Will Seippel, CEO of WorthPoint, enjoys watching the items sold at auctions held by our WorthPoint Industry Partners. We thought it would be a great idea for him to select some of his favorite sold items and explain why those sales stood out to him. Gaining insights from Will is an excellent way to learn about buying and selling trends in our industry. We want to empower you to buy and sell with confidence. Take a look at his thoughts on a few of our partners’ recent sales.
On June 8, 2025, WorthPoint added 228,843 items to its database, totaling $26,077,878.95. This results in an average lot value of $113.96.
A Tragic Story
Brockelman Auctions recently concluded a major vintage card sale featuring 572 lots and totaling $211,035. The standout item was a 1903-04 Breisch-Williams E107 Ed Delahanty card, which fetched $38,705.55. Graded SGC 2, it is the second-highest Delahanty card ever graded by SGC and is considered one of the more desirable pieces in a set packed with Hall of Famers. Despite its modest grade, the card is crease-free, has minimal corner wear, and carries strong eye appeal. It even retains a faint numeral on the back—a common feature found on many E107s from early collections, adding a layer of provenance and intrigue.
Ed Delahanty was a legendary hitter who batted over .400 three times during his career and was one of the sport’s earliest stars. Tragically, his life ended under mysterious circumstances in July 1903 when he was removed from a train in Niagara, NY, for disorderly behavior and was later found dead in the Niagara River. Though officially ruled a drowning, the exact cause of his fall remains unknown. The timing of this card’s release, just before his death, enhances its historical significance. Delahanty was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945, and this card remains a poignant and rare memento of a talent lost too soon.
Goldin’s Continued Dominance
Goldin delivered another blockbuster sale in the sports card market, with 803 items totaling $8,944,197.38—an impressive average of $11,138.48 per lot. The auction showcased the continued strength of modern cards, with a 1996-97 Kobe Bryant Topps Chrome Refractor (graded BGS Pristine 10) selling for $123,220, surpassing a 1952 Topps Mickey Mantle (SGC 5.5), which sold for $106,140. While the Mantle card was beautifully centered and a classic in its own right, the Kobe rookie’s pristine condition and iconic status in the hobby captured buyers’ attention. The strong overall results reflect Goldin’s continued dominance in high-end sports memorabilia. Notably, the auction house is also expanding its reach into the movie prop sector, with plans to acquire a firm specializing in that market—more details are expected soon. With record-breaking sales and strategic growth, Goldin remains a powerhouse in collectibles.
Pop Icons
Julien’s Auctions proved there’s still a way to sell a piano in today’s market—especially if it’s tied to rock royalty. A custom-built digital piano setup played by Steven Tyler during Aerosmith’s “Deuces Are Wild” Las Vegas residency sold for an impressive $130,000. While not a traditional piano, the rig included a Roland digital keyboard encased in a dramatic silver grand piano-style frame, rigged with lights and smoke effects. It became a centerpiece during performances of “Dream On” and appeared consistently from 2019 through 2025, including at the recent Janie’s Fund Grammy Viewing Party.
The runner-up in the music memorabilia category was a shockingly pink Daisy Rock acoustic guitar signed by Taylor Swift and Miley Cyrus during the 2009 Grammy Awards. The instrument commemorates their first live duet of Swift’s “Fifteen,” and sold for a surprising $104,000—about double what Joe Perry’s Les Paul fetched in the same auction. Given Swift and Cyrus’s current pop culture dominance, the value makes sense in today’s market. With 2000s pop icons edging out classic rock legends in some cases, this sale is a strong reminder of the shifting tides in memorabilia demand.
Roller Coaster Legacy
We wrap up a packed day with a nostalgic gem from the now-defunct Crystal Beach Amusement Park in Ontario, Canada. Open from 1888 to 1989, the park was a popular destination for over a century, drawing visitors from both Ontario and nearby Buffalo, NY via ferry. Toy Trains and Other Old Stuff, a company best known for vintage train auctions, offered a rare piece of amusement history: a restored red roller coaster car from the famed “Wild Mouse” ride. Originally manufactured by Gebr. Jhle (Ihle) of Bruchsal, Germany, this coaster car was part of one of the earliest wooden “Wild Mouse” installations—among the first one hundred ever built starting in 1949. The sleek two-seater fetched $2,160 at auction, and despite its compact, seatbelt-free design, its charm is undeniable. The ride was part of a roller coaster lineage that still exists today, with larger modern versions continuing the legacy, including a recent installation in Sandusky, Ohio, in 2023.
Will Seippel is the founder, president, and CEO of WorthPoint. Will has been an avid collector since 1974 and dealer of just about all things antique—with an emphasis on ephemera— since 1984. He is also the creator and founder of HIP, a website devoted to recording the best of the world’s history that has been saved on film.
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