Terry,
this is an awesome thread. Great work.
Maybe I am the only one thinking this way, but folks....this was 30 (!!!) years ago!
Back then a car would cost a fraction of what they cost now. Same with houses and so on.
To me these prices show, comic art was already a serious business back then.
Someone putting 4 or 5 K down for a piece of pen and ink art, you have to give those collectors credit. There might have been many comic fans back then, but who would pay that much for a piece of artwork?
The guys that spent that much were TRUE lovers of the original comic art and the industry in general ! All the power to them!