Christie's runs it back: anime and manga, round two
Christie's second anime and manga sale goes live online on October 9 and runs through October 22. In-person viewing is in New York from October 8 to 12, the same week as New York Comic Con. The Art Newspaper puts the sale at about 130 lots, with a combined estimate of $344,350 to $523,200.
The reason to watch it is the first sale. Christie's online debut in March, Anime Starts Here: Japanese Subculture Reimagines Tradition, made $1.4 million with fees, more than four times its low estimate before fees. Two results stood out:
- Shiomi Ryosuke's Wolf and Armor (2019): $698,500 with fees. That was 35 times its low estimate and an auction record for the artist.
- Ito Ikuko's Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon work: $88,900 with fees. That was almost 18 times its low estimate, and the top anime piece in the sale.
What's on offer this time
The second catalog leans further into production material, the part of the lane we track:
| Lot | Estimate |
|---|---|
| Original production cel, Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995) | $5,000–7,000 |
| Original cel of Kaneda on his motorbike, Akira (1988) | $5,000–7,000 |
| Original Pokémon production cel | $2,000–3,000 |
The catalog also includes original Osamu Tezuka drawings and Ultraman soft vinyl figures, per The Art Newspaper.
Why it matters
Anime production art has been priced mostly by specialist rooms: Heritage's Art of Anime series, plus Japanese dealers and auctions. A second sale at Christie's tests whether a fine-art house's audience brings repeat demand, or whether March was a one-time novelty bid.
The useful number when results post is the ratio of hammer price to low estimate on the production cels specifically. The March headline came mostly from contemporary artwork, not cels. If the Akira and Dragon Ball Z cels clear their estimates by a wide margin, that's evidence that new money is reaching production art itself. If they land inside their estimates, the specialist rooms are still setting the price.
What to watch
- October 8–12: viewing in New York, during NYCC week.
- October 9–22: the online sale.
- After October 22: results on the cels against their estimates, compared with recent Heritage anime results.
Estimates and results are as reported by the source below. This is market data and commentary, not investment advice.