Watchmen Original Art -- more or less desirable now?

[*paull*]

I wonder how much of the book actually still exists and isn't lost. Impossible to know, of course, but it likely isn't 100%. Probably more like 80% - 90% I would guess. The pages were sold over twenty years ago, right?

[cheekyj2112]

I wonder how much of the book actually still exists and isn't lost. Impossible to know, of course, but it likely isn't 100%. Probably more like 80% - 90% I would guess. The pages were sold over twenty years ago, right?

 

Yep, they all sold when it came out but, having sold through Comic Showcase to fans at pretty significant prices at the time, they weren't exactly throwaway purchases so I would imagine the vast majority are still around. I've no doubt that some may have been inevitably lost along the way in domestic accidents like fires and floods but this isn't the same as bronze age art sold at cons for $10 a pop.

One problem is that some pages were lovingly displayed and stored for years in cheapo frames and so sunlight and damp have taken their toll, which may affect the desirability for some collectors. But at the end of the day, it's not like you can wait for a better copy of the page to come up.

 

 

[cheekyj2112]

I love the fact that this was listed for a little under $15k a week ago and ended with no bids.

So of course now it's re-listed at an even higher price

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/WATCHMEN-9-art-pg5-Dr-Manhattan-Silk-Spectre-on-Mars_W0QQitemZ250393890017

 

Apologies in advance to anyone who was hoping that this one might slip under the radar!

[comix4fun]

I love the fact that this was listed for a little under $15k a week ago and ended with no bids.

So of course now it's re-listed at an even higher price

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/WATCHMEN-9-art-pg5-Dr-Manhattan-Silk-Spectre-on-Mars_W0QQitemZ250393890017

 

Apologies in advance to anyone who was hoping that this one might slip under the radar!

 

 

 

! I wanted to keep this quiet until it was eventually listed for $25k....

 

 

[Eric Seffinga]

I have a question about the Ror page on eBay...

 

OK so it's got stats. Not surprising at all, but has it also been cut down? I'm looking at the photo and the frame is right up on the edges of the art on 3 of the 4 sides.

 

Thoughts?

 

-e.

[Eric Seffinga]

No thoughts?

[buyatari]

I love the fact that this was listed for a little under $15k a week ago and ended with no bids.

So of course now it's re-listed at an even higher price

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/WATCHMEN-9-art-pg5-Dr-Manhattan-Silk-Spectre-on-Mars_W0QQitemZ250393890017

 

Apologies in advance to anyone who was hoping that this one might slip under the radar!

 

Well he does has best offer option. At least you know what he is expecting to get if you make an offer.

[buyatari]

No thoughts?

 

I don't see it.

[Jesusjon]

I have a question about the Ror page on eBay...

 

OK so it's got stats. Not surprising at all, but has it also been cut down? I'm looking at the photo and the frame is right up on the edges of the art on 3 of the 4 sides.

 

Thoughts?

 

-e.

 

Looks pretty standard for a W page, but then again I don't have one. Ask Felix or Hari to look at one of their several pages.

[Eric Seffinga]

Actually after perusing CAF and looking again, it appears that for some reason most of these Watchmen pages have been cut down, usually along one edge or the other. Strange that in all these years I've never noticed it before.

 

Some have the right side margin of the art board removed, and some the left. A few look like the tops were cut off, and one or two that were cut down all around to just outside the art. I know it's not unusual to see oddly cut boards on art from the 70s and 80s to fit it into the various copy machines for reproduction steps. I've just never noticed boards with complete edges removed before.

 

You never know when you're going to notice something in this hobby. Sheesh.

 

-e.

[chromium]

Actually after perusing CAF and looking again, it appears that for some reason most of these Watchmen pages have been cut down, usually along one edge or the other. Strange that in all these years I've never noticed it before.

 

Some have the right side margin of the art board removed, and some the left. A few look like the tops were cut off, and one or two that were cut down all around to just outside the art. I know it's not unusual to see oddly cut boards on art from the 70s and 80s to fit it into the various copy machines for reproduction steps. I've just never noticed boards with complete edges removed before.

 

You never know when you're going to notice something in this hobby. Sheesh.

 

-e.

 

Just took a look at mine and mine has been cut down all around, left and right border are about one inch, top and bottom border a little wider. I prefer it this way actually, perfect symmetry ... keeping in with the Watchmen theme

[Eric Seffinga]

That was going to be my follow up.

 

-e.

[Eric Seffinga]

Actually it was the cause of my questioning the border dims in the first place. It looked weird to me that the border on the left was very wide and that the other sides looked really tight to the frame edge. The guys I've seen with pages have them matted even all the way around, but you can't see the page boarders behind the mat.

 

My first thought was the owner cut it down to fit in the cheap frame. Of course with a little CAF searching I came to realize the border chopping was all over the place on the originals, as I mentioned earlier. Funny after all these years of seeing th pages around it was a detail I'd never noticed. I guess I was much too preoccupied by the art inside the borders to notice.

 

-e.

[Jesusjon]

Here's an interesting case:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330315496359

 

A Rorschach page! But...four stat panels. An OA Catch-22. Will the former outweigh the latter? Or vice-versa? Has the end of movie hype (along with the recession) depressed interest/values? Or will people bid like before?

 

Also, despite being on CAF (and now here ), it still won't get the full exposure it would have gotten if it was listed on the main Ebay site and not just Ebay UK. There will still be people who will miss it who might have otherwise bid.

 

No matter what, kudos to the seller for listing it without a reserve and a nothing starting bid (thumbs u This sucker will get sold. Let's see what happens on Wednesday

 

 

Ended at 7K -- certainly didn't explode at the end. These last couple results have given me hope I might find "the page for me" at a price I can live with!!

[dem1138]

Here's an interesting case:

 

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330315496359

 

A Rorschach page! But...four stat panels. An OA Catch-22. Will the former outweigh the latter? Or vice-versa? Has the end of movie hype (along with the recession) depressed interest/values? Or will people bid like before?

 

Also, despite being on CAF (and now here ), it still won't get the full exposure it would have gotten if it was listed on the main Ebay site and not just Ebay UK. There will still be people who will miss it who might have otherwise bid.

 

No matter what, kudos to the seller for listing it without a reserve and a nothing starting bid (thumbs u This sucker will get sold. Let's see what happens on Wednesday

 

 

$4800 Pounds (a little over $7000 US) - not as much as I expected -- but in the end, it's two Ror panels but an interesting page. I don't think this sale sets the Watchmen market on fire exactly, but hopefully other pages will continue to surface.

 

 

 

[Nexus]

For those who don't recognize the Ebay ID, I won the page. Right about where I thought, too. It would not have surprised me if it had gone for significantly more...or significantly less. The stats were a real wild card. In the end, the pros of the overall page outweighed the con of the stats for me.

 

 

[Claudio]

For those who don't recognize the Ebay ID, I won the page. Right about where I thought, too. It would not have surprised me if it had gone for significantly more...or significantly less. The stats were a real wild card. In the end, the pros of the overall page outweighed the con of the stats for me.

 

 

Wow. ANOTHER one!? Nice job, Felix.

[Jesusjon]

Congrats! I think it's a fair price and honestly overall a really nice display page. Good narrative dialogue, etc.

 

The great thing about the last couple pages you've picked up is that you're definitely getting Watchmen pages at fair prices, which a couple months ago was not happening. (thumbs u

[Eric Seffinga]

Now all you have to do is beat Felix to one.

[invisibleghosts]

Very nice pickup!

 

 

I was watching the auction end and was a little surprised that the price did not spike. A nice "sign" that I might be able to afford a page someday!