The Nerdconomy Report

1. Heritage Auctions Hits $962M Midyear
Heritage set a new record by hitting $962 million in sales by mid-2025—the highest midyear total in its 49-year history. Key highlights included the Amazing Spider-Man #194 original art (Black Cat’s debut), which sold for $1.02 million, showcasing the ongoing demand for high-end grails.

2. Hake’s Auction 244 Teases CGC-Verified Keys
CGC revealed several heavy hitters in the upcoming Hake’s July 29–30 auction, including Fantastic Four #1 (CGC 4.5) and Wonder Woman #1 (CGC 3.0). This Golden Age and Silver Age showcase is expected to generate major collector buzz.

3. Tom Brady’s CardVault Opens in Chicago
Tom Brady’s collectible empire expands with CardVault Chicago, launching Aug 1 during the National Sports Card Convention. The shop will feature a Tom Brady Memorabilia Experience, retail exclusives, and live events all week.

4. Topps Returns to Premier League Cards
Topps is back with a standalone 2025–26 Premier League trading card set, hitting UK retail Aug 7. The set includes hobby and global releases featuring rookies, legends, autographs, and parallels—marking a major play in global football collectibles.

5. Upper Deck Revives Fleer Brilliants for Superman
Fleer Brilliants returns for the first time in over two decades with a Superman-themed set tied to the upcoming film. Collectors can expect foilboard base cards and rare inserts—blending nostalgia with DC Comics hype.

6. $30.5M Ceratosaurus Skeleton Sale Breaks Records
A juvenile Ceratosaurus skeleton sold for $30.5 million at Sotheby’s, making it the third-highest dinosaur fossil sale ever. This historic moment shows that fossil collecting is becoming a major blue-chip alt asset class.

7. Snoop Dogg NFT Drop Nets $12M in 30 Minutes
Snoop Dogg’s new NFT collection on Telegram sold nearly 1M tokens in under 30 minutes—hauling in $12 million. The collection sold out instantly, signaling that pop culture-backed NFTs might still have life in the post-hype era.

8. Indiana Dealer’s Death Exposes $350M Fake Autograph Scandal
Shockwaves hit the collectibles world after Brett Lemieux, founder of MisterManCave, took his own life in Indiana following an FBI raid. In a 1,200‑word Facebook confession, he admitted to creating and selling over 4 million counterfeit items, including faked autographs from Mahomes, Brady, Kobe, and more—totaling an estimated $350 million in fraud.

9. Fanable Sells Out “Vault Villains” Mystery Comic Drop
Fanable’s July 17 drop, Vault Villains, sold out fast—100 graded comic cases, each priced at $89, were snapped up by collectors. Featuring villain first appearances from Marvel & DC, and Fanable’s vault storage + buyback guarantees, the drop is now tradable on the Fanable marketplace.

10. Netflix Renews King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch for Season 3
Netflix has officially greenlit a third season of King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, following its successful sophomore run. Ken Goldin shared excitement via Instagram and X this week, with renewal solidified by multiple outlets—anticipation is high for more behind-the-scenes auction drama.

Goldin’s Weekly Auction wrapped up with strong collector energy and bidding wars across iconic basketball, baseball, football, hockey, and WNBA rookies—plus a historic photo from boxing’s GOAT. Here are the highlights:

Panini NFT, one of the top Web3 collectible card platforms, saw strong mid-July action—especially for gold parallels and 1-of-1s. Here's a look at the top recent sales:

Comic-Con is here, and the fire drops are coming from all corners—Marvel, DC, VeVe, BOOM!, IDW, Dark Horse, Image, and more. Whether you're on the show floor or trading from home, these are the must-watch comic releases this SDCC:

📅 A week of limited-edition digital comics and collectibles drops is here. Whether you're into Marvel keys, anime-inspired originals, or 1-of-1 phygitals—this is your SDCC checklist:

🌀 Marvel Silver Surfer (1968) #1
Drop: July 23 @ 8 AM PT
Platform: VeVe
Type: Digital Comic
Details: First appearance of Shalla-Bal + Silver Surfer’s origin. A must-have Marvel key.
Edition Size: 2,000

🍰 Mechanical Cake: Modville #1
Drop: July 24 @ 10 AM PT
Platform: VeVe
Type: Digital Comic
Details: A surreal original by Peach Momoko—dreamlike storytelling, VeVe exclusive.
Edition Size: Limited (TBA)

🎯 Emily the Strange – Series 1
Drop: July 24 @ 12 PM PT
Platform: VeVe
Type: Digital Collectible (Figures)
Details: The gothic cult icon enters Web3 with 5 unique figure variants.
Edition Size: Limited Blind Box (TBA)

💀 Zero Ghost #3 – 247 Comics
Drop: July 25 @ 10 AM PT
Platform: VeVe
Type: Digital Comic
Details: Chapter 3 of the sci-fi indie hit. Dark, sharp, and on-chain.
Edition Size: Limited (TBA)

🧬 Assassin’s Creed: Altaïr Collectible
Drop: July 25 @ 12 PM PT
Platform: VeVe
Type: Digital Collectible (Figure)
Details: Ubisoft’s stealth icon joins VeVe as a high-detail 3D collectible.
Edition Size: Limited Blind Box (TBA)

🕷️ Metallic Red Spider-Man Collectible
Drop: July 27 @ 12 PM PT
Platform: VeVe
Type: Digital Collectible (Figure)
Details: A sleek, exclusive Spider-Man variant in full metallic red armor.
Edition Size: Limited (TBA)

🦇 Batman–Superman Fusion Figure
Drop: July 25 @ 9 AM PT
Platform: McFarlaneToysDigital
Type: Digital Collectible + Physical Reward
Details: Fusion of two DC legends—Common, Epic, and Legendary rarities.
🖊️ 12 Legendary minters win a 1-of-1 physical figure signed by Todd McFarlane

The NFT market saw some serious shakeups over the last 7 days—with old favorites making a comeback and new challengers climbing fast. Pudgy Penguins and Moonbirds dominated Ethereum, while Courtyard continued to lead on Polygon despite a dip. Here’s a side-by-side breakdown of the top performers by volume this week 👇

🧾 Top 10 NFT Projects by Volume – Last 7 Days
(Based on total sales volume, number of sales, and market momentum)

From deep-cut first appearances to books heating up due to upcoming movies, trailers, and major story arcs — this week’s comic market saw a serious surge in demand. Whether you're flipping, holding, or just watching the waves, here are the physical comics with the biggest sales spikes over the last 7 days

📈 These books are moving fast — driven by movie rumors, upcoming arcs, and first appearances.

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🧠 That’s a Wrap on This Week’s Nerdconomy Report!
From SDCC digital drops and record-breaking auctions to wild headlines and trending grails, the collectibles market continues to remind us—this is the golden era of collecting.

💡 Whether you’re hunting phygitals, flipping comics, or just nerding out with the community, we’re here to help you stay ahead of the curve.

🎯 Don’t forget:
→ Submit your Golden Tokens for this week’s giveaway
→ Catch the replay of our Nerd Chat with industry leaders HERE
→ And tune in next Sunday @ 10:30AM ET for more heat

Until next time, stay curious and keep collecting.
— Ceelow | Nerdcave’77