Any information on coollinesartwork.com?

[Comicduck-migration]

 

looks like he will be attending a few cons in 2011. Probably work out a better deal

in person.

 

 

[comix4fun]

I've made deals with Steve Donnelly and hope to do more as he can offer one of the best art display but I have to join everybody regarding the price often double from what one should expect ...

But here are a thought or two :

first he's not the only well known seller to overprice that much, it's a way to promote their ebay auctions and buy it now ( overpriced too .. ) and with whom it's very hard to get a dime of discount ...

secondly, he's a nice person to talk to despite the hard bargaining and this can't be said for every seller or simple CAF member

then, what shocked me maybe seven years ago was the fact that Steve asked me to pay for his paypal fees or no paypal ...I of course paid the fees ( reluctantly I must say ..) and he was the first in my knowledge to ask such things but if you look at it now who doesn't ask for the fees ? Not a lot out there ...

 

If you really want your piece you just gotta work hard on it and I would advice you to try and try until it's done or gone !!!

 

Best wishes to everyone !!!!

 

 

Did you ever try buying at a convention?

 

Ever see the blank post it notes?

 

Ever hear "I've gotta ask my Brother"?

 

How about seeing a piece at a convention, seeing the marked price and say "I'll take it" and having one or the other say "Oh that's the wrong price" and have it marked up right in front a great deal or have it disappear behind the table to reappear an hour later with a newly inflated price?

 

Ever win a piece on Ebay from them when you asked before the auction is over if there are any non-logo stats, have them answer "The piece is perfect with no issues at all" and get the piece in hand and discover it's more than 1/2 stat, the best 1/2 of the page no less, and when you contact them (giving them the benefit of the doubt that it was just missed) they state that "There's art underneath" confirming that they knew ALL ALONG there was a stat and their email to you was not truthful?

 

I don't give a rat's about pricing relative to other dealers, it's the things like this that have happened to me and other collectors which are at the center of complaints and issues in completing deals.

 

I want to just highlight one thing you said:

 

If you really want your piece you just gotta work hard on it and I would advice you to try and try until it's done or gone !!!

 

 

How would you advise someone to proceed when they want a piece and every time they ask about the piece the price is higher than the last time they asked? How do you "work hard" on it until the deal is done in that (all too common) scenario?

 

 

 

Finally, Herb Trimpe did a big deal with them years ago, I'd like to get his opinion.

 

 

 

 

[Romain]

 

Did you ever try buying at a convention?

 

 

I wish I could !!!

 

Ever see the blank post it notes?

 

??!!

 

Ever hear "I've gotta ask my Brother"?

 

A hundred times if not the brother, the partner ...

 

How about seeing a piece at a convention, seeing the marked price and say "I'll take it" and having one or the other say "Oh that's the wrong price" and have it marked up right in front a great deal or have it disappear behind the table to reappear an hour later with a newly inflated price?

 

Ever win a piece on Ebay from them when you asked before the auction is over if there are any non-logo stats, have them answer "The piece is perfect with no issues at all" and get the piece in hand and discover it's more than 1/2 stat, the best 1/2 of the page no less, and when you contact them (giving them the benefit of the doubt that it was just missed) they state that "There's art underneath" confirming that they knew ALL ALONG there was a stat and their email to you was not truthful?

 

I've had my share of rip off and ebay fraud but never with Steve Donnelly ...

Sorry for your bad experiences ...glad you enlighten everybody with your misfortune for this is what the forum is for ...

It's not rare though that two different buyers get different experiences from a seller one good the other really bad and most of the time when you deal with a big seller ( I mean with thousands of auctions every year ) the bad experience wasn't intended but just happened ..

 

But once again I can hear what you say ...Chris ?

 

 

I don't give a rat's about pricing relative to other dealers, it's the things like this that have happened to me and other collectors which are at the center of complaints and issues in completing deals.

 

I want to just highlight one thing you said:

 

If you really want your piece you just gotta work hard on it and I would advice you to try and try until it's done or gone !!!

 

 

How would you advise someone to proceed when they want a piece and every time they ask about the piece the price is higher than the last time they asked? How do you "work hard" on it until the deal is done in that (all too common) scenario?

 

 

I would stand on my ground and keep coming back at the piece and most of the time find a good bargain by adding other pieces I like ... Always seek a time payment as I can't do otherwise

 

And mostly be patient !!!

 

 

Finally, Herb Trimpe did a big deal with them years ago, I'd like to get his opinion.

 

Let's hear it !!!

 

I wish I'd understand how to quote properly on the board ..

[comix4fun]

It's ok,

I understand the quoting thing gets a lot of folks.

 

I realize you are from France, is that right?

 

That might explain the disconnect with a lot of US fans. Some have luck with one brother and not the other. That seems pretty common. Personally, I could be offered the Shroud of Turin for $1 and I would pass.

 

There are tons of stories out there about a lot of dealers. From a frustration factor though, it's tough to beat dealers who don't price their art, or may not sell at the prices marked, or if you buy through the mail may not take the time to accurately describe or not feel the need to be forthcoming with regards to defects when you ask then specifically.

 

Combine them with seeing a piece on Ebay at one price and getting an email quote nearly double that number while the EBay item is still active, and you have a dealer that is the collecting equivalent of fingernails on the chalkboard. Check the thread above for that doozy of a story.

 

 

[bocaratondefense]

 

Ever win a piece on Ebay from them when you asked before the auction is over if there are any non-logo stats, have them answer "The piece is perfect with no issues at all" and get the piece in hand and discover it's more than 1/2 stat, the best 1/2 of the page no less, and when you contact them (giving them the benefit of the doubt that it was just missed) they state that "There's art underneath" confirming that they knew ALL ALONG there was a stat and their email to you was not truthful?

 

 

That is so dishonest. Now I understand why these guys have such bad reputations.

 

 

 

 

 

[Avalon]

Ever win a piece on Ebay from them when you asked before the auction is over if there are any non-logo stats, have them answer "The piece is perfect with no issues at all" and get the piece in hand and discover it's more than 1/2 stat, the best 1/2 of the page no less, and when you contact them (giving them the benefit of the doubt that it was just missed) they state that "There's art underneath" confirming that they knew ALL ALONG there was a stat and their email to you was not truthful?

 

 

Pardon my ignorance, but what does non-logo stats mean?

[thethedew]

Pardon my ignorance, but what does non-logo stats mean?

 

The quick answer is: it's a patch on the artwork.

 

A 'stat' is the old-fashioned type of thin paper they used to use for the first copy machines way back in the day.

 

When there was a (post-inking) editorial change big enough to require an entire panel to be changed, they would ask the artist to re-draw the panel on a separate page, and then either replace the panel entirely (cutting it out and taping the replacement panel in the space) or cover the original art with the replacement art (sometimes it was done with a copy of the replacement art, a 'stat').

 

While I think it's arguable as to whether old corrections are truly 'defects', most collectors would certainly appreciate and expect precise descriptions of potential purchases.

 

Best,

Andrew

[Bronty]

stats = photocopies

 

non-logo stats = part of the actual cover is a photocopy and not hand drawn art. the logo is commonly a photocopy so that's acceptable. but part of the main art being a photocopy obviously affects price and desirability - if a large stat like that (best half of the page) then many buyers might not really want the page at any price.

 

[comix4fun]

Pardon my ignorance, but what does non-logo stats mean?

 

The quick answer is: it's a patch on the artwork.

 

A 'stat' is the old-fashioned type of thin paper they used to use for the first copy machines way back in the day.

 

When there was a (post-inking) editorial change big enough to require an entire panel to be changed, they would ask the artist to re-draw the panel on a separate page, and then either replace the panel entirely (cutting it out and taping the replacement panel in the space) or cover the original art with the replacement art (sometimes it was done with a copy of the replacement art, a 'stat').

 

While I think it's arguable as to whether old corrections are truly 'defects', most collectors would certainly appreciate and expect precise descriptions of potential purchases.

 

Best,

Andrew

 

 

In the case in question it was a stat replacment of the entire top half of the page. The stat replacement was not original art it was a reworked xerox copy, none of it original.

 

Basically, the top half of the page, which was the reason to purchase the page (it was a 1/2 splash) was NOT original art as published. Underneath the stat was some artwork but it was not artwork that matched the published image.

 

It's one of those things that buyers, especially when they ask about it specifically, really want to know before buying a piece. It may affect their desire to purchase the piece at the price offered and it may put them off from wanting it at all.

 

Failure to disclose, especially when specifically asked to disclose, is a life-time deal breaker for me.

[Romain]

it means some panels ( in Chris' case half the page ) are not pencils and inks but a replacement made of stat the artist did separatly and pasted up to correct the drawing underneath ...very common for some editors to ask some panel redone...

Logo stat are ok but you can find vintage art with drawn letters ...

IMHO stat is ok for it's part of the original process to editing the page or cover you liked but obviously the price of such pages should be lesser than an all art piece ( which is common sense ) and even more obvious the seller should inform you !

[comicartcom]

[Romain]

Gosh am I slow !!!! getting drunk too !

 

Best wishes guys !!!!

 

Andrew your commissions rock !!!!

[artdealer]

 

Finally, Herb Trimpe did a big deal with them years ago, I'd like to get his opinion.

 

 

 

 

Herb sold those pages to the Donnelly's almost 20 years ago.

Price wouldn't matter now anyway.

 

MI

[comix4fun]

Finally, Herb Trimpe did a big deal with them years ago, I'd like to get his opinion.

 

 

 

 

Herb sold those pages to the Donnelly's almost 20 years ago.

Price wouldn't matter now anyway.

 

MI

 

 

As I mentioned, price aside (since they change over time dramatically), the general impression of the dealings would be valuable to hear.

[Bronty]

^ either talk about it, or don't talk about it

[Baron]

You can do business with them. Just expect to pay A LOT more than most comparable pieces on the open market.

 

I actually talked to one of them as I perused their booth this year at the Long Beach Comic Con. I just purchased some OA directly from some artists from the Artist's Alley and was walking down an aisle and saw their booth. One of them asked me to check it out and ask any questions.

 

I saw a couple nice 90s Batman and Detective Comics covers and interiors that I asked about but the prices was like $3K+. I was floored since I just got some nice interiors for like $30 max from DC artists a few minutes earlier. They had nice stuff, but way high a price for my limit.

[comix4fun]

^ either talk about it, or don't talk about it

 

 

It's not my story, and thus not my perspective. I'd just love to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

[CollectingFool]

It's not my story, and thus not my perspective. I'd just love to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

 

I did speak to him about it a while back. He seemed pretty easy-going about it. Actually Herb is a pretty remarkable guy. Very generous and a unique outlook on life. Don't know if his view of the brothers has changed over time and I don't think he'll be rushing into any deals with them anytime soon but I don't think he's holding a grudge.

 

 

[DStorm]

My favorite quote from San Diego this past summer...

 

Someone asked how much for a piece of art they had on their table and the customer was told that is was "4 figures" .... ... they wouldn't even give the guy a price when he asked "how much"?? wtf is that??? I guess the price would be revealed depending on how high the guy raised his eyebrows when he heard the term 4 figures.

 

So what do you think? was the price 1,000 or 9,999??

[Bronty]

^ either talk about it, or don't talk about it

 

 

It's not my story, and thus not my perspective. I'd just love to hear it straight from the horse's mouth.

 

Chris,

I appreciate your POV but if you don't feel comfortable talking about it why the repeated hints and innuendo. I mean people person_without_enough_empathy and moan about the culture of secrecy and then can't post the slightest thing about a deal from 20 years ago? Can you not see a bit of double standard in that?