grapeape

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha h ah ah ah ahhhh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha haha free art from dumpster.... at the end of the day..... hmmm uh ha ha haha aha aha aha hah ah ha .....ha ha ha ha

Bob Layton and Scott Williams drawing from the eighties gifted to me from my brother. Dr. Doom and IRON MAN. I have a different avatar for CAF but this one on CGC seemed a perfect fit.

Amen ha ha

I have to get this

Oh I know what you mean. The usual suspects slowly unveil their treasures in a veil of secrecy. I’m sure people have their reasons I like to share as much information as I can.

That’s an excellent point. Especially if you are leaving the art to your family. It’s also a record of your ownership. God forbid art is stolen or lost you have a one stop record of what you had. The description section is a wonderful way to establish a provenance trail. You can use it not just to entertain but to describe how you got a piece, from whom etc.

C. Vess was # 7 in my top ten poll. You can “write” him in under “other.”

1) Ditko 2) Romita Sr. 3) Todd McFarlane 4) Ross Andru

..............ARRRRRRGHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

The names changed to implicate another board member. But it is the spirit in which many of us have been approached by unsolicited offers.

I’m with you on that. Look I really believe CAF is the chance to be the curator of your own art gallery. What I put up is meant for my own pleasure first and foremost. I am aware of the community also. I hope they like what I present. I lose zero winks at night if they don’t put 50 comments on a newly added beauty. Im fine with all communication. I welcome it in my home page. I love talking about art. I love the artists. I love the stories of triumph and empathize with the dregs of defeat. So naturally limiting conversation in any form to me preempts what might be an intriguing discovery. I always have control to address bad behavior or insist on a level of conversation that empowers myself and the person I’m communicating with. ultimately I can stop responding. I can also be mature and stop inquiring of someone who is not interested. I have suffered insulting offers and market data FMV tutorials...all unsolicited mind you. However the majority of my interactions have been outstanding. Rewarding even. If I can share a few pet peeves. 1) Disproportionate views to comments. I don’t care about a total number of positive comments. I’m just saying if 1290 people looked at a Kirby action page but only 3 people left a comment, what the heck is suppressing their chance to say “wow”with just a few words? 2) Responding to every comment in a way (REPLY) that bumps your CAF comments total up. Most comments left should be appreciated but only a very few are thoughtful enough to require a reply on the actual comment page. Im thinking of Foggy who always leaves the comment “baller,” on pieces he likes. I love that guy but no need to bump my comment total but replying “right back at ya Foggy.” Full disclosure a few times I got carried away with the reply button but mostly I want to hear from the visitors to Le Museum de Grape Ape.

No that’s a “real”email written in the manner of a “real” offer from a spoon and “expert” on Peanuts art. He had his own auction on eBay for a Charles SHULTS SNOAPIE drawn in the manner of his creator SHULTZ. It had a COA so....that’s probably why he was an expert in telling P-Nutz why his daily sucked.

Dear P-Nutz, •I was scrolling through the various Schulz daily strips you have. I’d like to make you an offer on what I consider the weakest of your collection. •You have Schroeder playing the piano but only Lucy is listening. You have Snoopy dancing in every panel but where’s the doghouse? And the Red Baron? Then you have Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown in the final panel but you can’t see the zig zag on his yellow shirt cuz he’s flying upside down after missing the ball. •Even with all of those letdowns it is still a Schulz. I can check it off my list even if I probably won’t even bother to frame and display it. So I’d like to offer you (fill in low ball offer here) for it. I think it’s more than fair and no one else will offer you as much considering all the deficiencies I have pointed out to you. Let me know, Clueless.

I like that you have pieces you will never sell. I feel the same way. I just think you should always hear what others think even if you’re set at never ever! I’m not a man of unlimited means. I try to hold what I love and fight for whatever else I want without involving those pieces. However there still are art pieces out there that I desire. If some kook offers me a price I never in my wildest dreams imagined combined with an opportunity to obtain a piece I never believed would be in reach—-I want to entertain that offer. The power is in my hands. I can always always say no.

I’m out of bullets Jay thank you

CAF To post or not to post? NFS is a stickler for a lot of us. Not for sale. Simple right? Not selling—-don’t bother asking. Not so fast!!! I look at NFS like this. The seller is not actively selling the piece of art. I get that. My entire gallery is NFS. However I am fine with being contacted about any piece of art. Sometimes my piece is a grail for the person that contacts me. It’s hard not to try to make a deal.Ive been in that position.I have empathy. For me it’s about how I am approached. If I contact you about a NFS piece I 1) Give the owner props, I compliment the piece I’m inquiring on and other pieces in the gallery that I like. 2) Respectfully I let them know I would be interested should they choose to sell 3) I offer a price I would pay 4) At all times I remember I’m a guest in this conversation. The owner invited me in to their gallery to enjoy with him or her. They deserve respect and not to be harassed So why do this? Isn’t NFS clear enough? I’m sorry my friends NFS should never stop a polite inquiry. I learned that lesson the hard way. Many years back I saw my grail. NFS. So I didn’t bother asking. One day I sign on to admire my grail, gone! Post and PIC gone. I email the owner to ask ••why did you take that piece down? “I sold it,” he tells me. Someone had emailed him and asked if they could buy it. The owner was having financial difficulties and needed money. “Money bailed me out. I had unexpected bills.” I had to ask one more question. “How much did you sell it for?” Turned out he let it go cheap. About $10,000 less than I would have offered. I’m not a jerk so I didn’t tell him that to make him feel bad. Here is my 2 cents. NFS—Permanent collection—-people mean it when they write it. But things change.Believe it or not most collectors don’t have time to update the 49 email suitors that said, “let me know if you decide to sell, etc.” If you don’t ask you’ll never know, until it’s too late. The issue is how? I’m approached for my NFS. DON’T: • ask me what I want for it. I’m not selling so politely make me an offer. Make it your best offer. • tell me my piece isn’t that great but you’ll take it off my hands at your lowball price. I’m not selling and I think my art is great or else I wouldn’t have posted it. • If I respond to your offer and actually counter offer, this is your moment. You’re in negotiations for something you want. That wasn’t available. Now’s not the time to tell me my price is extortion! Don’t give me market data lessons. You’re my guest asking me a favor. Did you do your homework? That was the time to know in your heart the most you will pay. Figuring out after you contacted me is not a path to victory.Telling me I’m unreasonable won’t help you at all. • Curse me out because I didn’t respond. I don’t have to respond. I’m not a dealer. I wasn’t soliciting you.Maybe take a breath and wait a few weeks. Then send another email complimenting the piece you want, tell me why it’s so important to you if you want and leave me your contact info. If I don’t respond again, our emails not broken. I’m just not answering you. I’m not interested. I answer every inquiry even the lowball offers. I’m even keel every time. I’m all about celebrating the art. Every contact could be an opportunity at a future time. So, I get your frustrations. Try ignoring solicitations you don’t like. It won’t hurt to answer polite inquiry’s either. OK I’ve heard a lot about not wanting to be tempted to sell something you love and regretting it later. I think you all figured that one out all ready. DON’T post your grails!!!!! Covet them in solitude. But, wouldn’t you want to get that email offering mad money? Even if you ultimately turn it down? I sure as heck would. If nothing else it’s information about reality vs. grail driven mad men offering the kitchen sink. Good to have more information. Security was a big concern on whether to post or not. That’s a big one and I’m not going to solve that one. I would say it’s where you store your art that determines your potential loss more than wether or not you post it. I never keep more than 2-3 pieces of art in my home at one time. The rest is vault protected. The art at home is protected by various security preparations not the least of which is the 1 pit, 2 Dobermans and 1 German Shepard I have guarding the Grapeape Compound. Please do post the art you love on CAF. It’s great to feed the hungry beast in all of us. I have Gallery favorites I go back to time and again. Every day I find at least 1 new post that wows me. I love the descriptions as much as the posted art. The sacrifices, the good luck, the new relationships formed and grails achieved. It is frustrating to post a cool piece of art that has 500 views and 2 comments. Think about this though. Many great pieces have only a few comments. I believe those pieces are desired by many collectors who fear too many positive posts will further cement the owners resolve not to sell. In a way it’s a compliment. Value the 2 that took the time to comment and forget the ones that didn’t. Often the most posts go to the respected, well liked collectors who take the time to write up great info on why the piece is important and what hurdles they had to overcome. That’s a lesson right there. Do everything to be a great ambassador for original comic art. You’ll build lasting relationships and share in the love and admiration for all kinds of comic art. Preparation is the most important way to buy or not buy. That goes for auctions and eBay. That especially goes for private negotiations to buy and trade. Fees are rising. Valuations are sky high. It’s a whole new day to be a buyer or seller with 2020 coming. Networking, research and preparation will make for a better experience. So somebody please post a link to a recent CAF post. Especially if you took the time to write a thoughtful description. And with that I exit and with the battle cry of the late great Stan Lee, EXCELSIOR !!!!!!!!!

Grapeape has been reading all these comments and I think it was a timely thread. Wow we collectors are facing some challenges moving forward to 2020 and beyond. Okay in no particular order this is what I came up with after enjoying all your thoughtful comments. The Auction Houses: HA put on a powerful display of artwork this last auction. Some of the best collected art in one spot that I have ever witnessed. In fact I declared Comic-Link dead and buried and out of my life. Irrelevant. Unable to compete. 20% BP is tough to swallow but I warn you enjoy it while it lasts. The days are coming where HA will test us by raising BP to 25 or 30%. To stop the “how the hell do you know this?” I’ll just put the obligatory IMHO here to ward off demands of proof. I just believe the values are rising and rising and HA will have the nerve to test us because they have the swagger when it comes to achieving record prices. Comic-Link...dead? Not so fast my friends. It’s great to have competition, no matter how small. C-Link did have some very nice art this last auction. 10% commission taxes to the seller (reasonable) and no BP. How long can C-Link get away with that? I honestly believe it’s one of their best selling points to say bring your art and comics to us! Buy art and comics from us. Profiles in History Okay this is what you were waiting for. For grapeape to destroy this fee hungry, complicated to figure out PIH bidding process, fees, shipping and all the rest. Nah! It ain’t gonna happen. Here we go I thought a lot about this. I’ve known Joe since the nineties. He’s very good at what he does. He isn’t new to comic art either. He has an awesome personal collection and PIH used to sell comic art online and at SDCC awhile back. The Distinguished Collector Approach was awesome! Admit it. Frankenstein. Multiple Ditko. Complete Kirby Thor and Byrne FF. I found every lot fascinating. OK some confusion even for me I’ll admit it. BP 0-28% WTF does that mean? 9.5 % sales tax to pick up the art in person? OK I was frustrated. Can PIH do a better job in the future? Yes and here’s how. First off guys all the fees were disclosed. It took 3 phone calls and reading but I knew what I was doing come auction day. 28% was only if you bid online which most of us like to do. That’s because I-collector gets a cut for hosting online. That’s a problem. That’s a killer. PIH should fall in line with HA and have an auction system that reflects actual price with bid and BP calculated in the bidding screen. But they probably won’t and Here’s why. $1,000,000 PIH likely not going to try and compete with HA. This was a one off auction and Im sure we’ll see another Distinguished Collector down the line because of the re$ults. OK 28% if you used online. 20% if you bid with PIH directly. Huh? I know I know but hear me out. Floor bidding! 20% “Oh come on grapeape! I’m in New York. I’m not flying out to Beverly Hills to bid on the Kirby Silver Star!” I hear you. Huge advantage for me living in So Cal. Never the less it is an option. Absentee bidding!!! 20% Ok this was the best option if you took the time to figure this out. There is an online form on PIH where you could choose lot number, write description and put your max bid in for each lot. Less friendly then clicking your bid button on the computer but it’s all about the Benjamin’s so there you go. Shipping, handling, state tax fees and storage fees. Wonky yes but not foreign to the art collecting world. This was a very challenging aspect of dealing with won items and I hear your frustration. I don’t believe PIH will change that part for us comic art collectors. They have a business model that is extremely effective for them. What are you saying grapeape? Ok next time around we’ll all be more prepared for a Distinguished Collector auction. With preparation ahead of time we can choose the best options and have a happier experience. Props to PIH for getting that much nice stuff to market. Rob Pistella gave a great tip off just before auction. He predicted records set and great bargains. For buyers this was great. For sellers yes, $1,000,000 so happy overall but was it wise to list six ASM Ditko pages at once? It worked for the buyers as the 5 character pages(no Spidey) were in the 20 K sold range and the action page did go for $75 K.(BP not included) A complete Kirby Thor story for $75 K?I’d be thrilled as a buyer and pissed as a seller. Anyways, grapeape this is a thread about CAF and wether we should even bother to post for various reasons. Why auction house talk? OK I have another post coming that will tie this all together. I think this year brought a lot of joy and excitement with some of the best art come to market. i also think there is a lot of anxiety concerning: Valuations, state of future values, collapse or meteoric rise? Fees, security, rudeness and unsolicited offers for posted art work and so on. Give grapeape time to gather my thoughts. The auction houses are a big influence on what we are feeling right now. CAF is an extremely valuable recording of comic art around the world. Art for art sake. For the love of art. Bartering, making offers, comparing values etc is a part of it. But CAF was made to be an experience for art lovers. It can be meditative, a quiet and visual taking in of an artists soul. More to come. My boss just walked over and looked at my open copy of the Heritage Catalog, sighed and walked away. I want to scream at him. “I’m grapeape you fool!!!! And there are Kirby’s in that “kids book.” K I R B Y

NFS NEVER FREAKING SELL

I’m torn. I really believe in sharing with the CAF community my art. I want them to do the same. Everyday you find new surprises or revisit old friends. I get the “why I don’t crowd.” Keep it fresh. I thought of this when one of our members on CAF insisted he was so tired of seeing the Wrightson Frankenstein ($1,000,000) so much over the years that he was sick of it. Trying not to attract theft. Yeah a lot of bad actors/ That being said CAF won’t be the same Awesome gallery if the majority of collectors hide their best art work. So I appeal to those who dare to post post post.

I’ve taken this submission to the judges and, yeah they’re good with it. Why do I hear Tom Jones in my skull??? Whats new pussycat?

Amazing you saw that too. I thought if its $4500. Not knocking the price but too rich for me to spend on a non personal grail. But wow!!

Oh yeah Jim could draw beautiful women. Gorgeous + +

I got this from Jim at SDCC back in the nineties. It was in a folder he had. He wanted to just give it to me but I had to pay him something. One of the nicest men I’ve ever met in my life. I think he was Romita’s best inker (though Romita Sr All is hard to beat). He’s one of the best artists ever.