Hello and Welcome to Nate D. Sanders Blog!
In December 2011, I had Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane Academy Award consigned to me. It was the first Oscar that I had handled since the 1990’s. The trophy sold for $865,000. Now, in 2012, I have begun my movie memorabilia auction house in earnest, having sold almost $5 million worth of Oscars this year alone and selling other movie memorabilia including four Golden Globe Awards for over $100,000 and at least $75,000 worth of Emmy Awards since 2011.
One other exceptional piece of movie memorabilia sold this year was the Citizen Kane Trophy Cup/Prop used by Orson Welles which sold for $275,000. My only failure this year has been to only achieve a $1.44 million bid on the Casablanca Best Director Academy Award to Michael Curtiz as my consignor wanted too high of a reserve at $2.4 million.
What the Future Holds for Nate D. Sanders
But, you might ask — how did I get started and what was my company doing in 2011 and before?
I have run an almost exclusive autographs auction house with a monthly full color, fully illustrated catalog from around 2004 to the present selling millions of dollars per year worth of historical and famous autographed collectibles covering everyone from George Washington to Walt Disney and thousands of other autographs.
In the years before 2004, I had a fixed price autograph mail order catalog business which I have now transferred into my Buy it Now or Best Offer store. Just in the last few years, my firm has specialized and become the number one company to sell Charles Schulz original comic strip art. Charles Schulz original daily strip art average around $15,000 each and Sunday original art strips around $25,000 each. Our success with this auction line and others has generated GREAT publicity which has lead to our ever-increasing popularity for consigners worldwide and expansion into sports memorabilia resulting in multiple Super Bowl ring sales among other items.
My real start in autographs came in the late 1970’s when I wrote away for autographs in the mail receiving such autographs as Neil Armstrong, Jesse Owens, Jimmy Stewart, Lucille Ball and Mel Blanc all for the cost of a stamp. In the 1980’s, I turned this hobby into a business by traveling to UACC autograph shows all over the country but especially in New York City. I was the youngest seller then, only six years younger than noted in-person autograph dealer, Michael Wehrmann.
I turn 40 years old on September 28th, 2012. My goal is to keep growing and to compete with the industry leaders by attracting a more discerning clientele , pampering them with superior customer service, paying them higher on-average seller and consignment rates and offering industry-leading settlement dates on their successful wares.
It’s an exciting time to be in the collectibles game! If you are looking to get the MOST out of your autographs, documents, sports memorabilia and Hollywood collectibles, our auction house is the one for you. Contact us today for a NO-OBLIGATION consignment appraisal!