For this week’s installment of Sequential Sunday I’d like to make mention of an incredible upcoming auction of impossibly rare comics, original comic art, screen used movie props, animation art, and high-end genre collectibles adorned with celebrity autographs.

The best part though is that a generous portion of (if not all) of the proceeds from the sale of many of these mind-boggling pieces benefits two great charities:  Variety - The Children’s Charity, which benefits children in various Southern California communities, and The Michael J. Fox Foundation’s Team Fox which benefits research for a cure to Parkinson’s Disease. The event (Hollywood Auction #42) is being run by the respected auction house Profiles In History and will be held November 6th, 2010 at the Globe Theatre at Universal Studios. Interested parties that cannot be present for the event can also bid by phone and via internet.

And speaking of Marty McFly, there has been much talk lately about the Back to the Future trilogy, what with the October 26th release of the films on blu-ray and their limited theatrical re-release with beautiful, newly-struck prints. This makes for a perfect time for a BTTF auction with many of the screen-used items straight from the collection of series creator Bob Gale.

When it comes to items that have had a lot of face time on screen they don’t get much more prominent than Marty’s instantly resizable jacket from BTTF 2. Estimated price: $25,000 - $50,000.

As neat as the many items of clothing in the auction, myself (being a big book collector) really love the inclusion of the Sports Almanac used by Biff Tanner to acquire his ill-gotten wealth. Estimated price: $3,000 - $5,000.

On a similar note, there are also the future’s headline-shifting copies of USA Today and the Hill Valley Telegraph. Estimated price: $400 - $600 each.

For a unique conversation piece to display there’s this Hill Valley map from BTTF 3 (one of only two made for the film.) Estimated price: $8,000 - $10,000.

Of the 25 BTTF items in the auction can anything possibly top this: the DeLorean Time Machine.

Though this is a reproduction of the cars used in the film, it is by far the most accurate that has (or ever will) be made. The result of four years of work by both car and BTTF enthusiasts, many of the pieces on the car are vintage surplus aircraft, military, and electronic parts that exactly match the ones in the film and will likely never be found again. Add to this the extreme scarcity of DeLorean parts from the era and you have an item that will be basically impossible to ever assemble again. The ultimate BTTF collectible. Estimated price: $80,000 - $120,000.

The BTTF items are far from the only movie related pieces available though. This Iron Man Mark II life-size bust from Sideshow Collectibles comes signed by Stan Lee (the winner of this lot also gets an Iron Man lobby poster signed by Lee.) Estimated price: $300 - $500.

Also very cool is an actual T-Rex tooth from Jurassic Park courtesy of the fine folks at Winston Studios. Estimated price: $400 - $600.

Some of the great pieces of Marvel movie history is found in these mounted and framed Daily Bugle prop newspapers from the first Spider-Man film. Estimated price: $300 - $500.

Any fan of Dexter would kill for this script of episode #202 signed by all seven principal cast members. Estimated price: $200 - $300.

For fans of contemporary stop-motion animation it doesn’t get much better than this Scottie (complete with button eyes) from the excellent screen adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. Estimated price: $1,000 - $2,000.

What follows are some more eminently awesome items that, while not part of the charity lots, deserve special mention as well.

A true comic book holy grail, the first issue of Superman from 1939. This copy is one of the highest graded, unrestored copies known to exist. Estimated price: $100,000 - $200,000.

With interest growing in the Green Hornet with the feature film’s release fast approaching, now would be a good time to go back to the earliest days of the character with this, the hero’s first ever comic book appearance from Dec. 1940. Estimated price: $1,500 - $2,000.

There are three great Spider-Man pieces from the legendary John Romita available. They are all from his private collection and have never before been offered for sale. Estimated prices: $1,500 - $6,000.

For Batman fans there is this spectacular, action-packed comic strip by Bob Kane from 1943. Estimated price: $20,000 - $30,000.

There are many items available from the world of animation, but this outstanding conceptual painting by Eyvind Earle made for the 1959 Disney masterpiece Sleeping Beauty. It may sound strange, but I am such a big admirer of this particular movie and this particular artist, that I’ve made owning this particularly eerie painting (which I first saw some time ago) sort of one of my life’s goals. Some day…sigh…. Estimated price: $10,000 - $12,000.

Finally, we come to this: two items worn by Harrison Ford during the ending set pieces of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. I can barely imagine owning actual items from the movie trilogy that has had such a hugely influential impact on me, let alone actual wardrobe items of Indy himself, my vote for the greatest hero in the history of motion pictures. Talk about looking for the holy grail! Estimated price for the shirt and belt ensemble: $2,000 - $3,000.

I tried to make this a comprehensive overview of some of the great items available in this, the 42nd. Hollywood Auction, but what is seen here is only a fraction of the 151 lots offered.

For more information on how to register for bidding, opening bid amounts, estimated values, a downloadable pdf of the auction catalog and more, please see Profiles In History and icollector. This event is a great way to acquire some dream items for your collection and help out some great causes as well. Good luck and happy bidding!

John Mueller

john@comicimpact.com