A Superman prototype PEZ dispenser just sold for $7,320 at Goldin's Pop Culture Elite auction, which closed last night (February 25). The hammer price was $6,000, with the buyer's premium pushing the total to $7,320.
The dispenser was consigned by Brian Trauman, the Guinness World Record holder for the largest PEZ collection on the planet. Trauman, a tax lawyer from North Caldwell, New Jersey, owns over 5,500 dispensers. He's been collecting since 1999, when he found a bag of about 100 dispensers at his mother's house and decided to "just get the rest."
This isn't a regular Superman PEZ. This is a no-feet prototype that never made it to retail. Only four are known to have surfaced, and Trauman had two of them.
Featured on King of Collectibles
The dispenser got a signal boost from its appearance on King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch Season 3 on Netflix. The show visited Trauman's collection, filling an entire 15-by-30-foot room in his house, and highlighted this Superman prototype as one of the rarest pieces in the hobby.
TV exposure drives auction results. Collectors who might never have known about prototype PEZ dispensers now understand the rarity. Four known examples of anything is the kind of scarcity that gets serious bidders moving.
What Makes It Rare
PEZ dispensers manufactured before the 1980s were produced without feet on the base. These "no feet" variants are inherently more collectible because they're older and were produced in smaller quantities.
But this Superman goes beyond just being footless. It's a prototype. It was never sold in stores. The mold was created but the dispenser never hit production lines. That makes it a piece of PEZ manufacturing history, not just a collectible candy dispenser.
Context for the PEZ Market
$7,320 is a strong result, but it's not the ceiling for rare PEZ. The hobby has seen individual dispensers cross into five figures. The Astronaut B no-feet variant, political figures, and softhead prototypes routinely command thousands at auction.
What's notable here is the venue. Goldin is the biggest name in collectibles auctions. When PEZ shows up alongside million-dollar sports cards and vintage comics at a house like Goldin, it validates the category for crossover collectors who might not have taken candy dispensers seriously.
The Takeaway
Consigned by the world record holder. Four known to exist. Featured on a Netflix show. Sold at the most prominent collectibles auction house in the world. $7,320.
PEZ collecting is small but the top end keeps proving it belongs in the conversation with every other serious collectible vertical.