Danica Davidson
June 28, 2021 
Heritage Auction’s The Art of Anime and Everything Cool Signature Auction over the weekend was a great success. The auction house estimated they’d take in $979,222, but they ended up earning $2,118,954.
My Neighbor Totoro and Akira pulled in the most money and were in the top six spots. The top item was a cel from My Neighbor Totoro showing Mei and Satsuki (above), which sold for $84,000. The second top item was an Akira cel that went for $78,000.
“The sale was an unqualified success,” Jim Lentz, the Director of Animation Art at Heritage Auctions, told Otaku USA in a followup interview. “It is the official jumping off point to establish ‘Anime Art and Everything Cool’ as a regular category for future sales at Heritage Auctions. We are already planning the followup auction. My son, who is a lifelong anime fan, called me and said, “I told you, Dad!’ As a father of four, who remembers hunting for elusive Dragon Ball action figures for all my kids when they were younger, this was one of my all time favorite sales, as all of my children watched this one closely with me!”
He continued, “The hits and big moments in this sale came from all over. Record breaking prices were seen for lots from Akira, Astro Boy, Dragon Ball, Ghost in the Shell, Pokémon, Vampire Hunter D, The End of Evangelion, and all the films from Studio Ghibli and Miyazaki. Record breaking prices were seen from such films as My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Porco Rosso, Princess Mononoke, and Kiki’s Delivery Service.
“A record number of global bidders came out for this sale, held over three days. The ‘Everything Cool’ section also had record breaking prices from Tron, Charles Schulz with Charlie Brown and Peanuts, animated superheroes, The Simpsons, and so many more.”
Source: Email correspondence
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Danica Davidson is the author of the bestselling Manga Art for Beginners with artist Melanie Westin, and its sequel, Manga Art for Intermediates, with professional Japanese mangaka Rena Saiya. Check out her other comics and books at www.danicadavidson.com.
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