Estimate on Calvin & Hobbes sketches

[ComicsAndCode]

I want to start my hunt for Watterson's C&H sketches, but before I do, I need some guidance on market value. Any thoughts on what would be a reasonable asking price for authentic sketch, either watercolor or ink pen? There's not enough out in the wild to really get a feel for what they go for. 500, 1000, 2000? 1.0564827383e10?

 

Danke.

 

 

[CollectingFool]

Good luck finding an authentic one. Odds are these days most of the stuff you see coming from galleries is no good. If by chance you happen to find one that is undoubtably authentic and it's someplace where you'll have to compete for it, my best guesses are:

 

B&W: $10K-$20K

Color: $20K-$30K

 

This is the only legitimate color piece I know of that traded hands publicly in a while. I think the competition would be a bit steeper for it today then it was in 2007.

 

http://comics.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=824&Lot_No=44430

 

I'll let some of the other people who have been looking for years give you the rest of the good news.

 

 

[spider9698]

I was the winner of that piece back in 2007 and have since sold it. A B+W daily was for sale less than six months ago on a European dealer's site and it sold within a day (for $45,000!). A Sunday was offered to me at $100,000 (I passed) and am working on another daily that is priced more reasonably.

I decided against sketches because there were too many forgeries out there. You can count the real ones on a single hand (and they are all buried in collections)

 

[CollectingFool]

Well, he asked for "sketch" prices so I assumed he meant sketches and unpublished pieces, not dailies or Sundays. That's a whole different ball of wax. I remember thinking $25K for a Sunday was insane, especially after seeing how small they are. Guess I should have pulled the trigger huh?

 

 

[Eric Seffinga]

Were they drawn at published size?

 

-e.

[alxjhnsn]

As much as I love C&H, OA is too rich for my blood. So, I decided to get this instead:

 

The Complete Calvin and Hobbes

 

 

FWIW, Mutts is just about as hard to find.

 

 

 

[ComicsAndCode]

Yes, I was specifically asking about sketches. The dailies and other published work is definitely out of my range.

[glendgold]

>FWIW, Mutts is just about as hard to find.

 

Patrick occasionally donates strips to auctions for animal shelters, usually somewhere on the East Coast. They're rarely publicized. I only remember a couple of high-profile auctions where I heard about the results -- each went over $5K. For dailies. He doesn't let go of Sundays.

[CollectingFool]

FWIW, Mutts is just about as hard to find.

 

Actually, I've seen quite a few. He gives them to friends and I believe trades them too for Herriman originals. Thing is, if you are one of the trusted few and you're caught selling one, you'll probably be cut off. There have been some sold quietly and not displayed by the new owner. Just one of those things you have to keep quiet about if you want the supply to continue to exist.

 

At least getting a sketch isn't as hard as it is with Watterson!

 

http://www.collectingfool.com/unpublished/mcdonnell-mutts.jpg

 

 

[spider9698]

The reason I listed dailies and Sundays is that it is far too difficult and tiresome to muddle through all the Watterson sketches out there. 99.9% are fake. The ones that have been authenticated are squirreled away in collections. Bill is not doing sketches or drawings from what I hear and is so reclusive that there hasn't been a photo of him seen in almost a decade. I have a great letter from him done on C+H letterhead that tells a fan he doesn't give away his originals or do commissions. If I find it I will post it.

S

 

[Catwoman_Fan]

You are all probably familiar with it, but I found Nevin Martell's: "Looking For Calvin And Hobbes" to be a very enjoyable read.

 

Nevin spoke in Pittsburgh are our Toonseum, and showed some poster artwork Bill recently did for a local performance, that his neighbor was in. It was not done in his recognized style but its interesting to see that Bill was still drawing.

[alxjhnsn]

That book is sitting on my nightstand waiting to be read. It's under Steven King's Under the Dome though so it may be awhile.

[Babin]

Seems to me that unless Watterson burned them, just about every single Sunday and daily he ever drew is still in existence.

 

That means that sooner or later many of them WILL enter the marketplace. Even if he leaves the entire run to a library or museum, at some point their fundraising potential will outweigh the expense of storing and conserving thousands of strips.

 

Granted, it may not happen for decades, but I just can't see paying the kinds of prices being spoken of here when they're based on an artificial scarcity.

 

 

[Bronty]

agreed. madness

[Nexus]

Seems to me that unless Watterson burned them, just about every single Sunday and daily he ever drew is still in existence.

 

That means that sooner or later many of them WILL enter the marketplace. Even if he leaves the entire run to a library or museum, at some point their fundraising potential will outweigh the expense of storing and conserving thousands of strips.

 

Granted, it may not happen for decades, but I just can't see paying the kinds of prices being spoken of here when they're based on an artificial scarcity.

 

 

That's always the dilemma for collectors when we know that a supply exists *somewhere*. In this case, Watterson donated his strips to Ohio State. I believe it was with the stipulation that they never be sold off, but maybe someone knows for sure.

 

The problem is (even if you assume that the library will eventually sell a few off to fundraise)..."it may not happen for decades". What good does that do you as a collector? As a collector, I want to enjoy owning something now. I'm not planning on collecting in my 70s or 80s when the strips finally reach the marketplace (if I'm around, that's when I'll be disposing of my collection).

 

In the case of C&H, unless Ohio State dumps the strips all at once, I believe there's enough demand to keep values high even if they sold off a few every year.

[Bronty]

hmm. still to me the more rational alternative is to simply live with not owning a C+H at these prices!

[Nexus]

hmm. still to me the more rational alternative is to simply live with not owning a C+H at these prices!

 

No argument, there. I don't own one and have no plans to buy one at those prices. But, in general, I don't worry about "artificial scarcity" for art I want that I can afford. "What I can afford" being the key.

[CollectingFool]

Seems to me that unless Watterson burned them, just about every single Sunday and daily he ever drew is still in existence.

 

Charles Schulz's run on Peanuts is about 5 times longer than Watterson's run on C&H. The family/museum combined own a significant percentage. Mrs. Schulz isn't going to be around forever, who knows what the kids will do with the stuff. Actually, the stuff that is out there probably equals or exceeds Watterson's complete run on C&H. That doesn't keep Peanuts prices from getting crazy.

 

 

[AtlasFan]

I think we may get some hints about what will happen to collections like this by watching and waiting to see what becomes of the Frazetta collection. Should be interesting.

[Nexus]

I think we may get some hints about what will happen to collections like this by watching and waiting to see what becomes of the Frazetta collection. Should be interesting.

 

Total apples and oranges. Each has its own unique set of circumstances.

 

I expect the Frazetta art will all be sold off within the heirs' lifetimes. Although it's possible that Ohio State may eventually sell off a few C&H strips, I don't expect them to completely liquidate the collection.