Some of the most popular Disney collectibles, like fur coats made from supple Dalmatian skin, are inaccessible to even the most avid collectors.
For the better part of a century, “Disneyana” collectors have made it their hobby to acquire merchandise, artwork, and other memorabilia based on their favorite Disney properties. There’s also an entire category of collectors who purchase items from actual physical Disney assets, such as signs, props, and even rides used at Disney parks.
Experts say many collectors also want the same quality in most items.
“At the end of the day, it’s all about popularity, rarity, condition and pose,” Jim Lentz, director of animation and anime art at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas, told Nexstar.
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Lenz, who specializes in animation art and “Disneyana,” explains that items inspired by Disney’s most famous characters will always attract more attention – and more money – at auction. I did. Disney memorabilia is even more valuable if the items are rare, in good condition and depict familiar scenes, Lentz added.
“You can have one.” [of Disney memorabilia] “It’s a ‘Lady and the Tramp’ scene, but Lady and the Tramp eating spaghetti in one of the most romantic scenes in animation history would work even better,” he told Nexstar.
But Lentz acknowledged that there has been a noticeable “shift” in which Disney properties and characters are the most popular among recent generations of collectors.
“We all collect our childhoods,” Lentz said, noting that previous generations may have wanted more “Pinocchio” or “Fantasia” memorabilia. “[But] Millennials now outnumber baby boomers…and they pay more for Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, and The Lion King. Because that was 30 years ago.
“‘The Little Mermaid’ is my 40-year-old daughter’s ‘Snow White,'” he said.
A collectible statue of Jessica Rabbit, the character from Who Framed Roger Rabbit, was sold among other It can be seen mixed with souvenirs. (Valerie Macon/AFP via Getty Images)
Nevertheless, Lentz said “Disneyna” merchandise from the company’s older properties remains in demand thanks to continued recognition through streaming, theme parks and toy lines. But recent auction sales clearly demonstrate the “generational shift” he referred to. In early November, Heritage Auctions held a Disney Big Figure auction, and the highest bidder was a life-sized Jessica Rabbit, which sold for $15,600. That’s about $5,000 more than the next most expensive item. (Mad Hatter figure).
Other popular items at recent auctions include animation cels and props used in the production of The Little Mermaid, The Emperor’s New Groove, The Nightmare Before Christmas and Hocus Pocus. The latter prop sold for $68,750 in March. , Heritage Auctions data shows.
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Again, this doesn’t mean that early movie memorabilia isn’t still popular. There are fewer avid collectors than in past decades, and they may be moving further away. Classic Disney movie props and park memorabilia, in particular, continue to fetch top prices at recent heritage auctions, according to the site’s data.
“Get in the car [from the parks]they command the most money,” Lentz said. “And certain animation cels, black and white Mickey Mouse cels from the ’30s when art was routinely thrown away, that’s the holy grail.”
Mickey Mouse souvenirs at the Disneyland Main Street Emporium gift shop at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California in 2013. (Patrick T. Fallon/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Estimating how much a particular piece of memorabilia will cost isn’t too difficult either. Heritage Auctions has over 61,000 “Disneyna” items for sale, and sale prices and item details can be viewed online. Beyond Dalmatian fur coats, there are also online collecting communities that can help you determine the value of any Disney memorabilia you can think of.
“It’s basically just common sense,” Lentz said. “Great works come at a high price.”
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