Stolen Avengers artwork found at garage sale.

[Sharkey]

I cross-posted this to the OA forum just to get opinions from folks who come over here....

 

Here are some additional thoughts....

 

I just got off the phone with my friend. He added some interesting thoughts...

 

Yesterday he called the seller to make a better offer and the seller was on the other line with Heritage. Heritage told him the art was worth $60,000. On exactly what planet is this worth $60,000? After talking with a couple of high-end dealers... folks who would definitely know... we came up with this:

Avengers #1 splash... $15,000 - $20,000 (face it, that page really sucks)

Crypt Of Terror #24 Jack Davis 6 page story... $6,000 - $8,000

Warren Frankenstein pages by Russ Jones... $400 - $800

 

So on the high side we are just shy of $30,000. Even if you add in Heritage's 20% on the front-end and 20% on the back-end you only come up to $42,000 (close to the $48,000 in the story). So how did Heritage come up with $60,000?

 

Also, what database did Heritage use to find out this stuff was stolen? I know there are a few web pages out there but, as far as I know, these pages are not even known to exist.

 

Also, also, Hertiage still has possession of these pages. Shouldn't the cops have these as evidence? Since when does Heritage get to keep stolen merchandise?

 

So, if I put on my tin-foil hat I begin to smell a rat. I wonder if these will become a feature in a future Heritage auction at some point in the future... ?

 

I think that splash would sell for a lot more than $15 to $20K. It's the splash page to Avengers 1, and it has all the Avengers on the side panel. How many #1 issue Marvel splashes are out there? Not many I bet. Sure, that HUGE profile of Loki isn't the best (it's not his good side ) but still a significant splash like that would bring some big bucks at auction.

[comix4fun]

Avengers #1 splash... $15,000 - $20,000 (face it, that page really sucks)

 

I'm no OA expert, far from it, however the first page from the first issue of Avengers is worth whatever someone is willing to pay for it and to the right collector that could be as low as $15k but at the same time it could be twice that.

 

It's a shame there is no GPA for OA. Not that it's workable.

 

 

Comic Art Fans.com has market data reports listing many many public sales going back 3-4 years. Also....a PANEL PAGE from Avengers #1 sold almost 2 years ago for nearly $14k...there is zero chance the page 1 splash from the same issue sells for anywhere near that number. (thumbs u

 

Chris

[MutantKeys]

The X-Men 3 cover (90s) sold for over 30K.... I would hope a splash page from Avengers 1 goes for alot more than that

[deathlok]

 

Yesterday he called the seller to make a better offer and the seller was on the other line with Heritage. Heritage told him the art was worth $60,000. On exactly what planet is this worth $60,000?

 

As with any good salesman, when trying to attract potential sellers, you will overinflate the value in the hopes that the seller's greed will allow to sell through you. So you tell the seller the piece might sell at $60,000, while others give a realistic value of $30,000. The seller, would go with the higher hoping to gain more money.

 

Common practice.

[supapimp]

i disagree, that avengers splash page is awesome! the side profile of loki totally draws you in, it's enchanting.

[whetteon]

I would tend to think stolen artwork would be returned to the original owner. Not placed up for auction. If something was stolen from me in an airport and discovered a year later, I would hope that police would return that piece of artwork to me and not let Heritage auction it off to someone else. I'm weird like that.

[Red Hook]

i disagree, that avengers splash page is awesome! the side profile of loki totally draws you in, it's enchanting.

 

I agree. It's a significant piece. (thumbs u

[Aces]

i disagree, that avengers splash page is awesome! the side profile of loki totally draws you in, it's enchanting.

Oh yeah!

[comix4fun]

i disagree, that avengers splash page is awesome! the side profile of loki totally draws you in, it's enchanting.

 

 

I agree it's enchanting

 

 

and please sit down...would you care from some.....CHAM---PANG??

 

[Sharkey]

I would tend to think stolen artwork would be returned to the original owner. Not placed up for auction. If something was stolen from me in an airport and discovered a year later, I would hope that police would return that piece of artwork to me and not let Heritage auction it off to someone else. I'm weird like that.

 

Right. However, it could be that the owner had been sending it to Heritage for placement in an auction when it was stolen (hence it would be passing through DFW airport which is where it was stolen from).

 

Another possibility is Heritage had purchased it from someone and it was being shipped to them when it was stolen.

 

Heritage's low estimate of its value would seem to favor point #1. If it was theirs and had been stolen I think they would have had a high value on it for insurance purposes.

 

And does anyone remember this being reported stolen anywhere? I mean if you had the splash page to Avengers 1 stolen wouldn't you post that information everywhere so that it would make it very difficult to change hands?

 

Lots of questions right now. Looking forward to the "whole scoop".

[cd4ever]

What a great find. And a cool story too.

[Silver Surfer]

Maybe $60,000 for insurance purposes.

[Sharkey]

Maybe $60,000 for insurance purposes.

 

But it's worth far MORE than that. Ideally you insure for OVER the value of the material.

[Stronguy]

I agree that some would think the splash would bring more. My initial estimate was $30,000 but after talking with some others we lowered that number. Here's the logic...

 

Pro...

Avenger #1, p.1... 'nuff said!

Earliest Avengers splash and no covers exist.

Probably one of the first 300 pages(?) Kirby did for Marvel.

 

Cons...

No major heores featured except in the side panel.

Total no-action page... the pages from #1 that have sold for $10+ are all action featuring multiple heroes.

Avengers #1 is not a first appearance of anyone.

The composition of the page is not that great... hard profile and a rock.

The splash for Avengers #3 (which is a much better splash even though Subby was recently drawn directly on it ) has not sold for as little as $10,000.

 

Anyway, right or wrong, that's the though process. Who knows, the historical bump could have made it go for crazy money.

 

[AvengersFan]

Becarra has had the Avengers#3 splash for awhile and I can tell you from talking to him that the asking price is quite a bit more than 10k.

[Red Hook]

I agree that some would think the splash would bring more. My initial estimate was $30,000 but after talking with some others we lowered that number. Here's the logic...

 

Pro...

Avenger #1, p.1... 'nuff said!

Earliest Avengers splash and no covers exist.

Probably one of the first 300 pages(?) Kirby did for Marvel.

 

Cons...

No major heores featured except in the side panel.

Total no-action page... the pages from #1 that have sold for $10+ are all action featuring multiple heroes.

Avengers #1 is not a first appearance of anyone.

The composition of the page is not that great... hard profile and a rock.

The splash for Avengers #3 (which is a much better splash even though Subby was recently drawn directly on it ) has not sold for as little as $10,000.

 

Anyway, right or wrong, that's the though process. Who knows, the historical bump could have made it go for crazy money.

 

Interesting breakdown.

[comix4fun]

The splash for Avengers #3 (which is a much better splash even though Subby was recently drawn directly on it ) has not sold for as little as $10,000.

 

 

This piece has changed hands a couple times over the last 5 years....it has been a long time since the asking price was $10K. And that "even though" caveat you give about subby being drawn on it is the detraction that keeps that splash from being $60-75k in a heartbeat. OA collectors tend to have a thing about people redrawing things on an original piece.

 

The Kirby splashes from this run of Avengers blew past the $20k barrier a long long time ago.

 

In today's market the bidding starts at $30k for a splash like this.

 

And those pages you say were good battle pages from issue #1 (and some actually sold for $15k) that was 2 and a half years ago. And just for reference and how long a time that is in the art world....2 and a half years before the auction where pages sold for $15k, pages from Avengers #1 were selling for $3-4k.

 

C

[Sharkey]

The splash for Avengers #3 (which is a much better splash even though Subby was recently drawn directly on it ) has not sold for as little as $10,000.

 

 

In today's market the bidding starts at $30k for a splash like this.

 

C

 

You are absolutely correct sir. If somebody put that splash up with a BIN of $30k it would be gone immediately. I would think $50-$60k would be feasible.

 

I'm not a big fan of the composition of the page, but it's still a classic!! Look at it -- all the key characters are on it, it's Jack Kirby, and it's got a providence like no other. Does anyone know of the splashes to any other Key Marvel Silver Age #1 book being available? FF1, AF15, ASM1, Daredevil 1, Hulk 1, TOS 39?

 

I mean, this #1 issue splash could have an amazingly unique quality in that it's the only one to have surfaced.

 

 

 

[dem1138]

DD #1 splash is out there because pages from that book exist. Graham Nash used to own the complete Iron Man story from TOS #39 but he sold it, along with tons of other OA I bet he wishes he would have held onto, at Sotheby's many years ago. It showed up on eBay about a year or two ago. The splash is awesome (though it's Heck). HUGE Iron Man image...

 

Someone has photocopies of a few pages of the OA from FF #1 but no one knows if the books exist.

 

[Stronguy]

The splash for Avengers #3 (which is a much better splash even though Subby was recently drawn directly on it ) has not sold for as little as $10,000.

 

 

This piece has changed hands a couple times over the last 5 years....it has been a long time since the asking price was $10K.

 

I don't know about that. Bechara offered it to me 3 years ago for less than $20k... I passes (b/c of the Subby thing and the fact that $20k was out of my league). Over a year later saw it on ComicLink(?) (for sale by Bechara) for $15k and it was up there for several months.