The Lawrence Klein Collection of comic books and original comic art is filled with signed books, high grade keys, and art by greats like Todd McFarlane, Neal Adams, and others. Hake’s Auctions just hosted the Lawrence Klein Collection Part I Auction, producing $324,000 for the two most valuable appearances of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. The auction opened on September 28, 2026, and by the time it closed on October 21, the auction had produced multiple new records.

Lawrence Klein started reading comics when he was a child, and it was a hobby that his parents encouraged. Klein’s father took him to comic conventions in New York City where he met comic creators and started getting his books signed. Soon, Klein began collecting comic sketches and pages of original comic art. Over the years, Klein took great care of his collection as it became a time capsule for his love of comics and personal interactions with the creators who make them.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 CGC/JSA 9.8 first printing signed by creators Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird sold for $192,000. The book features the origin and first appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Splinter, and Shredder. It is written and illustrated by Eastman and Laird who signed in the interior front cover. This copy is now one of the highest selling examples of the first Ninja Turtles issue.

Gobbledygook #1 CGC 9.4 Signature Series Kevin Eastman with the first appearance of Fugitoid hammered for $132,000. The back cover features an advertisement for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 that pre-dates the Turtles’ comic debut. Eastman authenticated the book; and he and Peter Laird provided the comic’s story, cover, and art. It set a new record for a copy of Gobbledygook #1 in any grade.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #5 page 10 showing all four Turtles hammered for $60,000. The pen and ink page with inkwash accents features the Fugitoid introducing himself as (Professor) Honeycutt to the Turtles. It has been held in a private collection for 40 years and this is the first time it has been offered at auction. It set a record for a page of TMNT original art.

“It’s always a pleasure to offer a collection of this caliber, where the love and genuine appreciation of the items within are on clear display,” Hake’s General Manager Kelly McClain said. “The Lawrence Klein Collection was stocked with a veritable goldmine of comic treasure, which caught the eye of collectors and ultimately drove bidding to an exciting end. Forty-plus years later, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles still got it! The auction saw our bidders battle it out, setting new record prices set as well as steering several other lots to impressive prices.”

A pair of original art pages by Todd McFarlane rounded out the auction’s top five sales. An Amazing Spider-Man #302 page with four panels of Spider-Man cleared $48,000. Spidey swings by the laboratories of On-Line Research into a construction site where he observes propane cannisters exploding. A shadowy figure races by on the last panel who is revealed to be the speedster Wes Cassady.

The Amazing Spider-Man #304 title splash by McFarlane with inks by Joe Rubinstein went for $40,800. The splash shows a close-up of a hand holding a copy of Webs, the collection of Peter Parker’s Spider-Man photos. The “book” has a full body image of Spidey in mid-swing.

Neal Adams’ World’s Finest #209 comic cover featuring the Tempter holding Superman and Hawkman on puppet strings went for $31,200. Mike Grell’s Green Lantern Vol. 2 #102 cover of Hal Jordan frozen in space and unable to help Green Arrow reached $16,200. Jim Aparo’s Batman and the Outsiders #5 is a character-packed title splash of Batman, Halo, Geo-Force, Robin, Cyborg, Raven, and Terra that went for $15,600.