OA FANTASTIC FOUR #49 ORIGINAL COVER PROOF

[comix4fun]

If, and this is a big if, if that could be authenticated I know of a few Marvel collectors who would pay more than the asking price.

 

 

More than $5,000 for a cover proof? Really? That's actually more than alot of original art pages by Kirby and almost as much as a nice Kirby FF page (inked by anyone other than Sinnott). From my experience in OA a cover proof is less desirable than a color guide and below the value cover stats. With color guides and cover stats you at least have some background information that concludes they are one of a kind. Even if this piece is authenticated as an actual proof there would never be a way to determine if this was 1 of 1 or 1 of 5, or 6 or more. I have proofs from comics and toys and games that, literally, came out of a stack of dozens of identical copies.

 

I have just never seen a piece that was never touched by any of the artists go for anywhere near that much. If there are some sales of pieces I have missed, which is possible, please let me know.

 

Chris

[aardvark88]

** Lots of misinformation posted earlier today **

 

These are original cover proof sheets that came off the presses of Marvel in the 1960s. Pete Koch started selling these about 18 yrs ago. At the time, he brought no more than 2 of each untrimmed cover sheet. Back cover should be attached as they were often folded in half near the spine to fit in his art portfolio. Koch was selling these for 2x the nm Ostreet back then. The only ones that may have a white back cover are those that were printed for squarebound Marvel annuals in Canada that did not have USA ads.

 

No way u could buy a vintage SA Marvel cover proof sheet on original Marvel cover stock for $50. Matt Wilson famously attached a cover proof sheet trimmed down and married to a coverless Hulk #1. These are facts.

[comix4fun]

** Lots of misinformation posted earlier today **

 

These are original cover proof sheets that came off the presses of Marvel in the 1960s. Pete Koch started selling these about 18 yrs ago. At the time, he brought no more than 2 of each untrimmed cover sheet. Back cover should be attached as they were often folded in half near the spine to fit in his art portfolio. Koch was selling these for 2x the nm Ostreet back then. The only ones that may have a white back cover are those that were printed for squarebound Marvel annuals in Canada that did not have USA ads.

 

No way u could buy a vintage SA Marvel cover proof sheet on original Marvel cover stock for $50. Matt Wilson famously attached a cover proof sheet trimmed down and married to a coverless Hulk #1. These are facts.

 

Who said that they bought a vintage SA Marvel cover proof sheets for $50?

 

So, based on what you said, are these more or less rare than color guides or cover stats?

 

C

 

 

[DiceX]

I'll look more in depth later tonight when I have time.

This looks like an actual press proof. As discussed, there is in fact bleed on the proof area, so I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of it.

I could tell for sure if I had it in hand, but I don't see anything that immediately jumps out at me that would flag it as a fake.

 

That said...the price is on the side.

 

 

[aardvark88]

C,

Hard to determine population of each surviving cover proof to compare against b/w cover stats. Would say untrimmed cover sheets have higher demand due to being printed on the same paper stock at the same time as the real SA Marvel key or semi-key covers.

 

But why was the FF 49 cover sheet trimmed down to what appears to be a little bigger than actual comic book size? for easier storage? Where is the back cover sheet that should be attached to it?

[DiceX]

OK. I've read the entire thread, and looked at everything more closely.

People in the thread are getting production pieces confused, so I'll run through the things mentioned so far, and explain them a little more in depth.

 

The piece in question from the original post is a "Proof", which would be a color proof created from the original film from the cover. It is used to verify the colorist's information has been interpreted correctly when the film screens were added to the black and white line art. This would have been created at the printer, sent to the editor for approval, and then shipped back to the printer. It would then be used by the press operator when the cover was printed to give him a color target to shoot at. The ink on the printing press can be applied thicker, or thinner, but ultimately is supposed to have a color match as close as possible to this "Proof". This proof may or may not have the back cover included on the sheet. Either way, it can still be authentic, but in no sense of the term would it be considered any type of "original art". It is just a unique piece that was used in the production of the book.

 

The Xeroxes with dye on them is actually painted by the colorist. He used dyes and a brush to paint a Xerox of the line art. This was sent to the printer to have film separations made for each page. At which point, you would be at the step mentioned in the prior paragraph. I consider these part of the art process, but nowhere near the level of the original art.

 

The untrimmed cover sheets mentioned in another post are nothing more than unused covers that were printed. Some of these were obviously taken before they were attached to copies of the comic. Nothing special to do with the actual process, they are just unused covers. Still pretty cool and unique, IMO.

 

I've looked at the piece in question, and believe it is authentic. It appears to be the actual "Proof" that was used in the production process of the comic. It does have the "bleed" areas, as mentioned in another post. The crop marks are not cropped at the "trim", they are showing the "bleed" area. If you compare it to an actual printed copy of FF #49, you can see that there is around 1/4" of extra image on the outside of the proof. If I had it in-hand, I could tell you with 100% certainty if it is an actual "Proof", but given the scan in the auction, I have no reason to doubt it.

 

And I still say the price is insane. You can buy a very nice piece of original art for that price.

 

 

[CAP Freak]

damn straight

[Silver Surfer]

I'd like to know how you could authenthicate something like that.

 

 

Took the words right out of my mouth.