Top 10 rarest collectibles in the world!
Reading time 13 min
- 10- A copy of Captain America comic book number 1
- 9- The original “Yesterday and Today” Beatles 1966 vinyl sleeve
- 8- The Black Lotus, a card from the game “Magic and the Gathering", 1993 Alpha series
- 7- Two postage stamps, the One Penny Red and Two Pence Blue (Mauritus)
- 6- Barbie Lorraine Schwartz Doll
- 5- 2012 Penfolds Bulb with 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
- 4- T206 Doyle baseball card with its printing error
- 3- Pokemon Trainer Card Number One
- 2- GI Joe's Prototype in 1964
- 1- Music album, "Once upon a time in Shaolin” from Wu-Tang Clan
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Introduction
Collectibles prove that what started out as a hobby or childhood passion can turn into a veritable multi-million dollar bidding war. The collectibles business is profitable, we've seen it before, it can turn a penny stamp into a priceless item. Yes, remember in our last article: The most expensive coin in the world! We've told you about the One Cent Magenta stamp and the 1933 Double Eagle coin, two very rare collectibles that are also worth a lot of money. However, even though these deserve their places in this article, we would rather introduce you to some new items.
Pay close attention, the rarest objects in the world are not necessarily the most expensive objects in the history. If you're looking for a list of the most expensive collections, you'll have to read the following article: Top 14 of the World's Most Expensive Collectables.
Whether it's hoarding coins, cards or wine, there's a rare collectible for every enthusiast.
Read on to discover some of the most unique collectibles ever. We've ranked them in a top 10 list, starting from rare objects to the extremely rare ones (and based on the number of known and identified examples). After reading this, sort through your childhood memories and closets, you might find some real golden nuggets!
10- The Rarest Comic Book: Captain America Number 1
Captain America, also known as Steven Rogers, is a super hero of the Marvel Universe (the publishing house Marvel Comics). Captain America is a fictional character created by scribe Joe Simonin collaboration with cartoonist Jack Kirby. His first appearance was in the comic book Captain America Comics #1, which appeared in December 1940 but with the date March 1941 printed on the front of the book.
Although the exact number of copies of this 1942 long-form comic book remains unknown today; presumably the production figures are quite low since it was only sold in Canada. In addition, it is rare to find a copy of this issue in its complete form, and so far only one intact copy has been auctioned. Although the cover indicates that the comic is 128 pages long, it is actually 132. It contains themMarvel Mysteries Comics #33 and Captain America #18 in black and white.
Did you know? "Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide" ranked this comic book as one of the top 50 books in the Golden Age. A copy in good condition is estimated to $15,000!
9- The rarest vinyl album cover: “Yesterday and Today” by The Beatles from 1966
First release cover of "Yesterday and Today" by the Beatles.
At number 9 on the list, we have selected Yesterday and Today. It's a rock music album by the English band "the Beatles". Released in the United States and then in Canada in 1966, it was their 9th album released on Capitol Records and their 12th American release in total. Who would have thought that an album cover would become even more important than what it contains? Indeed, the Beatles' album, Yesterday and Today, had a cover that caused a lot of controversy because it was particularly distracting to look at. Known as the "butcher's blanket", it was taken by photographer Robert Whitaker and shows the group clad in white coats and covered with dolls, pieces of dolls and raw meat : a very gore and disturbing picture.
The album contains songs typical of the Beatles' North American discography. Among its 11 tracks are songs from the EMI albums, Help! and Rubber Soul, as well as three new recordings from 1966.
This album cover was very quickly censored, which contributed greatly to the item's rarity. Since some Capitol pressing plants only glued the image of the trunk on the existing vinyl album covers, the album also encouraged a new generation of artists to take part in the production process; Also encouraging a phase of removing the top layer of the artwork was the search for a forbidden butchery cover.
Printed in 750,000 copies, this version of the cover was withdrawn from the market because of the scandal. One of these rare sleeves sold for the modest sum of 110,000 euros ! Advice, hold on to this cover by cœur, you never know if by some miracle you come across a copy at a yard sale, you'll find yourself with a gold mine in your hands.
8- The rarest game card: the Black Lotus from "Magic and the Gathering," 1993 Alpha series
In the 8th position, here is the Black Lotus card is part of the original limited edition of the 1993 Alpha set, the first set of cards from Magic the Gathering. It’s one of the rarest and most powerful cards in the game.
To make a long story short, Magic the Gathering is a strategy card game where players must collect cards by switching them with their friends. The player has to build decks to face the opponents' decks. The particularity of this game compared to traditional card games, is the existence of 14,000 distinct cards with which each player must build his deck. New editions come out regularly, with new rules of play, which makes Magic the Gathering permanent evolution.
The Black Lotus card is also part of the Power Nine, a group of cards in the Alpha set with disproportionate abilities. Wizards of the Coast, the parent company of Magic the Gathering, has only released only 1,100 copies of this card, making it highly coveted by Magic fans. That said, the card is banned or restricted in most tournament formats because it gives its owner an unfair advantage over players who can't afford it. Today, this card is estimated to cost $166,100.
Did you know? Black Lotus, along with other Power Nine cards, is part of the list of cards served in Magic the Gathering. This means that the company has promised never to reproduce an exact replica of the original card. This is why this card is so rare.
7- The rarest stamps: the One Penny Red and the Two Pence Blue (Mauritus)
The Bordeaux Envelope
Red and blue postage stamps“ One Penny Red” and “Two Pence Blue” place 7th position in our ranking. Among the countries that concentrate rare and sometimes the most expensive philatelic coins in the world, we find Mauritius. Yes, these two stamps come from the British colony of the Indian Ocean which printed and distributed in 1847 these 2 stamps without perforation. The first one is worth 1 penny and the second one 2 pence: they represent the effigy of Victoria with a mention “Post Office” instead of “PostPaid”.
Only 500 copies of these two stamps were é been drawn and only 27 copies are known and identified. Ten years ago, in 2011, a Two Pence Blue was auctioned $1.44 million! It was London, under the hammer of auctioneer Spink, that the sale took place.
When these are found in multiple copies or not, still glued to the original envelope, the value of these stamps can go up in price. This is the case of 6 letters, the most famous of which is the Bordeaux envelope, which is the only letter identified with the two stamps of the Post Office of Mauritius. In 1933, this letter was sold for $4 million$4 million ! It was the Swiss auction house, David Feldman, that made this the most expensive philatelic item in the world until 2014.
6- The Rarest Barbie Doll: Barbie Lorraine Schwartz
The Barbie doll is one of the most popular and recognisable dolls ever created, and not just among young girls. This doll is highly sought after by collectors, especially well preserved vintage Barbie dolls. Since the first Barbie, named Barbie Millicent Roberts, was introduced to the world in 1959, new ones have been released each decade, with added accessories and changes reflecting the era in which the dolls were produced.
Before its deregulation in the late 1950s, America had never seen a comparable doll to Barbie. Previously, only children's dolls were available on the toy market, but Barbie brought something new and different. The dolls were designed to allow young girls to re-circulate their future as career-minded, ambitious women. They quickly became one of the best-selling dolls of all time, with more than one billion sold to date.
The Barbie doll Lorraine Schwartz is a very rare limited edition that was made with real diamonds. Jewellery designer Lorraine Schwartz wanted to give Barbie a makeover for a more glamorous and exclusive version in 2010. This Barbie wears long diamond earrings, a diamond belt and diamond encrusted shoes. Since there are only 12 of these dolls, they are quite expensive. The most recent one sold at auction for $7,500. Beyonce, Blake Lively and Kim Kardashian are among celebrity customers who have snapped up a copy of the doll.
5- The rarest bottle of wine: the 2012 Penfolds bulb with 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon
Penfolds' super-limited edition handcrafted bulb captures the art and science of our company's wine-making process. The bulb itself is the brainchild of four Australian artisans who worked with winemakers to create this unique product. The bulb rests in a glass sculpture in the shape of a spear, itself contained in a custom-made wooden box.
The 2004 Kalimna Block 42 Cabernet Sauvignon is made in only 12 units. The bulbs are hand built with uncommon precision.
These bulbs, housed in their jarrah wood boxes, are oxygen-free and are meant to create the perfect environment for wine. They can only be opened by Penfolds' head winemaker, Peter Gago, who is willing to travel anywhere in the world to open them.
Justin Knock, of the Institute of Wine Masters, said, "This wine is unique because it comes from Cabernet Sauvignon vines planted in the mid-1880s, the oldest Cabernet vineyard in the world."
The vineyards, located in the Moppa region of the Barossa Valley in Australia-Mediterranean, have a limited yield of high quality fruit, which means that the winery rarely releases a mill from these vines.
Did you know? The 2004 Cabernet Sauvignon in the bulb will be at its peak in 2030. That's not all, to get and enjoy this exceptional one-liter bottle, you'll have to spend $130,482.24! Such a high price for a temporary collector's item...
4- The rarest baseball card: the T206 Doyle with its printing error
The T206 Doyle Error card is famous due to a printing error. As in the photo above, instead of the Highlanders, it mistakenly shows Joe Doyle as a player on the New York National Team. The distribution company noticed this error very early on and as a result, only a few of these erroneous cards were produced and marketed. This card remained relatively unknown to collectors until the 1990's when a dealer collected four or five of them. To his delight, one of these cards sold for $414,750 in 2012.
Did you know? Joe Doyle has only won 21 games in five seasons, which means this card probably would have been worthless without his misprint. Only 9 copies of this card have been identified worldwide.
3- The rarest Pokemon card: the Number 1 Trainer Card
The 7 holographic cards de Dresseur Numéro 1 were awarded to winners of regional tournaments; who then participated in the Super Secret Battle of 1999, which they could only access with these special cards. This collectible card is considered one of the rarest Pokémon cards, one of which sold at auction for $90,000. The card features a silhouette of Mew Deux, a powerful Pokémon, and a logo with the name "Pocket Monsters Card Game."
Did you know? Six of the seven cards are in mint condition.
While the n°1 trainer card is among the rarest Pokémon cards in the world, it is not necessarily the most valuable Pokémon card. That title goes to Pikachu Illustrator, a holographic trainer card with artwork by the original Pikachu artist, Atsuko Nishida.
The promotional card was given to 39 winners of a 1998 contest. Only 19 remaining copies of Pikachu Illustrator were certified.
According to Guinness World Records, Pikachu Illustrator is the most expensive Pokémon card sold at auction, after a mint copy sold last October 2020 for a record $195,000!
2- The rarest figure: thee Prototype GI Joe in 1964
The GI joe prototype from 1964 places in the top 2 of the list. It is one of the rarest collectibles. Donald Levine, considered the father of GI Joe figures, hand-painted the prototype that led to the sale of the first commercially available GI Joe figures in 1964. Joe's face, his green army uniform and his backpack are hand-stitched or hand-painted. This is a unique example of the dedicated attention that went into the making of the toys, making them a "holy" item for collectors. Until a 2013 auction, the prototype had only been owned by Levine himself and the owner of a toy museum. This prototype is estimated to be worth $200,000!
Did you know? GI Joe is considered the first action figure in the toy industry, meaning the first doll marketed to boys.
1- The rarest music album: "Once Upon a Time in Shaolin" by the Wu-Tang Clan
Once Upon a Time in Shaolin is the seventh studio album by American hip-hop group Wu-Tang Clan. It has been limited to only one copy, giving it the title of the rarest item in the world! This album will be sold in 2015, and is the most expensive musical work ever sold.
To explain the incredible history of this collector's item, the album was recorded in secret over a six-year period. A single copy of two CDs was pressed in 2014 and stored in a secure vault at the Royal Mansour Hotel in Marrakech, Morocco. Wu-Tang Clan producer Cilvaringz didn't just want to make music. He wanted to create an artifact: the album came in a silver, jewel-encrusted box with a Wu-Tang Clan wax seal.
On November 25, 2015, Paddle8, the online auction startup that the Wu-Tang hired to sell the album, announced; that Once Upon a Time in Shaolin had sold for $2 million. A legal agreement with the buyer stipulated that the album could not be commercially exploited until 2103, although it could be played at seance parties.
The winning bidder was American CEO Martin Shkreli. The latter had a strong tendency to generate controversy on the net. He also had seemingly heartless business practices. He made a name for himself by raising the price of a life-saving drug, Daraprim, by a factor of five. That made him one of the most tested personalities in the United States.
What did he want to do with the album? He publicly toyed with the idea of putting the album record in a secluded area, so that avid listeners would have to go on some sort of quest to hear the music.
Finally, federal authorities seized the album in March 2018 after Shkreli went to jail for stock fraud. In July 2021, the U.S. government sold the album to an undisclosed buyer to cover Shkreli's remaining debts. The Wu-Tang Clan members donated most of the album's proceeds to charity and publicly deaccessioned Shkreli.
Conclusion
This is the end of the list. Tell us in the comments below, which of these rare items you would have liked to have in your collections! In the meantime and on a more realistic note, we wrote an article called What can be collected? that will give you ideas of objects that are cool and easy collect.
Laetitia from CollecOnline.
