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 May 15, 2025, WorthPoint added 218,518 items to its Price Guide, with a total sales value of $12,839,191.65 and an average lot price of $58.76.
Southwest Native American Arts
With fewer blockbuster sales over the Mother’s Day weekend, it was a good time to dig into some of the more unique lots on the market. R.G. Munn Auctions, based in New Mexico, leaned into its regional specialty with a sale centered on Southwest Native American arts. Their top seller was a striking Navajo sand painting textile from the 1990s, bringing in $1,937. Measuring 58″ x 60″, the piece stood out for its vibrant color and quality craftsmanship, a fine example of a tradition that bridges art and spirituality. These types of textiles are not easy to find in such strong condition and always command attention from collectors who appreciate the genre.
Another strong result from the sale was a prehistoric Anasazi bowl that sold for $1,562. This hand-coiled vessel, featuring a striking black-on-white geometric design, measured 6.25″ tall by 11″ in diameter and was offered in “as found” condition. Despite its age and fragility, the bowl remained impressively well-preserved. Anasazi pottery like this is highly valued not only for its visual appeal but also for the rich, complex cultural narrative it carries. While no one can conclusively define what is truly “prehistoric,” scholars generally believe the Anasazi eventually evolved into the scattered Southwest tribes we recognize today, such as the Zuni and Hopi. Known to have been a fierce people, the Anasazi were even alleged by some sources to have practiced cannibalism. Artifacts like this bowl are rare windows into a civilization whose legacy still echoes through the American Southwest.
A Piece of Gaming History
MaxSold offered up a nostalgic piece of gaming history with a vintage Nintendo Power Glove that sold for $365.80. The lot included the original box, manual, TV sensors, and several components, appearing mostly complete though untested. Originally released in 1989, the Power Glove was a short-lived experiment in motion-controlled gaming that never quite caught on due to its clunky performance and limited game compatibility—only two games were made specifically for it. Still, it’s become a cult collectible, especially after being featured in the 1989 film The Wizard. Sealed, graded examples have brought as much as $11,000, like the 8.5 graded version sold by Heritage in 2022. While this MaxSold example had been opened, the final price looked like a bargain at roughly half the going market rate for a complete but ungraded unit.
Fantastically Hideous
As the day winds down, the average, quirky finds remind us how broad the collector’s market really is. Generation Auctions sold a fantastically hideous 1970s orange sofa and loveseat set by Strafford for a combined $445. While it may not win design awards, it certainly turned heads—bright, bold, and unmistakably retro. On the cozier side, a charming women’s cardigan featuring a horse’s face on the front and its hindquarters on the back trotted across the block at Jax of Benson. Selling for $64.40, the sweater was likely vintage and possibly wool, and had just enough kitsch to make it a winner in any ugly sweater contest. Whether you call it charming or cringeworthy, pieces like these show that personality often beats prestige.
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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