Greg Manning Auctions, Inc. (Nasdaq: GMAI) announced the world record setting private treaty sale of Batman #1 (CGC Certified Very Fine Plus) for $150,000, and Detective Comics #29 (CGC Certified Near Mint Plus) for $100,000. The Company also announced that two auctions, KISS the Auction and the World Stamp Expo Auction, together resulted in aggregate sales in excess of $4 million.

A descendant from the royal family of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) recently authorized a Shanghai auction house to sell 100 treasured porcelain pieces believed to have been made in court kilns of the Qing Dynasty and the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644). News of the auction, which will be organized by Shanghai New Century Auction Company on September 10, has caught the attention of collectors and auctioneers worldwide, Wenhui Daily reported.

The auction of the SS Brother Jonathan treasure coins was the perfect laboratory in which to test whether buyers base their bids solely on grade, or study the individual coins. At this auction, there were 501 mint state 1865-S US $20 Gold pieces. These Double Eagles were graded MS60 through MS66 by PCGS. If the 142 MS64s, for example, were bought by the holder, each coin would have gone for the same, or close to the same, price.

For , a library of eight books is available. If your interest is nothing but dolls, Raggedy Ann & Andy ID Guide (Gold Horse Publishers, 1998) is for you. It is a guide to dating, identifying, and evaluating dolls 1918-1965. If your interest is still in the dolls, but you’d like a little “extra,” The Raggedy Ann & Andy Family Album, 2nd edition (Schiffer Ltd, 1998) is a good choice for a single reference. It covers dolls made by the five best known companies: Knickerbocker, Georgene, Applause, Volland, and Mollye, and it has a nice sampling of other collectibles like storybooks and games. The 500 illustrations are all in color, with a price guide.

To most collectors, the money is not the reason for collecting. Somewhere in the shine of the bottle, embedded in the glass like the logo, is a sentimental connection to something of value from another time. That glittery ghost, that intangible image of the past, is the lure that draws the gaze to these bottles. Milk bottle collections are polished with this sentiment, ties to other times and places. And if these shining pieces of yesteryear increase in value to be worth hundreds of dollars, it is only of secondary import to those who truly love them. <