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MARVEL'S ORIGINAL ART VAULT CRACKED - THE STORY

Started by DESTRO-migration,

59 posts in this topic

aardvark88

aardvark88

Posted
Posted

Thanks for posting that original art article. Think I have a later one focussing on Jack Kirby Marvel art that was covered in Comics Journal also.

 

Outside chance that the Nov/74 Hulk 181 pages may still exist as the article covers art contents from 1960 to 1974 cut off. angel.gif

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Stronguy

Stronguy

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Can you imagine how much money an auction of those 35,000 pages and 9000 covers would bring today. Add to that the %% from the auction house and you would probably get a number that would be more than the GDP of some small countries.

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DoubleCovaBrotha

DoubleCovaBrotha

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Can you imagine how much money an auction of those 35,000 pages and 9000 covers would bring today. Add to that the %% from the auction house and you would probably get a number that would be more than the GDP of some small countries.

 

You would definitely have to let it out a little at a time. If all those pages flooded the OA market at once, prices would PLUMMET. All the same...cover art and highly sought after splash pages would probably retain most of their value.

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underthebigw

underthebigw

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I've heard other stories about which people at Marvel absconded with some of this stuff.

 

Question is, how much is still sitting around now?

 

These stories have been around a looong time and, I'm guessing are true. I've heard from three different people an account of one Marvel staff member plundering original art as early as the early '70's , much to the anger and rage of Kirby and others upon learning that their work was on his apt. walls during parties he had. Urban myth? Dunno, but the cynic in me doubts it.

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krazykat-migration

krazykat-migration

Posted
Posted
Can you imagine how much money an auction of those 35,000 pages and 9000 covers would bring today. Add to that the %% from the auction house and you would probably get a number that would be more than the GDP of some small countries.

 

You would definitely have to let it out a little at a time. If all those pages flooded the OA market at once, prices would PLUMMET. All the same...cover art and highly sought after splash pages would probably retain most of their value.

 

Yeah, the COVERS are what I would like to see. or own. I don't think these would be effected in price if everything came onto the market. The article says there were only about 973 covers cataloged. Even if you double that amount. That would lead to approximately just 1 cover per collector. Obviously, the Spiderman, X-Men, Hulk, Avengers would be the most sought. Who really acres about the cover to Millie the Model?

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bobpfef

bobpfef

Posted
Posted
I've heard other stories about which people at Marvel absconded with some of this stuff.

 

Question is, how much is still sitting around now?

 

These stories have been around a looong time and, I'm guessing are true. I've heard from three different people an account of one Marvel staff member plundering original art as early as the early '70's , much to the anger and rage of Kirby and others upon learning that their work was on his apt. walls during parties he had. Urban myth? Dunno, but the cynic in me doubts it.

gossip.gif

According to Robert Beerbohm from a mailing list I am part of, he and a partner bought tons of original Marvel pages from Len Wein and Marv Wolfman in the late 60s at an early con. One wonders how those guys who just started working at Marvel got all that artwork

893scratchchin-thumb.gif

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krazykat-migration

krazykat-migration

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Ok ok. I take it back. Even Millie the Model is desirable. I guess it is vintage Romita. I think its Romita. Well, if it is....that would change everything. Romita is the gold standard. So, then 20 Millie the Model covers= 1 Amazing Spiderman cover. Anybody wanna trade their Romita Spiderman covers for my Millies? smile.gif

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the blob

the blob

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I'm really surprised Marvel hasn't been selling it off slowly but surely since it went into bankruptcy. Keeping some "historical stuff" for the archives, but selling off 5-10 pages a day, or a couple of complete stories a week, probably would not flood the market.

 

Granted, it would be a herculean effort, but they could just list it all on a database at top dollar prices and you could order it -- less of a flood on the market than thousands of ebay auctions. People will buy it slowly but surely even if priced at 125-150% above ebay/heritage prices because they know they're getting it from the source.

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garthgantu

garthgantu

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Check out the book "Tales To Astonish" by Ronin Ro - it's basically a bio of Jack Kirby. Lots of stories about Kirby's original art...accounts of him at one point getting much of his art back from Marvel, and it just sitting around his house in big stacks. He'd give it away to visitors (mostly fans who figured out where he lived), to friends of his children, etc. Also stories about rampant theft at Marvel, mostly by underpaid staffers.

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