Deep Cuts is your monthly digest tracking the hottest and most high-value collectibles entering the market—from rare cultural artifacts to headline-grabbing sales.
Some collectors pursue Picasso. Others chase Homer Simpson. As the demand for animation art continues to climb, a forthcoming auction is loosing hundreds of storyboards, drawings, and original cels (hand-painted celluloid used in traditional animation) for animated classics on the market.
The sale marks Propstore’s inaugural standalone animation art outing and is expected to bring in $1 million. Running July 8–9, the first day dedicated to Western animation and the second one to anime. Highlights abound, from concept paintings for Disney’s Fantasia (1940), which could fetch $11,800–$23,700 each, to a hand-painted cel for the Dragon Ball Z T.V. series (1989–96), expected to realize more than $19,000. Pieces from Alice in Wonderland (1951), Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989), and Pokémon (1997–present) are also on offer.
Alice in Wonderland (1951) original production cel. Photo courtesy of Propstore.
Russell Singler, Propstore’s animation art expert, told me that current demand for animation art is “very strong.” While Disney has historically dominated the space, “other franchises are coming up as people age into collecting,” he said. “They want to have something that’s personal to them, that they grew up with, and that they can now buy. They understand its cultural relevance.”
The auction’s top lot speaks to that nostalgia and cultural significance. An original cel used on the season 11 “Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder” (1999) episode of The Simpsons leads the sale with a $33,000–$66,000 estimate. “This is one of those pieces that’s got it all,” Singler said. Besides featuring the beloved trio of Homer, Lenny, and Carl, the roughly 27-by-12-inch work is a rarely seen cel for a panoramic setup distinguished by its hand-painting, which was only employed during the series’ first 13 seasons.
The Simpsons, “Hello Gutter, Hello Fadder” (1999), Homer, Lenny, and Carl at the Bowlerama original production cel. Photo courtesy of Propstore.
“These setups are not going to be found now. The studio is very smart about what is coming on the market and what they want to keep,” Singler noted. “We’re entering that period where Simpsons artifacts are almost museum material.”
Prices have been soaring for animation art in recent years. Disney, again, has drawn the greatest interest: Heritage Auctions brought in a record $5.19 million for its 2025 sale of the studio’s animated artworks, although anime and manga are also gaining traction among collectors. Big auction players are making in-roads into the space, with Christie’s selling a Sailor Moon drawing by Japanese animator Ito Ikuko for $88,900—18 times its low estimate—in March.
Highlights from Propstore’s Animation Art Live Auction will be on view at Borough Yards, Stoney Street, London, July 2–5.
Also on the Market
Boy George’s blue bowler hat with abstract wire face. Photo courtesy of Julien’s Auctions.
– Memorabilia: Singer, artist, and style icon Boy George is clearing out his wardrobe for a good cause. On July 14, Julien’s Auctions is offering selections from the musician’s collection, including custom designs by the likes of Vivienne Westwood and John Paul Gaultier, as well as iconic pieces, such as the ensemble seen on the cover of “Karma Chameleon” in 1983, which is estimated to fetch $20,000–$30,000. A portion of the sale proceeds will benefit MusiCares.
– Natural History: On the heels of its $5.5 million sale of a Triceratops fossil, Joopiter is offering yet another prehistoric find. It’s the skull of a juvenile Triceratops, excavated from the Hell Creek Formation with most of its teeth intact. The unpublished, unstudied, and fresh-to-market fossil is estimated to fetch $600,000 to $800,000 on July 1.
– Musical Instruments: Guitar hero Johnny Marr is offloading about 80 of his axes at a Christie’s auction on September 17 to benefit charity. The sale, which includes the instruments he used on the recording of his new album, The Age Of Everything, will see guitars tagged with estimates from £1,000 to £150,000 ($1,320–$198,000). They will be on view at Christie’s headquarters in New York from June 25–July 1 before traveling to its London sale room in September.
Pelé’s 1958 FIFA World Cup Final Championship match-worn shirt. Photo courtesy of Sotheby’s.
– Memorabilia: A shirt Pelé wore during Brazil’s triumphant 1958 World Cup final could become one of the most valuable pieces of memorabilia ever associated with the football star. From June 29–July 16, the historic number 10 shirt is open for bidding at Sotheby’s, where it could rake in north of $6 million. Diego Maradona’s famed World Cup-worn shirt bore a similar estimate and went on to realize $9.3 million in 2022.
– Rare Manuscripts: The final treasures from the storied collection of billionaire and former Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay are landing at Christie’s on July 1. Among the highlights is the working manuscript for Alcoholics Anonymous’s 12-step program, with notes and edits by the authors, that would come to be known as the Big Book. It is estimated to make $1 million–$2 million, with proceeds from the sale pledged to causes close to Isray’s heart; the collector died last year at 65.
The Top Lot
Elizabeth Taylor’s Fendi Baguette. Photo: Christie’s Images Ltd. 2026.
When Christie’s concluded its June 11 sale of handbags, it had moved $3.2 million worth of wares, including pieces from Hermès, Louis Vuitton, and Chanel. The scene-stealer, though, was a Fendi Baguette (c. 2000s), drawn from the collection of Hollywood icon Elizabeth Taylor, that went for $21,590, far eclipsing its high estimate of $5,000. It is now the most valuable Fendi Baguette to sell at auction.
The price for the black, red, and white handbag was most certainly driven by its provenance, said Max Brownawell, the head of Christie’s handbags and accessories department. “Collectors were drawn to the authenticity and intimacy of an accessory Ms. Taylor truly lived with,” he told me over email. Even the handbag’s slight wear only added to its desirability.
But the result also reflects the standing of early “It bags,” which were crafted with materials and techniques more superior than those used today. Their still-sturdy condition has invited nostalgia, Brownawell said, allowing collectors to “relive a memory of carrying a Baguette, a Mombasa, or a Paddington.”
For those hoping to get their bag, he noted that while the Hermès’s Birkin has only soared in value, the Kelly has yet to ascend to those heights: “This is an especially advantageous moment to acquire a Kelly 32, 35, or 40 at auction.”
