stinkininkin

I've purged most of my better books several times over the years, cashing out (much too soon it seems) to fund art. But I've still got a ton of books, some of which are probably worth selling. But which ones should be slabbed, or pressed and slabbed or just sold raw is completely beyond me at this point. I need someone who knows what's what to come over and sort the whole lot for me and get them out the door. Volunteers? 

3 hours ago, Khazano said:

Im surprised no one has brought up this fact, as its the same one I tell numerous new collectors who get sad they dont have what I have, or feel they are being priced out... You're 20-30 years too late. This isnt society punishing you for being poor, you simply missed the boat. But that's okay, because there's always more boats docking. (At least, until everything goes digital...) 

Skottie has worked hard over 20 years to charge what he charges for commissions, he doesn't owe anyone a discount at this point. (Although, Ive always been under the impression he does the dice roll at cons to be a good guy?)   Heck, once upon a time Skotties covers could be bought for 400 a pop.  But this is a moot point because Skottie always has some covers you can buy from him for under >1k. And you can get cool published pages for under 300. Anyone with a little bit of discipline to do time payments, whether through the vendor or on credit,  can get in on his stuff still.  And tbh, this is still the case for most hot modern artists who came into the game during the 2000s+.  So. You know. Perhaps expectations need to be tempered, some hustle needs to be applied, and what you seek can still be attained...

 

This rings true.

Not certain on ALL the Stan Lee signed art being auctioned here, but a lot of them are from Stan's handler Max Anderson's collection. He was a controversial figure (to put it in extremely charitable terms) during the final years of Stan's life, and having access to Stan on a 24 hours basis for all intents and purposes facilitated so much of this signed art. There are many layers to this story that I won't get into, but these Stan signed pieces of art tell an interesting tale in and of themselves.

1 hour ago, Justin Case said:

$25K really? I was thinking of offering between $10K - $15K. Now im thinking he might find my offer insulting.

Does the seller want to sell it, or is it a keeper page for him but he's inviting you to blow him away with an offer to pry it loose? If it's the former (and he's not taking multiple offers, best offer wins), then ask for a price. Otherwise, you're kinda just spinning your wheels.

2 hours ago, Nexus said:

On 5/6/2021 at 3:02 PM, grapeape said:

Ok where did everybody go?
Hey Alex what were those comic art links again?

I seriously thought the origin story of IRONMAN art would be interesting to talk about. Thank you to my four pals who chimed in.

Is it me or has participation with the threads fallen off the cliff? There’s very little energy here? 
 

I get the world is crazy right now. I’m just concerned. Is this “thing of ours” dying?

 

I don't think it's dying. Everyone has simply become more jaded, with both art and prices. What used to be considered special, isn't as much anymore. The bar has been raised significantly. There are also more outlets for discussion. 10 years ago, yes, this page showing up, and the resulting winning bid, would have generated multiple pages of chatter. Just not where we're at these days.

I still like this forum and will continue to post here, but I think there are a lot more eyeballs and discussion over at some of the Facebook groups. Facebook has it's own problems, but there are a lot of options there in the private discussion groups which don't get bogged down with the politics and nonsense that the main Facebook page suffers from. And like Felix said, this Iron Man page get's a huge collective shrug for a lot of reasons. Things are a changing...

I remember when this Leyendecker came up on Heritage in 2013 and I had (unrealized) aspirations to go after at the time. It went for a measly 194.5k. If the "football kid" goes for 4 million today, what would something like this hammer for...

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/painting/joseph-christian-leyendecker-american-1874-1951-honeymoon-the-saturday-evening-post-cover-july-17-/a/5126-78299.s?ic4=GalleryView-Thumbnail-071515 

12 hours ago, tth2 said:

Wasn't someone saying in another thread that artists like Leyendecker have stagnated?

I had mentioned in another post that I don't follow illustration art trends very closely, but that Elvgren and illustration art generally didn't seem to be enjoying the same vertical rise as other collectibles have over the years. I'd mentioned Leyendecker was an artist on my "wish list" in that same post. Perhaps Leyendecker transcends the flat trajectory within the illustration art category. Kind of makes me happy, as I like to see the best of the best recognized and valued.

5 hours ago, aokartman said:

A great cover, 10X previous high for Heritage with this artist.  David

 

Beautifully executed, but not the subject/imagery I would have expected to be the one to break the bank.  

2 minutes ago, DeadpoolJr. said:

It's a digital statue, you can see when you use the AR feature on the app through your phone camera.

Hmmm, ok. When I see that this is #1251 out of 7500, does that mean that there is an expectation that the sellers expect to sell 7500 of these at hundreds of dollars a piece? I could sort of understand the digital one of one angle angle for NFT's, or even a VERY limited edition, but 7500??? The head space you have to take yourself to to make this even remotely appealing is beyond me.

Oh, and you kids get off my lawn!!! 

11 hours ago, delekkerste said:

I actually talked with numerous people about this painting over the past few weeks.  I was surprised by the eventual price - not because I think it doesn't deserve it, but, because stuff like this is so hit or miss when it crosses the auction block.  It really hit a huge nostalgic chord for both myself and several others I spoke with.  That said, once the bidding surged towards $40K, we all collectively gave up on it...and then, it doubled again from there, because it's 2021 and money has lost all its meaning.  

I believe the consignor of the painting was the artist?  It's not inconceivable that the cover to the first album could be hitting the market next...

I think the second album (Don't Look Back) gets short shrift compared to the first album. The "problem" is that Boston has a very distinctive sound ("all their songs sound the same" is a familiar gripe that I've heard repeatedly over the decades) and I think it suffers in peoples' minds as not being sufficiently different than than the first LP.  But, there are some great tracks on the album...Feelin' Satisfied is right up there with More Than a Feeling for me as my favorite Boston track (I flip back and forth between them) and the title track is in my personal Boston top 5 as well.  

I was probably the one who outbid you.  

Don't Look Back is a terrific album, but less terrific than the first in terms of batting average. Just about every track on the first record was in the really good to great range. There are a few duds on the second album, but the good ones are really really good.  I was about 19 when it came out, and it felt like we had all waited FOREVER for the follow up to the debut album, and I didn't care that it was essentially just more of the same, because that's what I wanted as a fan. Too bad it was a dysfunctional band, and was musically and creatively spent by the third album and beyond.

Coming from the world of hyper-priced comic art, the hammer price for the cover art doesn't feel particularly high to me. The album sold millions of copies, and the art and concept is very memorable. To music fans of the era, the album covers and sleeves and liner notes and lyric sheets were a huge part of the album experience, to be pored over repeatedly while listening to the music. It feels like the connection of the music with the artwork for such a semi-classic album should be worth a nice Romita Spiderman all action panel page. To somebody, I guess it was.

5 minutes ago, Will_K said:

VEVE Todd McFarlane Batman FIRST APPEARANCE #1251 NFT Digital Collectible

Low Serial Number #1251 / 7500

Currently $425 with 47 bids and 9 hours remaining

https://www.ebay.com/itm/265141222142?var=0&mkevt=1&mkcid=1&mkrid=711-53200-19255-0&campid=5336399660&toolid=10001&customid=CAFHotHeader

 

 

I'm sure this is a stupid question, but this is an auction for an NFT for a physical statue, but I can't tell from the description if the physical statue (as well as the NFT) also goes to the highest bidder. Yes? No? God, I feel old right now.

15 hours ago, tth2 said:

I think there's an existing Illustrated Art thread, but I couldn't find it so am starting a new thread out of laziness.

Just wanted to note the sale of the original painting for the cover of Boston's "Don't Look Back" album on Heritage just now for $81,250.

https://fineart.ha.com/itm/pulp-pulp-like-digests-and-paperback-art/gary-norman-american-20th-century-boston-don-t-look-back-album-cover-1978acrylic-and-airbrush-on-board25-x/a/8030-71060.s?ic2=mybidspage-lotlinks-12202013&tab=MyBids-101116

The estimate was a laughable $5000-7500, which I think was exceeded on the first day of internet bidding. 

Makes you wonder how much the OA for the iconic debut album would go for.  

How cool!!!! Thanks for bringing this to my attention! So much of the art I buy has a nostalgic component and this album, while not as classic as the Boston debut LP, is still in my nostalgia sweet spot. I would not be a buyer at these prices (the art is not great and has a high cheese factor), but I am happy it found a home. To the right music aficionado, this would be grail worthy.

Haven't looked at illustration art in a long time, and in perusing this Heritage auction, it doesn't appear illustration prices have enjoyed the same surge in value/pricing as many other collectibles. I always thought I'd love to add an Elvgren or Leyendecker to my collection, and it doesn't look like prices have moved all that much since when I first entertained such notions 10-15 years ago. Never bought art for investment, but if I had, illustration art turns out to have not been a good bet.

22 hours ago, Danny Anderson said:

Interested in Jim Lee original pages.  Not particular other than being Superman and/or Batman.  Thank you and be well.

I assume you've checked out Albert Moy? There's a lot there...

3 hours ago, Sean- said:

Had a really great time at the con.  It was truly an overwhelming experience.  As mentioned before my only brushes with OA were as museum pieces so getting to see works by artists I’ve admired most of my life up close in personal in that way was not something I thought I’d experience.  There were no hard sells or inferences of judgment on window shopping that I was afraid of experiencing whatsoever.  Nice to meet Ankur.  Definitely intend to be back in September.  My only purchase was a page from Beasts of Burden, thought it was reasonably priced and I am a big fan of the series.  Happy to have it as my first piece of original art. I’m sorry about the lack of photos, I took a few at first, but honestly became a bit lost in the experience.

Really nice Scottish Terrier! I'm a Golden Retriever guy now, but I grew up with multiple Scotties and they are a cool breed. Looks like a great comic too!

2 hours ago, sfilosa said:

I said Doctor Strange covers, not this splash page (which is surprising it went down that much). Heritage over the past year has sold the cover to #2-5, which would make me believe it was from the same consignor who has owned these for many years. None of those covers had ever been at HA before. The last one to sell went for $90k, the one before that $72k, then $48k, $52.8k. Doesn't seem like "supply" hurt the prices.

 

Sorry for the tangent, but does anyone know if all the Brunner Dr Strange covers and pages auctioned over the last 3 or 4 years happened to come from Brunner himself? Not sure if this type of information will be confirmed on a public forum like this, but the steady stream of Brunner art has me wondering if this is one of those rare examples of the artist keeping his art and cashing in years later and enjoying "retirement benefits", or if this was a collector who cornered the Brunner market back in the day when things were cheap?

15 hours ago, Mftonto said:

Outstanding job Scott. Brave man. You certainly didn’t ink an easy spread of John’s. 

Thank you. I enjoyed doing it, but you are right--it was not an easy spread and it really kicked my a*s.

On 3/20/2021 at 3:36 PM, Xatari said:

This one comes from some book called Marvel Spotlight 5. Some dude who rides with ghosts or something. 

Arghh! I used to own this page! Can't believe I let it go. Let me know if you ever get tired of it!

1 hour ago, Carl Elvis said:

This may be a dumb question but how do you guys actually pay for the art at a show?

Cash, PayPal, credit cards?

I once handed Eric Powell $600 in 20s and it was a bit awkward.

Cash is king baby. 

4 hours ago, Rick2you2 said:

Black holes? 

True story. On the final exam in property law class the prior year, the teacher, an activist Woman's Libber and a professor of the class, liked gender neutral words. So, for a question about easements and what are normally known as manholes, she wrote "personholes". That befuddled so many, that as a result, some half an hour into the exam, she had to come into the class and explain what the heck a personhole was. The loss of time was bemoaned by many and caused some really low raw scores for grades.

Conclusion: Spit it out: an a*shole is what it is. 

 

Well, I'm a normal person who swears a bit, but this site doesn't allow that so that was my off the cuff analog word. Yours is better and more direct to be sure.

1 minute ago, Blastaar said:

?

JK

21 hours ago, Blastaar said:

nm

Delete your account.

Just now, sfilosa said:

 

I think I might have made an enemy today!!!

Let me rephrase, don't understand the appeal at $300k. It was past my comic reading time when you did that, so I have no nostalgia to that cover. Just like noobies who would watch the original Star Wars or Raider of the Lost Ark, and they have no idea how ground breaking those movies were for the time.

You absolutely did NOT make an enemy.  Opinions about art are like you know what holes. We all have them. And ironically, I think you're more off target on your analysis of the SS 6 cover than that lame Xmen 268 cover! 

13 hours ago, ft88 said:

Then there’s the layout by a tier 2 artist Kane. But only the layout w published finishes by Adams  

That's great. Solid layout has all the information needed for a competent artist to finish. This also happens to be my absolute favorite Marvel Conan story hands down, so there's that too.