Rick2you2

“Published” doesn’t have to be a cover to add value. It can be a house ad, or a trade show poster, too. They would not bring as much as a cover, or add as much, but you can bet your bottom dollar that it would not have been “enhanced” if the sellers didn’t think this would increase the piece’s value. And, it is ugly.

I completely agree with you. The content states that “top half of art has been inked solid black” means exactly that, but the presence of the additional trade dress as a post-production embellishment is not something the average person would recognize. If the average person would be deceived, and the trade dress was added with that intent, that’s the essence of fraud. You just have to prove resultant damages. Technical accuracy by Coollines is not enough. A potentially saving to Coollines is whether the inconsistency gave a reasonable person a duty to inquire.

It is times like this when I am thankful the Phantom Stranger does not make an appearance.😅

Belongs in Marketplace.

Personally, I wouldn’t pay 29k or 32k for the page, but that’s not because the page lacks artistic merit. It just doesn’t fit into my collecting interests and I don’t spend that kind of money for play (yet). OA is very personal, tied to nostalgia, the artist, and the character more than the “quality” of the piece. As to any “contribution” to art, that is pretty rare. Do you really think all those Byrne X-Men pages made any sort of contribution, at least after the initial bunch? I, and many other boardies, have commented on lovely pieces that are cheap because they lack those personal ties. It is all about popularity, not “quality”. SS is likely to remain popular, as is Thanos. Is Lim bad? No. Is the piece bad? No, and I do like the SS image in the upper right corner. Will this piece go up in the future? For at least the next 5-10 years, it will hold its own, maybe for 20. If you want to feel sorry for people, look at all those owners of 19th century landscapes which used to be in high demand and now languish, or high end Persian Rugs which have taken a beating. That’s the way it goes. If I felt like buying something on a whim, I would pay $500 for it. But, if you put the Phantom Stranger on a surf board, then I might crack open the wallet.

x

I never heard of him, so I can’t help.

If I were in your shoes, I wouldn’t be buying anything at all. You sound like someone who wants to buy a piece of OA because you feel like you should have a piece of OA. Frankly, I don’t think that’s a great reason. A lot of pricing is a function of nostalgia, so if you don’t feel for the piece, what’s the point? I’m unusual in that my taste hasn’t wavered much over the years; it has grown more expansive, however, as to what I consider good. My first 3 purchases were a Neal Adams Phantom Stranger cover, a Swamp Thing page from the Tottleben/Bissette run, and a title page from a Spirit weekly (since destroyed by flooding). I knew what I liked, and what I thought was good. It hasn’t changed. Coollines does sell, you know, but they are high. You might be better off waiting until something comes up at an auction sale in the next 18 months or so, and use the time to study the market. Nostalgic Investments isn’t as bad, but Bechara knows how to hold onto pieces and extract a high price for them, too. And yes, things do go down, but quietly. Golden Age work, so I hear, has dropped. So have some specific artists. Sometimes, rather than acknowledging a drop, a piece will sit in a dealer’s inventory for a long time, and it then shows up in auction. That’s how I got an 8 page story from Cool Lines. There has also been a lot of speculation on the boards about when/if the bubble will burst. But, if you love the piece, it never really will drop because price is irrelevant.

Agree with the above.

The sale, or your absence? 😊

Maybe not the artwork, but the dialogue is terrific. Darn Commie warlords. I wonder what unspeakable acts they would do to American women. 😂

Turns out I had some and didn’t realize it.

Definitely Ramona. Chan seems plausible, but I’m not particularly knowledgeable in his case.

How bad are Edison bulbs? For art not near windows, but on occasion, turned on for lighting and accent? For pen and ink, prints and guashes, primarily, including ink washes?

It is pretty ugly.

I don’t think it is ego; just a fine appreciation of the market. Prices for almost everything on a beloved book will go up, as well as for certain artists, so eventually, they get it. Things won’t change until people stop throwing money at pieces of xxxx just because Kirby did it. Maybe in 20 years, but too many have too much money and nostalgia for that in the near future. Just remember: today’s darling is tomorrow’s Hummel.

I guess they realized it sounds better than mono print. Like Mercedes calling a 4 door car a coupe if it looks aerodynamic.

For all its worth, he had also dropped his price on a Luis Dominguez cover by $500 which I have been watching over the past few years as it has made its way around various dealers. Anyone else notice some price drops lately?

I did that, and they responded promptly. Artist’s proof does mean digital to them. Interesting use of the phrase; not one I had seen before.

The reference to “artist proof” tipped me off that it was not pencil and ink. I have mostly seen it for use for lithographs.

Perhaps I missed the statement somewhere, but is everything sold by Black Diamond digital? The prices generally seem low for pencil or ink (or both), and there was one listing for an “artist proof” by an artist who only does digital these days. If that wasn’t forthrightly stated, then that’s a lousy omission to deliberately make on the dealer’s part.

A post auction bargain at only 66k.

But, if you do that the artist gets pissed and finds a new rep, while the discounted sale price prevents the market from moving upward. I have been looking at a few pieces for 6 months which are 40% + over market advertised by other sellers, and I won’t go near them. Any offer is likely to make the seller think I might buy at something close to asking price. Maybe next year after they have been softened up a lot: they aren’t going anywhere.

I must have missed it.