JadeGiant

Another example from my collecting: I was able to finally meet a favorite artist and we spent a lot of time talking about his art, etc. He shows me a cover he drew from a comic that was never completed and thus never published. I bought it immediately and the cost was less than half of what it would have been if published. I was thrilled to have a cover at what I saw as a steep discount to a published cover … but that was where it was valued at. HE later found the opening page from the story and gifted to me as well – quite a bit cheaper than if published

Welcome to the forum brother, enjoy!

I don't think finding unpublished art is uncommon at all, but finding a complete story is not something you see very often. I don't follow these types of pages much so I don't really have good information for rarity - more of my observation. If you are looking to sell, you are most likely going to find your suitor in the way of a fan who collects that artist or possibly a big GL art collector.

now that is a good question. I am not a huge Ditko or Strange fan (outside of Defenders) so I can't really answer but I am sure some experts will chime in. I can definitely see a collector valuing something high and possibly higher than something published if it truly strikes a chord with them but that would be the exception to the rule and an outlier scenario. So I can definitely see unpublished work being valuable, especially when it is a complete story … I still would not see it as MORE valuable than published. The problem is likely to find that one collector who values the art AND is willing to (over)pay for it. It does happen but is rare from what I have seen. Thinking of myself, the perfect storm would be a Sal Buscema Hulk story that was done but not published. If completely drawn and done at the level of a published work, I would certainly be interested. That said, if the same money could get me a published story vs an unpublished, I think I would opt for published every time.

Glad to see you back Felix!

If you are asking if an unpublished book was more/less valuable than a published book, of course less IMO. I think this is pretty much a universal truth. Maybe an exception would be where a stellar example of something that was lost, etc. surfaced but I am struggling to think of a scenario where unpublished would even be close in value to published. I picked up a page from an unpublished Hulk annual and it went for a lot less than it would have if published. It got me curious about the back-story so I dug up a bunch of other pages and learned more about the issue known as “The Abel Brigade” … all pages sold for significantly less than they would have if published. Here is a link if you are curious: https://thejadegiant.wordpress.com/2016/07/01/the-lost-hulk-annual-and-the-abel-brigade/ Hope this helps

more valuable or less than what?

Really good point. I have caught myself thinking along these lines at times.

Good read, thanks for sharing. I follow much of this advice inasmuch as I buy what I love, don't buy for investment, and my collection gets more focused with each passing year in terms of what artists I buy. I also found it interesting about knowing who else collects with the same focus. As I continue to narrow focus, I have met new people with similar interests and they collect similarly. I guess my collection will be worth billions come time for retirement. Cool.

Pics?

Loving this thread - keep the obscure coming!

Not even Batman could master the superpower of light-dampening thighs

The artist nightmare ... because it doesn't matter where the light source for the image is coming from, a strategically placed shadow is always required

We talk about black hole collectors a lot and that is how I view art that gets sucked into the Donnelly abyss – gone forever. I used to view their site out of curiosity but haven’t been to it for several years. The longer I am in the hobby, the more stories I hear about them tampering with artwork, shady dealings, etc. …. It increases my disdain for them. When I accidentally open a CAF piece of art that it theirs (I have learned how to spot theirs and avoid opening), I get irritated that I looked at it. The problem now is that they are “laundering” their art through auction houses and into unsuspecting collector hands and then probably back into the hobby.

Great looking art! IF you are a Jim Lee and DC fan, this is about as good as it gets! Congrats!

This. They have a piece I considered buying before they bought it but then wrote it off. I saw it somewhat recently and the price was not out of the realm of reasonable but they had altered the art which makes it worth less than one of those eBay "production" pieces to me ... they are a black eye to this hobby

Epic cover. Gary Frank was so good on his Hulk run. To get a cover is an accomplishment -congrats!

Looks like Caitlyn's piece showed up. Hopefully Erik's will as well.

Tim is very active on his FB group - I think a post there would be the best way to track down what you are looking for. Good luck with the search! "Fans of Tim Sale" https://www.facebook.com/groups/134617493385873/

I have to admit that the idea of cutting up an artist edition to have some wall hangers of art I don’t have access to has crossed my mind. I didn’t but not because I thought it was “wrong” but rather just never decided to do it. I am really surprised we haven't seen more of a proliferation of this at shows and more likely on eBay. I can’t believe that all the eBay sellers churning out all the “production” art haven’t done this already.

My thoughts exactly

I would start online in various forums/groups. Post what you have for sale. If you aren’t sure about prices, post that you are taking offers (some groups don’t allow this so be sure to know rules) to get a sense of value. Better yet, find a friend that will give you unbiased advice for asking prices, etc. If no luck, go to eBay and/or Comic Link and let it fly.

Agreed. The actor was probably on auto-pilot and signed it like they sign everything else. Lesson learned, hopefully not too expensive of a lesson

LOVE this! Congrats D!

Are these still on eBay? I haven't seen them