In the collecting world, tickets are a small niche.
Within the ticket world, movie tickets are an even smaller niche.
Yet that’s exactly where Sean O’Hare, Spencer Vogel and Kevin Loader of the Comics & Crypto collectibles channel saw an opportunity.
The trio sticks together in their collecting habits, co-owning nearly all of their collection.
O’Hare negotiated a deal with a private buyer Wednesday to sell a ticket to the world premiere of "Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone" for $5,000. The sale is the second-highest known price ever paid for a movie premiere ticket, behind only the $13,200 paid for a PSA 2 ticket to “Gone With The Wind.”
About two years ago, O’Hare says they noticed the rising prices of tickets for significant sports debuts and saw “massive potential” for movie premiere tickets. In comic book terms, world premiere tickets act as the “first appearance” of a certain film, character or actor.
O’Hare and the Comics & Crypto gang picked up the Harry Potter ticket for $1,000 in June 2023. It fit their M.O. to a tee. “Most of the world premiere tickets we go after are either very popular and successful films or films that we personally love,” O’Hare said. “ It’s a film that’s universally loved, worldwide, so for us, this was a very easy decision to make this purchase.”
The ticket is a PSA 5 example from the premiere in London's Odeon Leicester Square on Nov. 4, 2001. PSA has graded just four tickets from the showing. The only earlier ticket to the film in PSA’s census is from the cast and crew screening, which took place the previous day.
Movie tickets have been picking up steam in recent months. While still nowhere near the level of mainstream sports, both in price and popularity, the category is rapidly emerging. Back in May, PSA’s head of ticket authentication Matt Fuller told cllct it was the “hottest category of ticket.”
“When you consider a film as iconic as ‘Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,’ it’s easy to see why collectors place such high value on these pieces of memorabilia,” O’Hare said. “They represent not just a film's launch, but a cultural milestone that resonates with fans around the world.”
There’s plenty of possible reasons driving this market, not the least of which being the emotional connection to films and the movie theater experience.
Just like in sports with a player’s debut game or in comics with a superhero’s first appearance, movie tickets offer a similarly tiered system.
“Like with anything, people want the first of whatever it is they collect and are passionate about,” Fuller told cllct. “Premieres and screenings precede theatrical runs, and almost always those tickets are oversized and have a great colorful design. Parlay that with the cult like following that Harry Potter has, it’s not too surprising to see the rise in prices and in interest on those types of tickets.”
The Comics & Crypto crew still held on to their “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” For Your Consideration sealed VHS, another category they see potential in, despite many dismissing the market as a speculative bubble that has since burst. O’Hare says titles such as “Back to the Future” remain appealing to collectors due to their sustained appeal and, in VHS collecting, the rarity of sealed first-print copies, of which O’Hare believes only around 10 exist, power the market.
“While the VHS market has seen some price fluctuations, we’re noticing more grading companies entering the space, devoting resources to it," he said.
Whether dealing in movie stubs or VHS tapes, there is certainly a contingency of collectors devoted to owning key physical pieces of memorabilia tied to films which impacted their own lives as well as broader movie history.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.