Early Mirage titles certified by CGC®, including a first appearance of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, finished with impressive results in the Lawrence Klein Collection Part 1 sale presented by Hake’s Auctions on October 21, 2026.
Skating to the top of this sale was a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 graded CGC x JSA 9.8, signed by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird (lot 3), which realized $192,000.
Created by Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird, the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles were first published as a violent black-and-white comic book at Eastman and Laird’s own Mirage Studios (from their living room) in 1984. The series was created as a parody of contemporary superhero comic books and introduced four turtle brothers — Leonardo, Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo — who live secretly in the sewers with their rodent sensei, Splinter.
The comic was a huge success and it was licensed to Playmates, who altered the tone of the noir story to a more child-friendly concept to sell their line of toys and an animated series in 1987. The rebrand was a huge success, but Eastman and Laird weren’t always thrilled with the changes, and they decided to keep producing their own black-and-white Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles comics for mature audiences at Mirage Studios.
Another star of the auction was a Gobbledygook #1 graded CGC Signature Series 9.4, interior signed by Kevin Eastman (lot 1), which realized $132,000.
With only 150 copies produced, the debut issue of this anthology series introduced the character Fugitoid, who would later appear in the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles series as well as his own series published by Mirage. This issue also features an advertisement for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1.
"We're very excited to offer this 9.4 Gobbledygook #1, the highest graded example ever offered at auction," said Hake's General Manager Kelly McClain. “This is one of those comics that every TMNT fan dreams of adding to their collection."
This sale inducts the book into the six-figure club and marks a new record high for this issue, which was previously $85,666 for a CGC 9.0 sold in December 2022.
Prices realized include a buyer’s premium.
About CGC
Since revolutionizing comic book grading in 2000, CGC has grown to include certification services for a vast variety of pop culture collectibles, including trading card games (TCGs), sports cards, magazines, video games, and home media. CGC also offers seamless solutions for autograph collectors with CGC Signature Series and JSA Authentic Autograph services. If you collect it, we grade and protect it.
CGC is part of the Certified Collectibles Group, a global provider of expert and impartial authentication and grading services for collectibles. Since 1987, the Certified Collectibles Group companies have certified more than 110 million collectibles, including coins, banknotes, comic books, cards, autographs, and stamps.