(LYNBROOK, N.Y.) -  An original Peanuts daily comic strip – drawn by the late iconic illustrator Charles Schulz and dated Oct. 21, 1966 – sold for $26,450 at the first auction of the New Year held by Philip Weiss Auctions, in the firm’s gallery at 74 Merrick Road in Lynbrook. The strip showed Linus, Peppermint Patty and Snoopy (in goggles), with a baseball reference.

The Peanuts strip was the top earner of the Jan. 18 multi-estate auction, in which about 700 fresh, quality lots came up for bid. Approximately 80 people attended the event in person, while another 1,000 or so participated online, via LiveAuctioneers,com, Invaluable.com and the Philip Weiss Auctions website (www.weissauctions.com). The auction grossed over $500,000.

“We’ve sold many original Peanuts strips in previous sales, so we knew this one would do well,” said Philip Weiss of Philip Weiss Auctions. For the record, the strip easily surpassed its pre-sale estimate of $15,000-$20,000. Weiss added, “It was a great way to kick off 2014, with fresh-to-the-market merchandise – nothing re-hashed or recycled – and an eager bidding crowd.”

The auction was dedicated mainly to comics (highlighted by an incredible attic find of Golden Age Comics and several estate collections), sports memorabilia (especially baseball and boxing items), and comic art (which, along with the Peanuts strip, featured some original Disney production cels and oil paintings, plus additional comic strips). In short, it was a packed auction.

Following are additional highlight from the sale. All prices quoted include a 15 percent buyer’s premium.

One of the most ambitious Lladro pieces ever produced – a detailed and spectacular depiction of Cinderella’s arrival at the ball, with her coach and horses and several attendants – went to an excited winning bidder for $14,950. The creation measured 25 ½ inches by 45 ½ inches and due to its size and fragile nature, special shipping arrangements had to be made.

Lladro pieces, wildly popular with collectors, are produced in Spain, where the company was founded in 1953 by three brothers: Juan, Jose and Vincente Lladro. They started off making vases and jugs, and it wasn’t until 1956 that they began making the porcelain sculptures for which they are now most famous. The firm employs over 2,000 people at its workshop in Spain.

Fans of animation art will recognize the name Carl Barks (Am., 1901-2000), the talented cartoonist best known for his comics about Donald Duck and the various residents of Duckburg (Barks, in fact, created Scrooge McDuck in 1947, while working for Disney Studios). He was an inaugural inductee into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame, at a ceremony held in 1987.

The auction featured two creations by Barks, each very different from the other but both fetching identical selling prices of $13,800. The first was a massive porcelain piece – six feet across and four feet high – showing Scrooge McDuck and other Donald Duck characters in a stretch limousine. It was advertised as a possible one of three made, but it could be unique, too.

The other was a whimsical prototype statue of the Donald Duck clan – Donald and Scrooge McDuck, plus the nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie – on safari, riding atop a charging rhinoceros with a flag affixed to its sizable horn. The piece, measuring 20 inches by 26 inches, is one of just three known to have survived from a planned edition of 10. It was made in the 1990s.

Anyone in possession of a copy of Archie Comics #1 is holding one of the Holy Grails of comic books. This sale featured one, although it was a lower grade and unrestored example. As such, it sold for far less than it could have if it were in better condition ($9,488). The comic book came from the legendary “Missouri Find” (an original owner collection discovered in an attic).

The original oil on illustration board painting used for the cover of Tales of the Zombie #4 (March 1974), rendered by Peruvian-born artist Boris Vallejo (b. 1941) brought $7,763. The framed, artist signed work, measuring 30 inches by 24 inches, came with an actual copy of the comic book. Vallejo’s work can be seen in comic books, sci-fi magazines and glossy calendars.

Sports memorabilia was led by a pair of signed baseballs from old-time Hall of Famers Grover Cleveland Alexander ($13,225) and Larry “Nap” Lajoie ($12,650). The Alexander ball was single signed on the “sweet spot” with a strong steel-tip fountain pen and came with a JSA letter of authenticity. The Napoleon Lajoie ball was dated (6-9-57) and included “Best Wishes.”

Philip Weiss Auctions has two huge sales lined up for February and March. The Feb. 25 event will be co-headlined by rock ‘n’ roll memorabilia and natural history items. Lots will include high-end dinosaur fossils, meteorites, a rare Egyptian mask, a photo signed by all four Beatles, a rare Wizard of Oz cup, a rare blanket from the ship the Edmund Fitzgerald and more.

The Mar. 15 auction will have antique advertising, ice cream memorabilia, coin-ops and Coney Island items. Included will be an extremely rare 1891 Coca-Cola calendar (the first year Coke had calendars) that could conceivably fetch $50,000, and a single-owner collection of ice cream and soda fountain items. A Mar. 30 auction will feature toys, trains, dolls and toy soldiers.

Philip Weiss Auctions is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, you may call them at (516) 594-0731; or, you can send an e-mail to Philip Weiss at Phil@WeissAuctions.com. For more information about Philip Weiss Auctions and the February and March auctions, please log on to www.weissauctions.com.

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