With almost a month left to run, bids of hundreds of dollars are required to secure coveted original artwork from the Simpsons.
The cels are the runaway public favourites in an online sale due to end on February 24.
Fifteen cels are each currently under offer for $500 or more.
Fans of the long-running animation will recognise legendary and trademark episode titles like: Treehouse of Horror, Sideshow Bob Roberts, and Grandpa Vs Sexual Inadequacy.
A pair of Homer Simpson Adidas trainers is among the memorabilia up for grabs. Image Courtesy of Heritage Auctions HA.com.
The cels are 10″ x 7″ and were used in original production of the shows. They are sold with a seal from Fox, who made the show, and a certificate of authenticity. Screen times from the episodes they are featured in are attached to many individual items.
The cels were originally sold by the studio to collectors in strictly limited editions of just 100 each year. The auctioneers say: “These pieces are considered the best of the best from the studio’s archives.”
The Simpsons launched in 1989 and is now recognised as America’s longest running sitcom. It is a touchstone of US cultural life. The fact that so many people have grown up with the show means it will be collectible and valuable for generations.
Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson also feature in a range of memorabilia, including life-sized promo figures and mass market toys, being sold in the same auction.
Among the rarest Simpsons treasures are a Japanese-only Homer Simpson “bear brick” toy worth around $2,000. The Simpsons Forever website values original production cels at between $450 and $5,000, so it’s clear these items could yet rise substantially in value before the February 24 end of this sale.
