78 toy line. It is exceedingly difficult to achieve a grade that high, accounting for the incredible price.

The Power of the Force Anakin Skywalker painted Dynacast hardcopy prototype figure was another marquee piece from the Branton collection. It sold for $34,981, well over the $10,000 to $20,000 estimate. The full painted hard resin figure was eventually used in Kenner’s ’85 toy line.

“I couldn’t be more pleased with the results in the first round of Russell Branton’s Star Wars Collection,” Consignment Manager Kelly McClain. “We have broken auction sales records with multiple pieces! Lot 2088 being the highlight is the world record highest price at auction for a Kenner Production action figure at $76,700. The most ever spent for a Luke Sykwalker action figure at $50,622 for an unheard of AFA 95 Mint 12 back-C card! These two record prices are among many other record and stand-up results we saw in the first round at auction. We are ready to move forward with the collection and are excited to present the next round in Auction #223 ending March 2018.”

The historical and political portion achieved two records for the “Americanize America” Vote for Cox and Roosevelt jugate button. The exceedingly rare piece reached $47,278, setting a world record for this piece and a world record for any button sold at public auction. Hake’s found that there are only eight examples of this jugate, with only four of those potentially in high grade and likely to hit the auction market.

“I think this record setting sale is a good sign for the hobby. Across the board we saw strong prices and spirited bidding. Once again, we’ve proven that political material shines brightest at Hake’s,” Americana Specialist Scott Mussell said.

A Homestead Grays of 1930 real photo postcard took the second spot on Tuesday, realizing $17,523. The photo, which was taken during Spring Training, depicts National Baseball Hall of Famers Oscar Charleston, Judy Johnson, Smokey Joe Williams, and Cumberland Posey.

Some of the other noteworthy historical buttons in the auction included the 1904 button Teddy Roosevelt and Uncle Sam “At the Gate” Hake #192, which reached $10,828. A “Debs Seidel” 1912 jugate button on ornate “Delegate” badge netted $10,620.

“What a way to close out our 50th anniversary year! Expectations were high going into this auction,” President Alex Winter said. “We knew it was loaded from top to bottom but you just never know what will happen in the end. The fact that we not only broke, but smashed our previous auction record, is just a tremendous accomplishment for Hake’s. So many world records were set this auction ‒ for political, comic books, sports, art, action figures, and more. Our three auctions in 2017 also set a record for accumulated total within a year. Wait until you see what Hake’s has in store for our 51st year!”

All prices include the buyer’s premium. Visit hakes.com to view all of the totals from Auction #222.