“Where does he get those wonderful toys?” – The Joker, Batman (1989) “How can I get those wonderful toys?” – Sci-Fi movie fans since time immemorial. The short answer is “prop replicas”. Movies build props and special effects in exactly the quantity they need to finish the flick. For example, Jaws infamously had just the…
DetailsMost folks in their late 20s have what we call “The Box”. It’s the box their parents made them take when they moved out. The box they haven’t really ever gone through, despite it following them through a couple of moves. The box that haunts them like a ghost, constantly on the verge of being…
DetailsThe 1990s were the last great decade of the American shopping mall! And one of the great shopping mall stores of that decade was the Warner Bros. Studio Store. Open for just ten years, 1991 to 2001, its 130 locations brought the movie studio gift shop experience to the masses, selling high end gifts and…
DetailsBeanie Babies. Those cute little beanbags were insanely popular in the late 90s and early 00s – they led to human stampedes in Hallmark Stores, for goodness’s sake! Twenty plus years on, the market for them is…considerably less competitive. Today, we’re going to have a look at why that is. Scarcity Relative To Demand Let’s…
DetailsWe’re closing out Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month by answering your burning questions about Asian “firsts” in American comics! The first question we must address: Who Was the First Asian Superhero? The first headlining Asian superhero debuted way back in 1944! Well, sort of. Chinese American writer/artist Chu F. Hing created The Green…
DetailsIt’s Back to the Past’s job to keep our finger on the pulse of the collectibles market so you don’t have to! We periodically update you on what’s hot RIGHT NOW and why its doing so well. This update is here to tell you about precious metals – including coins. Precious Metals Are on An…
DetailsCoins are unique amongst collectibles due to them already having spendable value. To wit, a “coin collection” made up of a lifetime’s pocket change is worth at least face value. But what makes a particular coin worth more than the number stamped on it? Let your pals at Back to the Past tell you! Silver…
DetailsIn the last decade, record collecting has made a major comeback! As music fans and collectors, we absolutely couldn’t be happier about that – we love that warm sound vinyl brings to music and nothing beats a 12” in terms of collectible music. That renewed interest has driven up prices on vintage releases, but not…
DetailsHave you inherited a collection that you just have no idea what to do with? Worse yet, do you not even know what most of it is? The first impulse there is usually “toss it”. Who wants the hassle? That’s a bad impulse. The good impulse is to have that collection evaluated by experts –…
DetailsWhat makes one comic book worth more than another? Why is Incredible Hulk #176 worth a few bucks while #181 is worth thousands? There can be a lot of reasons, many lumped into the term “key issue”. By far the most common way for an issue to be key is to be the first appearance…
DetailsMovies have been a keystone of American pop culture for over a century. As such, folks love to have reminders of their favorite movies around them: posters, toys, statues, prop replicas, movie memorabilia comes in all shapes and sizes. One such shape is the Lobby Card, the now obsolete sibling to the iconic movie poster.…
DetailsBack to the Past has been conducting live auctions since 2011 and in that time, we’ve heard the same thing over and over: “Oh, like on eBay?” And the answer is…not exactly. We were an early adopter on eBay, getting our listings up before the rest of the world even had broadband back in the…
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