TMNT Co-Creator Selling Tons of Turtle Treasures

Logan Westbrook

Transform, Roll Out, Etc
Feb 21, 2008
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TMNT Co-Creator Selling Tons of Turtle Treasures

If you've got several thousand dollars to spare, you could bag yourself the Holy Grail of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle collectibles.

Kevin Eastman, one half of the creative duo that came up with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, is selling his entire collection of Turtles merchandise and paraphernalia in one enormous lot on Ebay [http://cgi.ebay.com/Teenage-Mutant-Ninja-Turtles-Eastman-collection-/180589215303?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a0bf4be47#shId]. The lot contains pretty much everything that ever had a Ninja Turtle put on it, as well as a number of unique items that you can't get anywhere else.

At the height of their popularity in the early 90s, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles turned up pretty much everywhere. Eastman made a point of collecting one of every piece of merchandise, so the lot includes things like lunchboxes, breakfast cereals, towels and even skis. Also included is the Leonardo costume from the 1990 movie, videotapes of most of the original TMNT cartoons, and original concept artwork for a lot of the toys. The full collection runs to fifty boxes, some of which apparently haven't been opened in twenty years, and Eastman has signed each one with a head sketch to prove their authenticity. Eastman will also sign up to 250 items from the collection, if the buyer so desires.

But if you want the collection, you're going to either need very deep pockets or know a lot of Turtles fans who want to chip in. The bidding started at $50,000 and has a reserve which is yet to be met. So far, there have been seven bids, each one adding a hundred dollars or so to the total, but as is often the case on Ebay, the bidding will likely heat up when the deadline gets a little closer.

Considering the size of the collection, I wouldn't be at all surprised if someone bought it with the intention of breaking it up into smaller lots and reselling it. That said, there's some very dedicated collectors out there, and this is the mother lode of TMNT collectibles; it's entirely possible that someone is ready to drop upwards of fifty grand to have their very own Turtles museum.

Source: Bleeding Cool [http://www.bleedingcool.com/2010/11/19/kevin-eastman-sells-all-his-turtle-stuff]





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Oct 14, 2010
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No doubt it's a cool auction, but the question that's bugging me is why is a TMNT co-creator selling his whole collection of goods that represent his biggest claim to fame? I hope he's not having financial troubles or burnout.
 

Nerf Ninja

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Dec 20, 2008
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Tim Latshaw said:
No doubt it's a cool auction, but the question that's bugging me is why is a TMNT co-creator selling his whole collection of goods that represent his biggest claim to fame? I hope he's not having financial troubles or burnout.
He pretty much got bought out of the business by the other co creator Peter Laird, who then sold it for a massive payoff. I don't think Eastman got any of that money, I could be wrong though.
 

Therumancer

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Nov 28, 2007
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Interesting but I can't help but wonder why, this seems like a midlife crisis or a sudden, desperate need for money (which strikes me as being more likely). I mean I get that a lot of those boxes haven't been opened for 20 years apparently, and the need for house cleaning and all that, *BUT* at the same time this does seem to be representitive of his life's work.

It makes me wonder if maybe his "friendly divorce" with Julie Strain suddenly turned not so friendly after the fact, or something like that.

As was pointed out, he could probably make more than 50k off of that stuff (especially if he took the time to autograph every piece) by breaking it up item by irem or into smaller lots, which is possibly what some of the bidders want to do. That shows a desire to want to get rid of it, and turn it into cash, quickly.
 

zombie711

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Aug 17, 2009
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Is he getting rid of it before the Micheal Bay TMNT movie so that the value stays high?