Press Release

Cranston, RI, USA, February 18, 2024 -- An authentic, original oil on velvet Alaskan gold pan painting by Bob Ross, the host of TV’s long-running hit series The Joy of Painting, and a copy of the premiere issue of Marvel Comics’ Fantastic Four #1 from November 1961, are expected top lots in Bruneau & Co.’s Winter Comic, Sport, TCG (Trading Card Games) & Toy auction slated for February 24th.

The 770-lot auction will begin promptly at 10 am Eastern time and will be held online and live in the Bruneau & Co. gallery located at 63 Fourth Avenue in Cranston. “The catalog features an array of comics, sports, TCG, toys and other fun and interesting collectibles, the largest auction in company history,” said Travis Landry, Bruneau & Co.’s Director of Pop Culture.

Highlights include a 1982 Kenner Star Wars Return of the Jedi Lightsaber store display and a factory sealed 1980 Empire Strikes Back Darth Vader's Star Destroyer playset. Other toys include a collection of 1980's and 1990's Hasbro G.I. Joe factory-sealed action figures from a Pennsylvania estate and a collection of 1970's and 1980's Japanese robots.

The second portion of the auction will feature 117 lots of sports, non-sports, and TCG trading cards in both graded and raw condition. The final portion of the catalog will consist of 518 lots of comics and comic art. Comics include a vast selection of Golden through Modern Age era books in both graded and raw condition – a collector’s dream.

Lot #1 is the Bob Ross painting, an adorable winter scene housed in a round frame 16 ½ inches in diameter. The work would have been painted by Ross in the 1970's while he was stationed in Alaska where he began painting with the wet-on-wet technique. The work is accompanied by a signed certificate of authenticity from Bob Ross Inc. It has an estimate of $5,000-$8,000.

Bob Ross (Alaska/Fla., 1942-1995) is an absolute icon of public television, forever venerated in the world of pop culture today. The Joy of Painting aired on PBS from 1983-1994 and was beloved by many. It is still re-run today on some PBS stations. On it, Ross instructs viewers in the quick, wet-on-wet oil painting technique directly from his imagination, without a sketch.

The Bob Ross painting will be followed by 130 lots of vintage toys and collectibles. The copy of Fantastic Four #1 (lot #441) is graded CGC 5.0 and features the origin and first appearance of the Fantastic Four (Mister Fantastic, the Invisible Woman, the Human Torch and the monstrous Thing), plus the Mole Man. It should sell for $10,000-$15,000.

Spider-Man will appear more than once in the sale. A copy of Marvel Comics Amazing Spider-Man #1 (March, 1963), graded CGC 2.5 and featuring the first appearance of J. Jonah Jameson and Chameleon, the first Fantastic Four crossover, and a retelling of the origin of Spider-Man, has a pre-sale estimate of $3,000-$5,000; while a copy of Amazing Spider-Man #300 (May 1988), graded well at CGC 9.8, featuring the origin and first full appearance of Venom, plus a Thing appearance, should change hands for $2,000-$3,000.

Previews will be held on Thursday and Friday, February 22nd and 23rd, from 9-4 Eastern time each day in the Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers gallery. Doors will open on auction day at 8 am. For more info you may call 401-533-9980; or, you can send an email to contact@bruneauandco.com. To learn more about Bruneau & Co. Auctioneers and the Winter Comic, Sport, TCG (Trading Card Games) & Toy auction slated for February 24th, please visit www.bruneauandco.com.

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