YORK, PA.- Following an election campaign for the history books, Hake’s Americana once again showed its strength in the field of political memorabilia – and hundreds of other pop culture categories – with a million-dollar auction on Nov. 15-17.

Packed with collector favorites and unique historical material, the 2,700-lot sale contained scores of rare political items, including a rare “Prosperity” poster created for William McKinley’s 1900 re-election campaign. With its dramatic image of McKinley holding an American flag and doffing his top hat while standing atop a large gold dollar coin supported by laborers, military personnel and businessmen, this impressive and beautifully preserved poster was one of the auction’s highlights, selling for $13,929. All prices quoted are inclusive of 15% buyer’s premium.

Other notable political lots included a rare and vibrant John Bell 1860 presidential campaign flag. The glazed-cotton parade flag with a distinctive pattern of 31 stars in its canton, sold for $5,750. The enduring legacy of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, first president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference, was documented by the organization’s 10th anniversary banquet program signed “Best Wishes Martin Luther King.” A gala evening attended by 1,400 invited guests, it would be the last SCLC annual event ever attended by Dr. King, who was slain eight months later. The program was bid to $4,870.

Even small political items brought surprisingly strong prices, a testament to the market’s continued appetite for the rare and unusual. For example, a 1-1/8 inch die-cut celluloid pin-back styled as a crowing rooster with an embedded portrait of 1904 vice-presidential candidate Alton B. Parker eclipsed its $400-$700 estimate to sell for $1,740.

Comic books, another Hake’s specialty, contributed significantly toward the auction’s million-dollar result. Of the more than 2,000 comics available to bidders, 400 were CGC-graded. The top seller amongst them was a March/April 1941 issue of All Star Comics featuring the first adventure of the Justice Society of America. With Larson pedigree, it is one of only two such comics of this title/date to be CGC-graded 9.4 NM – there are no others of their particular type that have received a higher grade. The book in Hake’s sale had been off the market since 1980 and had never before been offered at auction. It flew past its high estimate to reach $21,275.

Another collector favorite, issue #1 of Marvel Comics’ The Incredible Hulk, published in May 1962, contained the first appearance of the Hulk. CGC-graded 6.0 Fine, it also surpassed pre-sale expectations, reaching $20,873.

The Barry Lutsky collection of A.C. Gilbert boxed science and construction sets sold for “unheard-of prices,” said Alex Winter, president of Hake’s Americana. “In fact, I don’t think we’ve ever seen prices like this, not even when these sets were the rage with collectors decades ago.”

Leading the A.C. Gilbert section was a boxed 1951 “Atomic Energy Lab,” designed to inspire future nuclear physicists. It blew away its $2,000-$5,000 estimate with a winning bid of $12,650. A boxed 1931 Erector Set No. 8½, which contained all the parts necessary to build a “Super Locomotive and Tender and 405 Other Fascinating Models,” sped past its $2,000-$5,000 estimate to settle at $7,211. A 1932 New Erector zeppelin construction set – the only known boxed example of its type – set sail at $6,289, more than triple its high estimate.

More than 100 lots of illustration, comic and animation art were offered, including Kay Nielsen’s (Danish, 1886-1957) spectacular 1940 original concept art from the Fantasia sequence titled “Night On Bald Mountain.” The eerie depiction of demons dancing in flames beneath grotesque rock faces changed hands for $11,638.

“Any Disney art by Kay Nielsen is in great demand, so we knew the $5,000 to $10,000 estimate we had placed on the ‘Bald Mountain’ piece was not at all unreasonable. But in the end it’s always the collectors who dictate the market prices, and they felt it was worth even more,” said Winter.

Entertainment memorabilia continued its show of force in the marketplace, with early rock music posters taking the lead. Estimated at $700-$2,000, a wonderful color cardboard poster of a 1955 review known as “The Little Big Show,” emblazoned with photo-images of its stars Bo Diddley, Etta James and others, made $5,060.

Some of the auction’s other highlights included: a 1953 Entertaining Comics Group Fan-Addict Club kit, $6,735; a 1965 factory-sealed “Man From U.N.C.L.E.” attaché case complete with mint-condition spy accessories, $4,744; and Richard Boone’s screen-worn “Paladin” leather jacket from the 1957-1963 Western TV series Have Gun, Will Travel, $14,421 against an estimate of $1,000-$2,000.