DISNEY VS. WARNER BROTHERS MEMORABILIA INDEX

So which film production company has the most valuable memorabilia to date? 

When comparing sales within the auction houses, Disney had an average sale price of $6,101 with Warner Brothers behind at $3,979 and when it came to eBay, Warner Brothers was only one dollar behind Disney’s average price of $24. 

So all in all, Disney collectibles are generally the more valuable memorabilia to collect. 

However that’s not to say, Warner Brothers doesn’t have some expensive memorabilia of their own! Take a look through our findings below to see which of your favorite franchises from these movie giants are valued at a pretty penny.

 

		Auction House			eBay
Film Production Company	Franchise	Average Sale Price	Total Number of Sales	Highest Sale	Average Sale Pric	Highest Sale	Total Sales
Disney	Disney	$3,178	15,788,630.22	$326,309	$21	$236,621	$266,418,942
Warner Bros	James Bond	$15,702	9,327,199.39	$500,000	$37	$31,798	$10,774,433
Disney	Star Wars	$17,105	8,860,491.92	$2,760,000	$30	$38,129	$248,413,865
Warner Bros	Batman	$11,817	2,871,613.90	$780,000	$27	$52,196	$85,127,409
Warner Bros	Casablanca	$11,699	2,866,325.10	$602,500	$35	$5,503	$89,479
Disney	Snow White	$5,908	1,683,916.75	$163,800	$31	$6,970	$17,672,038
Disney	Marvel	$4,117	712,228.36	$477,992	$29	$80,265	$325,187,377
Disney	Winnie The Pooh	$7,190	402,644.51	$138,806	$16	$6,875	$7,293,346
Disney	Cinderella	$2,442	351,580.41	$53,462	$22	$10,317	$11,335,492
Disney	Beauty And The Beast	$10,100	303,006.79	$120,439	$23	$12,450	$7,429,158
Disney	Indiana Jones	$4,538	267,733.10	$66,000	$27	$11,821	$4,952,461
Disney	Little Mermaid	$19,711	256,241.07	$66,543	$27	$17,197	$5,443,684
Disney	The Simpsons	$3,420	232,543.91	$133,654	$27	$1,391	$229,599
Warner Bros	Harry Potter	$1,152	122,060.61	$2,579	$22	$25,695	$31,509,493
Warner Bros	LEGO	$3,952	114,611.50	$13,860	$26	$16,013	$183,992,094
Disney	Mickey Mouse	$31,200	93,600.00	$62,400	$21	$24,391	$40,963,810
Warner Bros	The Lord Of The Rings	$1,676	48,608.61	$4,552	$28	$13,835	$13,872,918
Warner Bros	Looney Tunes	$3,043	27,383.43	$15,911	$17	$4,167	$6,649,571
Disney	Men In Black	$5,486	21,942.00	$17,000	$14	$2,434	$77,734
Disney	The Lion King	$2,174	21,736.22	$4,856	$18	$4,698	$3,748,458
Disney	The Mask	$3,984	19,917.82	$6,683	$32	$2,434	$65,829
Disney	Toy Story	$5,278	10,556.48	$2,276	$17	$14,951	$10,809,392
Warner Bros	Aquaman	$9,081	9,081.85	$9,081	$25	$21,320	$4,540,518
Warner Bros	The Exorcist	$964	7,713.79	$4,516	$23	$3,095	$895,903
Disney	Sesame Street	$2,765	5,530.63	$3,300	$13	$8,288	$3,562,563
Warner Bros	Mad Max	$604	2,415.94	$917	$22	$893	$163,711
Disney	Mortal Kombat	$875	875.00	$875	$27	$8,699	$6,706,169
Warner Bros	Scooby Doo	$379	758.98	$600	$16	$6,909	$4,984,100
Warner Bros	Matrix	$341	341.45	$341	$23	$4,093	$508,243
Disney	Avengers	$100	200.00	$200	$35	$63,679	$79,550,869
OVERALL
Warner Brothers		$3,979			$23		$602,315,033
Disney		$6,101			$24		$780,653,622

 

Overall, James Bond, a Warner Brothers franchise, had the highest average price of any collectibles on eBay ($37) with Mickey Mouse having the highest average franchise collectible sale price of $31,200.

MOST VALUABLE COLLECTIBLES FROM DISNEY AND WARNER BROTHERS

NOTABLE FILMS & FRANCHISES

DISNEY

Star Wars

It’s hard to think of another beloved science fiction with more die-hard fans than Star Wars! With that in mind, there are nearly 230,000 searches for Star Wars memorabilia on eBay per month resulting in more than 8 million collectibles sold in the last two years on the platform! What was the most expensive? A 1977 Star Wars Trading Card featuring Luke Skywalker - valued at $38,129.

The collectible from this out of this world franchise that is truly not to be missed is the complete R2-D2 assembled from original components from several of the movies. Sold for $2,760,000 by Heritage Auctions, this movie collectible is followed closely in worth by the insanely rare Darth Vader signature mask and helmet from Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (sold for $1,125,000). 

 

Marvel

Centered on a series of superhero films, the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) is one of Disney's most popular franchises and the one with the most direct impact on pop culture. The franchise also includes television series, short films, digital series, and literature. The shared universe has highly-regarded films such as Avengers, Iron Man, Captain America, Ant-Man, Spider-Man, Black Panther, and more. The most valuable Marvel collectible is a titanium limited edition Audemars Piguet Royal Black Panther watch, sold on Christie’s for a staggering $477,992. This is the first ‘superhero’ watch to emerge as a result of Audemars Piguet’s new collaboration with Marvel Entertainment, and only 250 were made.

Another impressive collectible is one the finest copies of the Amazing Spider-Man's #3 comic from 1963, sold at Sotheby's for an impressive $16,700. The rare high-grade copy of the third issue of one of the most famous Golden Age superhero stories includes the origin and first appearance of Doctor Octopus (Otto Octavius) and the Human Torch. There are only a few high-grade copies of issue #3 of The Amazing Spider-Man, and this is certainly one of the finest copies, with its great colors and condition. Also notable is a 2015 Melanie Bianchi Marvel poster featuring Captain America, Hulk, Thor, The Fantastic Four, Flash, and Detective Comics, signed with the artist's initials and sold on Sotheby's for $5,303.  

On eBay, a comic copy of ‘Uncanny X-men 1’ from 1963 was sold for a staggering $80,265. More than 10 million Marvel collectibles have been sold in the past two years on eBay, with an average price of $29.

Disney Princess

Featuring a lineup of female protagonists, including Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Snow White, and more, Disney Princess is one of the most popular Disney franchises ever. The most valuable collective belongs to Snow White - a limited-edition, 14K gold and enamel charm bracelet from Cartier sold on Christie’s for a staggering $163,800 and on Sotheby's for $75,600. Not bad for an item that would have originally sold in 1937 for $100! The bracelet was worn by Lilian Disney at the movie's Carthay Circle Theatre premiere and is pictured in J.B. Kaufman's book, The Fairest One of All: The Making of Walt Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. 

Also worth mentioning is a watercolor and pencil illustration from The Little Mermaid sold on Sotheby's for a whopping $23,899, and a Cinderella' Gus and Jaq dancing' framed illustration with a Walt Disney inscription sold for $4,063. The classical 1950 film features one of the most iconic characters in Disney history, Cinderella, often associated with beauty, fashion, and fairytales. Another Cinderella collectible was sold on Sotheby's for an estimated $757 - a 1950 Cinderella movie poster advertising what was considered the most financially successful movie for the studio since Disney's first feature Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in 1937. 

On eBay, more than 673,773 Disney Princess items have been sold, with an average price of $25. Interestingly, the most expensive collectible sold on the platform is a set of ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Set Vintage Ceramic’ collectible figures for ​​$6,970.

 

The Simpsons

This animated sitcom has been part of American culture since 1989 and the love for these characters are truly illustrated in the number of collectibles sold on eBay - a whopping 760, 245! Though you can get your hands on some Simpsons memorabilia for an average of $27 on the auction platform, an animated image featuring Homer and Marge Simpson, Julius Preite and Karl Lagerfield was sold on Sotheby’s for $133,654. Now that’s some serious “Doh!”

 

Mickey Mouse

Created in 1928 as a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, Mickey Mouse is arguably the world's most recognizable and universally acclaimed fictional character of all time. The iconic character has appeared in over 130 films, including The Band Concert (1935), Brave Little Tailor (1938), and Fantasia (1940), with at least ten nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. One of the most valuable collectibles sold will surprise you - a 6'5" tall Mickey Mouse statue made of polyurethane with an internal steel frame, named 'Mickey Statue: Sir Elton John' and sold on Sotheby's for a whopping $62,400. The 700-pound statue designed by famous British singer, pianist and composer Elton John is one of the 75 celebrity-designed Mickey Mouse statues created by Disney in 2003 to celebrate Mickey's 75th birthday. 

On eBay, the most expensive item sold was a ‘Walt Disney Traffic Troubles Mickey Mouse black and white animation production cel’, which sold for a staggering $24,391, although most collectibles can be found for an average price of $21 on the auction platform. The historical hand-painted cel was the 26th Mickey Mouse cartoon to be released and was first shown in theaters in 1931. And to top it all off, with nearly 342,000 monthly searches on eBay, there’s no question Mickey Mouse is a true Disney treasure!

 

Indiana Jones

Based on the adventures of Dr. Henry Walton ‘Indiana’ Jones, a fictional professor of archaeology, the series created by George Lucas and starring Harrison Ford consists of four films so far—with the fifth film coming out in June 2023. The most valuable collectible is ​​the hand-made bull-whip of kangaroo hide with a long lash, signed in black felt pen by Harrison Ford used by the actor in the 1984 film Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom, and sold on Christie’s for $66,000. Another Indiana Jones collectible worth mentioning is a Polish 1984 movie poster for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom. Sold for $2,124 on Sotheby’s, this piece was signed by actor Harrison Ford himself, who later revealed that he had never signed this type of poster (a Polish one) before, making it a one-of-a-kind memorabilia. 

More than 181,096 Indiana Jones collectibles have been sold on eBay in the past two years, with a modest average price of $27. The most expensive Indiana Jones item sold on eBay was a 1993 ‘Indiana Jones Pinball Machine By Williams,’ which sold for a staggering $11,821.

 

Toy Story

Toy Story is one of Disney's most successful film franchises with an estimated total revenue of over $14.5 billion. The most valuable collectible is an original Toy Story Pixar movie poster from 1995, sold at auction on Sotheby's for $2,276. This piece of memorabilia is a limited-edition shareholders' poster signed by John Lasseter, the director of the computer-animated comedy film produced by Pixar Animation Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures. On eBay, a ‘Toy Story Pinball Machine collectors edition’ was sold for a massive $14,951, although you can find very affordable memorabilia for an average price of $17.

 

The Lion King

Probably one of the most emblematic Disney franchises, comprising a film series, educational shorts, several video games, and the third-longest-running Musical in Broadway history, which garnered six Tony Awards, including Best Musical. The most valued collectible from the 1994 animated film is an original movie poster signed by James Earl Jones, the actor who gave voice to Mufasa, sold at auction for $4,856. This Disney collectible is one of its kind, as it's rare for anyone to have an original poster signed. Memorabilia from The Lion King has been sold more than 208,404 times on eBay with a relatively affordable average price of $18.

On Christie’s, the most valuable collectible is a John Alvin The Lion King Walt Disney Studios acrylics and colored illustration sold for $1,410. This is part of a set of three unpublished drawings from artist John Alvin for concept and market analysis for the Disney movie.

 

Avatar

Recently setting the blockbuster records, the Avatar franchise is valued in the billions and rising! However, as one of the more modern Disney films there wasn’t too much high value memorabilia to find. That doesn’t mean people aren’t looking! Within the last two years, 270,424 Avatar collectibles have been sold on eBay including a Avatar-inspired Stern Pinball machine that was sold for more than $4,000.

 

Sesame Street

Regarded as America's most beloved educational children's television series, Sesame Street combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation, and puppetry. It is known for its images communicated through the use of Jim Henson's Muppets and includes short films with humor and cultural references. Interestingly, the most valuable collectible is a group of correspondence regarding Johnny Cash's 1992 appearance on the show, sold on Sotheby's for $3,300. The original letters are signed by Johnny Cash and reference the parameters of his appearance as his alter-ego, muppet Ronnie Trash. The unique memorabilia also includes a carbon copy of the contract, an eight-page typewritten script, a color photograph of Johnny and Big Bird, sheet music for "A Tall Tale" and "Ring of Fire," and a handwritten letter where Johnny Cash confirms that he would love to appear on the program and that his character could sing his song "Don't Go Near the Water." 

More than 271, 227 have been sold on eBay in the past two years with an average price of $13, although items have been sold for more than $8,000.

Other notable Disney franchises with a high number of collectibles include: 

• Encanto
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $18
• Number of items sold: 79,227
• Number of sellers: 9,912
• The Incredibles
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $46
• Number of items sold: 507,041
• Number of sellers: 106,913
• Frozen
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $10
• Number of items sold: 51,687
• Number of sellers: 13,458
• Winnie the Pooh
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $16
• Number of items sold: 439,570
• Number of sellers: 118,146
• Cars 
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $12
• Number of items sold: 390,976
• Number of sellers: 48,198
• Pirates of the Caribbean 
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $24
• Number of items sold: 182,291
• Number of sellers: 51,963
• The Muppets
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $17
• Number of items sold: 221,043
• Number of sellers: 65,316

WARNER BROTHERS

Casablanca

Arguably one of the greatest movies of all time, Warner Brothers’ timeless film, Casablanca, has the most valuable film collectible of these two film giants to date - The Casablanca Piano from La Belle Aurore. Sold for $602,500 from Sotheby’s, this piece is a part of American film history and would be lucky for any classic movie lover to get their hands on. Filmed in 1942, is considered one of the best films of all time and won three Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay. For those looking on eBay, the average price of a Casablanca collectible is about $35 so not too pricey to own your own Casablanca memorabilia.

 

James Bond

Perhaps the oldest and most well-known Warner Brothers franchise, James Bond’s estimated total revenue for the production company is $14.4 billion with its classy collectibles near the same level. The most expensive item we found was the Moon Buggy from James Bond’s Diamonds Are Forever film sold on Heritage Auctions for $500,000.  On the auction website, eBay, we did identify a specialty James Bond Limited Edition Omega chronometer sold for $31,798 along with the other 287,951 James Bond collectibles (on average sold for $37). Sadly, none of the other secret agent’s awesome spy gear was up for grabs!

DC Extended Universe

Based on characters in DC Comics, the DC Extended Universe has several notable film series for Warner Brothers. Most well-known are Aquaman, Batman and Superman. 

Even though Aquaman is one of the more modern Warner Brothers films, Aquaman collectibles are still some of the older superhero collectibles on the market. Sold for $9,081 on Sotheby’s, Aquaman is part of a set of original Mego Corporation action figures framed in Plexiglas. For those looking specifically for Aquaman only collectibles, there have been 179,044 sold on eBay in the last two years with the average price of $25. 

An often polarizing superhero, Batman is about as iconic as they come! The highest valued collectible is the complete Batman and Robin costumes from the Batman television show that ran from 1966 - 1968, sold for $780,000 at auction and not too far behind, is the original Batman comic, Batman Comics No. 1 from 1940 sold on Christie’s for $33,350 that outlines the superhero’s origin story and features Joker and Catwoman for the first time.

More recently, from the 1995 Batman film starring Val Kilmer, the most valued collectible is a Batman Forever poster signed by the actor himself. Pulling in about $2,258 on Sotheby’s, this autographed Batman poster is truly one of a kind as it’s extremely rare for actors to sign original film posters. As far as other Batman memorabilia is concerned, you can find an average price of $27 on eBay. We would be amiss to mention Batman without highlighting Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight starring Christian Bale. On average, collectibles for Nolan’s landmark films about the superhero run about $28 on eBay. 

For the universe as a whole, we found a DC Comics cover art painting signed by Glen Orbik featuring The Green Lantern that sold for $8,500. Now that’s a super price!

 

Looney Tunes

The loveable, classic animated characters of Looney Tunes are a core memory of many Americans’ childhoods - easy to believe with more than 6 million collectibles sold on eBay since 2021! One of them being a vintage 1990s Lamb Leather Looney Tunes exclusive Baez jacket that sold for more than $4,000. But that’s not all, folks! 

The most expensive item we found was artwork based on Looney Tunes created by contemporary Icelandic artist Erró that sold on Christie’s for $15,911. In addition, on Sotheby’s, an animation cel featuring the Daffy Duck recently sold for $1,400 followed by a couple other animation cels sold for under $1,000. For more Looney Tunes items featuring everyone’s favorite Bugs Bunny that are more on the reasonable side, the average price on eBay is nearly $17.

 

LEGO

With some of the highest monthly search volumes on Google (nearly 2.7 million) and the third most searches on eBay of any of the franchises in this ranking, LEGO is definitely a popular franchise for Warner Brothers. Surprisingly, the most valuable LEGO collectible sold at auction houses has been a LEGO inspired Chanel black and white clutch made in 2014 sold on Sotheby’s for $13,860. However, on eBay In the last two years, a LEGO Minifigures Lot was sold for $16,013 and in that time, more than 7 million other LEGO items were sold on eBay with an average price of $26.

 

Lord of the Rings

One of Warner Brothers’ most successful film franchises, Lord of the Rings has an estimated total revenue of $5.8 billion and its most valuable collectible sold is what you’d expect - The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring poster signed by the leading stars of the movie including Sir Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood, Sean Astin and Viggo Mortensen. Sold for $4,552 on Sotheby’s, this isn’t the only high ticket Lord of the Rings collectible item we found - another poster signed only by Elijah Wood sold for more than $3,600. 

On eBay, the average price for a piece of Lord of the Rings is $28 with its’ most valued item sold in the last two years was the enchanting Knickerbocker Lord of the Rings 1979 Complete Set 8 Figures for $13,835.

 

Scooby-Doo

The world’s most beloved mystery-solving gang and pooch, Scooby-Doo memorabilia has been sold more than 300,000 times on eBay with the relatively affordable average price of $16. However the priciest Scooby-Doo item on the auction platform was a custom 1961 Ford van decorated as the Scooby-Doo Surfer, sold for $6,909 - groovy!  We did find another higher priced Scooby-Doo item on Sotheby’s. Sold for $600 is an animation cel from Hanna-Barbera productions signed by animator Bob Singer - if you’re not familiar, an animation cel is typically leveraged to help speed up hand-drawn animation by offering a transparent template to use.

 

The Exorcist

Certainly one of the spookiest movies released by Warner Brothers, this cult horror picture was nominated for several Academy Awards including Best Picture. Even though it didn’t end up winning, the memorabilia is still of very high value! On Sotheby’s we found a first British release 1973 movie poster for the film signed by director William Friedkin sold for $4,516. Not too far behind, another poster from the film, first British release 1974 signed by both William Friedkin and star Linda Blair, was sold for $1,214. With a sequel set to release in 2023, we may see the value of these collectibles start to rise!

 

Harry Potter

It’s hard to summarize the value and impact these films have had on pop culture but the values of these collectibles definitely highlight the obsession with this series. As far as classic movie memorabilia goes, an original British release Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone movie poster signed by Daniel Radcliffe sold at Sotheby’s for $2,579. Not too far behind, a collectible on every Harry Potter’s fan wish list: an unopened acceptance letter to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft & Wizardry - a confirmed prop from the original film alongside a paperback copy of the book signed by 7 of the stars including Daniel Radcliffe, Rupert Grint and Emma Watson sold for a mere $1,144. Talk about magic!

 

Mad Max

This breakout hit of 2015, Mad Max: Fury Road put this franchise back on the map! However, before the more recent release, there has been countless Mad Max memorabilia and collectibles on the market. On Sotheby’s, a Japanese movie poster for the 1979 movie recently sold for $917. To get some of your own piece of Mad Max, eBay is the best place to start with an average price of $22 with more than 14,000 sellers.

 

Friends

Nominated for 63 Primetime Emmy awards, with 10 seasons and an average of nearly 22 million viewers, it’s an understatement to say that the television show Friends was a success. With such intense viewership, came an enormous amount of collectibles - more than 3.8 million has been sold on eBay within the last two years! Luckily, with a friendly average price of $15.

Other notable Warner Brothers franchises with a high number of collectibles include: 

• The Matrix
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $23
• Number of items sold: 21,981
• Number of sellers: 7,054
• Mortal Kombat
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $27
• Number of items sold: 247,186
• Number of sellers: 67,420
• Ben 10
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $34
• Number of items sold: 114,463
• Number of sellers: 32,519
• The Big Bang Theory
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $22
• Number of items sold: 58,381
• Number of sellers: 15,781
• The Powerpuff Girls
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $16
• Number of items sold: 40,519
• Number of sellers: 14,820
• Dune
• Average memorabilia price on eBay: $30
• Number of items sold: 33,139
• Number of sellers: 8,341

 

If you’re looking for extra cash, you can easily sell your pre-owned Disney or Warner Brothers movies. For the movie lovers looking to own their own DVDs and Blu-Rays, Decluttr offers a diverse selection of films available.

METHODOLOGY

Comparing Disney and Warner Brothers’ franchises from Wikipedia’s list of highest grossing media franchises and best movies from ComicYears and CBR, we pulled data from online auction houses Christie’s, Heritage Auctions, Phillip’s and Sotheby’s. In addition, we also pulled data from eBay for the last two years to determine the value of Disney and Warner Brothers collectibles sold over the last two years. Data is accurate as of February 24, 2023.

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SOURCES

1. Cine-Vue, Why Casablanca is one of the greatest movies ever
2. Analyzing Television, The Success of Friends
3. Mental Itch, Friends - What Made the TV Show So Popular?