Bretd

7 hours ago, Panelfan1 said:

Campbell covers sell 8-25k used right now. The last comic link had several sell in this range.  A classic older cover may be harder to grab and may cost more to pry from another collector.  

 

Some covers also sold on comicartfans.com recently around 18k or so.  

Buy what you can afford.

As a European.. you can still sell in Us auction houses like heritage and comiclink.

Dont buy for investment.  Because art can still go own in value.  You can lose money in this hobby especially on modern art where the artist is still creating more art. 

 

Sounds like you are a fan.  So if you can afford to own the art long term it s the best way to go. New art appears all the time.  So wait for a piece you really like.  

 

Go to www.comicartfans.com and see what Campbell art is in collections to get a sense of what is already in private hands. Make friends in the hobby.

Hope this was more helpful than the general answers this far

Good luck!

Thank you, this was very helpful and actionable advice! Yes, I'm a fan, and mostly looking to buy art to display - though would be nice if it appreciates over time as well in case I ever need to sell for whatever reason.

4 hours ago, grapeape said:

Comicartfactory.com is located in Brussels and on the net. Frederic Lorge is a super nice man and oversees a nice collection of American and international artists. You can send him an email and ask about conventions in Europe.

Learning the dos and don’ts takes time. The “value” of art as it appeals to the heart is incalculable. However we are living in unusual times. It’s wise not to jump into auctions right away. As a burgeoning collector it’s important to spend your money and time wisely. Nothing sadder then a new collector overspending, getting taken advantage of and becoming disillusioned with the hobby.

Are their American artists you cherish more then others? As already stated a great place to start is with the artists themselves. Artists also have reps who work for the them.

Try Felix Lu he reps a lot of talented artists and you may get good deals on “undiscovered” artists before they get hot.

Welcome to the hobby. Keep asking questions. I answer PM from everybody. A lot of board members do the same. Reach out any times. 
🛑 away from eBay. Landmines aplenty for those just getting into the hobby. Counterfeits, fraud, just a sewer of rip off monsters lurking.

PM private message me anytime if I don’t know something I am sure I can help you find the person that does👍

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for the pointers! I'm mostly interested in J. Scott Campbell's work in this space, have most of his books and love his style and playfulness. Also interested in the classic pinup artists from Royo to Vargas to Sorayama etc. - though not comic book artists, and I'm certain the originals are well beyond my means. Jen Bartel did some incredible covers for Blackbird as well. They work a lot better inked than black and white, so the originals wouldn't be nearly as appealing for me to display.

I'm staying away from auctions for now. Planning to start out by buying directly from the artists.

I'll check out Frederic Lorge, I'm based in Amsterdam and Brussels is close by.

Thank you everyone to links to the threads, and guidance, very helpful! Especially on what the reputable places to buy is great. I wasn't planning on eBay, but directly from the artists - didn't realize that some artists have their own representatives.

It's a bit weird that an artist wouldn't have an easy way to contact them for direct sales of original art, as that would be the interest of the artist, and the fan.

I'm looking to buy an original cover to get started, I currently only own comics and artbooks. I didn't even know commissioned art of known characters was a thing - I understood that for example that you couldn't draw and sell a picture of The Punisher for profit without paying royalties to Marvel and getting their permission.

Now I'm going to Google how much a used Buick Encore costs :P

I'm looking to buy original comic book cover art, probably in the good girl genre - something that appeals to me enough to put on my wall, but also something that might appreciate in value over time.

I've reached out to three artists, J. Scott Campbell, Jay Anacleto and Ben Oliver regarding specific cover art they've made. Haven't heard back from two of them.

JSC's team responded: fast responses and very helpful guidance for a newbie. I have most of his books, and am a huge fan of his, so glad that his team is responsive. Though the prices are quite a bit higher than I was expecting, but that could also be my newbie-ness, as I've never looked at original art until recently. So at the moment I'm suffering from sticker shock, and I'm sure they think I'm a tire-kicker due to all my questions

There isn't much guidance for someone about to start collecting original art out there - plenty on comics, not so much on cover art.

• How do I prove provenance and originality in this space? JSC's people tell that it's signed by the artist, but there's no certificate of authenticity that I'm aware of that comes with the piece.
• Is there a secret hand-shake to buy original art directly from the artists? Or just stalk them on IG and hope they sometimes check their DMs?
• Secondary market seems to be dominated by a few online auctions based in the US - I'm in Europe, so that would limit my chances of reselling if I ever decide to do so. Or is there a more global market?