May Heritage Auction

[WilliamG.Staggers]

I liked it better unrestored.

 

A large component of this stuff, for me, is being able to see the process. How the image was drawn, including the the mistakes they had to fix and alterations they made along the way.

 

This is a good example of the type of information that gets lost with restoration.

 

+1

Seems like such a shame to take a great piece of OA and, IMO taint it. The restored cover looks great but not all OA is supposed to look great. It's supposed to look original. The fact that Romita's sig was lost too seems like such a disrespect.

 

From the seller's POV its just supposed to look like whatever makes him the most money, realistically.

 

As a buyer I don't like it either. I wouldn't buy this one even if I was in the market for it.

 

I guess some people are willing to pay more for the restoration although I have trouble grasping that.

[Bronty]

I think its a bit deceptive to be honest, because the buyer who likes that much messing around with their art... is the buyer that doesn't even realize it was messed around with. There are lots of minor things like stat replacement where its just not a big deal, but this is a pretty significant set of alterations and to me when you have that done as a seller it is with the hope the buyer doesn't ask, doesn't realize.

[ciorac]

I liked it better unrestored.

 

A large component of this stuff, for me, is being able to see the process. How the image was drawn, including the the mistakes they had to fix and alterations they made along the way.

 

This is a good example of the type of information that gets lost with restoration.

 

+1

Seems like such a shame to take a great piece of OA and, IMO taint it. The restored cover looks great but not all OA is supposed to look great. It's supposed to look original. The fact that Romita's sig was lost too seems like such a disrespect.

 

The Romita signature wasn't on the published art that I can see. I have several copies of this book, and I don't see Romita's signature on them. So if you want a Romita signature on the art, buy it and get him to sign it.

[WilliamG.Staggers]

I liked it better unrestored.

 

A large component of this stuff, for me, is being able to see the process. How the image was drawn, including the the mistakes they had to fix and alterations they made along the way.

 

This is a good example of the type of information that gets lost with restoration.

 

+1

Seems like such a shame to take a great piece of OA and, IMO taint it. The restored cover looks great but not all OA is supposed to look great. It's supposed to look original. The fact that Romita's sig was lost too seems like such a disrespect.

 

The Romita signature wasn't on the published art that I can see. I have several copies of this book, and I don't see Romita's signature on them. So if you want a Romita signature on the art, buy it and get him to sign it.

 

I assumed that it was because I've see a lot of his tiny sigs tucked away like that on most of his published Spidey covers. Does he still turn out at many shows?

[WilliamG.Staggers]

I think its a bit deceptive to be honest, because the buyer who likes that much messing around with their art... is the buyer that doesn't even realize it was messed around with. There are lots of minor things like stat replacement where its just not a big deal, but this is a pretty significant set of alterations and to me when you have that done as a seller it is with the hope the buyer doesn't ask, doesn't realize.

 

In every case, the seller of a piece should always be transparent about any tinkering done under his ownership. To me, it would be just as bad if not worse than buying a book and finding out it's restored.

[Bronty]

I think its a bit deceptive to be honest, because the buyer who likes that much messing around with their art... is the buyer that doesn't even realize it was messed around with. There are lots of minor things like stat replacement where its just not a big deal, but this is a pretty significant set of alterations and to me when you have that done as a seller it is with the hope the buyer doesn't ask, doesn't realize.

 

In every case, the seller of a piece should always be transparent about any tinkering done under his ownership. To me, it would be just as bad if not worse than buying a book and finding out it's restored.

 

Well, its very different so its an imperfect comparison to restored comics. But the lines are starting to get blurry with work such as this, IMO

[Will_K]

Eventually, i wonder if there will be a noticeable premium for covers of the same era in great condition that didn't need to be restored. Pages and covers where the lettering is mostly by hand with little glue touching it. I personally find myself more drawn to pages that dont have glued on stats. I keep thinking those pages, all other things being equal, will start to draw more collectors eyes especially as time moves on and preservation becomes more of an issue.

 

60's and 70's DC romance covers have that thing where the first page of a story was cut to be re-used as the cover. But at least it was all original art on good paper. DC's romance and horror comics that featured 3 or 4 different stories had all kinds of blurbs that fell off the cover art.

 

BUT, is it me or do Marvel covers have more "issues" (e.g. excessive paste-ups, lots of whiteout, vellum mounted to cover stock) than other companies ? The yellowed vellum (or is that the glue) and flaking whiteout seem to be the most problematic.

 

 

[wormboy]

I liked it better unrestored.

 

A large component of this stuff, for me, is being able to see the process. How the image was drawn, including the the mistakes they had to fix and alterations they made along the way.

 

This is a good example of the type of information that gets lost with restoration.

 

+1

Seems like such a shame to take a great piece of OA and, IMO taint it. The restored cover looks great but not all OA is supposed to look great. It's supposed to look original. The fact that Romita's sig was lost too seems like such a disrespect.

 

The Romita signature wasn't on the published art that I can see. I have several copies of this book, and I don't see Romita's signature on them. So if you want a Romita signature on the art, buy it and get him to sign it.

 

The JR initials were in the published piece, so the restoration actually brought that signature back when it removed the ink blob. The Romita signature was likely done after and washed away.

[NelsonAI]

Generally speaking, if the restoration on a piece of art is done to prevent further acidification of the bristol or paper, it's a good thing.

 

As a buyer, I would like to know about restoration.

 

Cheers!

N.

 

[GreatEscape]

I passionately collected GA comics for a decade where condition and undisclosed restoration became a huge issue. CGC slabs and third-party grading addressed collector concerns but the grade envy (is one 8.5 truly better than another 8.0?) complexity of restoration assessment-- extensive/professional, moderate/amateur, color touch, PLOD (purple label,of death)-- really became a sour point in an otherwise enjoyable hobby.

 

Like many, I switched to collecting OA as a hobby far removed from condition and restoration issues. I truly hope we aren't doing down the path where collectors focus is on minimizing flaws and 'manipulation' as a major determinant of value...

 

My

[comix4fun]

I passionately collected GA comics for a decade where condition and undisclosed restoration became a huge issue. CGC slabs and third-party grading addressed collector concerns but the grade envy (is one 8.5 truly better than another 8.0?) complexity of restoration assessment-- extensive/professional, moderate/amateur, color touch, PLOD (purple label,of death)-- really became a sour point in an otherwise enjoyable hobby.

 

Like many, I switched to collecting OA as a hobby far removed from condition and restoration issues. I truly hope we aren't doing down the path where collectors focus is on minimizing flaws and 'manipulation' as a major determinant of value...

 

My

 

 

I can see that. This would be the place where comics and comic art diverge on perception though....at least when it comes to preservation.

 

De-acidifying and stabilizing that vellum not only brightened the image but probably added 50-100 years to its life span. This is only partially "pretty-ing up" the piece. There's some real value in the conservation that's been done.

[BCarter27]

One of the reasons I am backing away from vintage illustration art is that with every new piece that comes, I have to factor in my conservationist's fee.

 

But the day is coming fast where cleaning, glue removal, and deacidification will be the norm in OA.

[jjonahjameson1]

I passionately collected GA comics for a decade where condition and undisclosed restoration became a huge issue. CGC slabs and third-party grading addressed collector concerns but the grade envy (is one 8.5 truly better than another 8.0?) complexity of restoration assessment-- extensive/professional, moderate/amateur, color touch, PLOD (purple label,of death)-- really became a sour point in an otherwise enjoyable hobby.

 

Like many, I switched to collecting OA as a hobby far removed from condition and restoration issues. I truly hope we aren't doing down the path where collectors focus is on minimizing flaws and 'manipulation' as a major determinant of value...

 

My

 

 

I can see that. This would be the place where comics and comic art diverge on perception though....at least when it comes to preservation.

 

De-acidifying and stabilizing that vellum not only brightened the image but probably added 50-100 years to its life span. This is only partially "pretty-ing up" the piece. There's some real value in the conservation that's been done.

 

Who does this sort of work?

 

[comix4fun]

I passionately collected GA comics for a decade where condition and undisclosed restoration became a huge issue. CGC slabs and third-party grading addressed collector concerns but the grade envy (is one 8.5 truly better than another 8.0?) complexity of restoration assessment-- extensive/professional, moderate/amateur, color touch, PLOD (purple label,of death)-- really became a sour point in an otherwise enjoyable hobby.

 

Like many, I switched to collecting OA as a hobby far removed from condition and restoration issues. I truly hope we aren't doing down the path where collectors focus is on minimizing flaws and 'manipulation' as a major determinant of value...

 

My

 

 

I can see that. This would be the place where comics and comic art diverge on perception though....at least when it comes to preservation.

 

De-acidifying and stabilizing that vellum not only brightened the image but probably added 50-100 years to its life span. This is only partially "pretty-ing up" the piece. There's some real value in the conservation that's been done.

 

Who does this sort of work?

 

 

I think most conservationists can handle it. I had a vellum piece years ago that I was considering picking up and I checked on what could be done to keep it from deteriorating and discoloring and everyone I spoke to mentioned those being the first things they'd do to it.

[rotembk]

Is it just me or were all the auction's listings taken offline? When I try to view a specific lot all I get are a couple of thumbnail previews of the item and that's it.

[Galactus]

No its not just you, the description has vanished and only small images remain

[ciorac]

I passionately collected GA comics for a decade where condition and undisclosed restoration became a huge issue. CGC slabs and third-party grading addressed collector concerns but the grade envy (is one 8.5 truly better than another 8.0?) complexity of restoration assessment-- extensive/professional, moderate/amateur, color touch, PLOD (purple label,of death)-- really became a sour point in an otherwise enjoyable hobby.

 

Like many, I switched to collecting OA as a hobby far removed from condition and restoration issues. I truly hope we aren't doing down the path where collectors focus is on minimizing flaws and 'manipulation' as a major determinant of value...

 

My

 

 

I can see that. This would be the place where comics and comic art diverge on perception though....at least when it comes to preservation.

 

De-acidifying and stabilizing that vellum not only brightened the image but probably added 50-100 years to its life span. This is only partially "pretty-ing up" the piece. There's some real value in the conservation that's been done.

 

[jjonahjameson1]

I passionately collected GA comics for a decade where condition and undisclosed restoration became a huge issue. CGC slabs and third-party grading addressed collector concerns but the grade envy (is one 8.5 truly better than another 8.0?) complexity of restoration assessment-- extensive/professional, moderate/amateur, color touch, PLOD (purple label,of death)-- really became a sour point in an otherwise enjoyable hobby.

 

Like many, I switched to collecting OA as a hobby far removed from condition and restoration issues. I truly hope we aren't doing down the path where collectors focus is on minimizing flaws and 'manipulation' as a major determinant of value...

 

My

 

 

I can see that. This would be the place where comics and comic art diverge on perception though....at least when it comes to preservation.

 

De-acidifying and stabilizing that vellum not only brightened the image but probably added

 

50-100 years to its life span. This is only partially "pretty-ing up" the piece. There's some real value in the conservation that's been done.

 

Who does this sort of work?

 

 

I think most conservationists can handle it. I had a vellum piece years ago that I was considering picking up and I checked on what could be done to keep it from deteriorating and discoloring and everyone I spoke to mentioned those being the first things they'd do to it.

 

Understood. I was hoping someone can provide the name of a company or individuals that perform this work ?

[comix4fun]

I passionately collected GA comics for a decade where condition and undisclosed restoration became a huge issue. CGC slabs and third-party grading addressed collector concerns but the grade envy (is one 8.5 truly better than another 8.0?) complexity of restoration assessment-- extensive/professional, moderate/amateur, color touch, PLOD (purple label,of death)-- really became a sour point in an otherwise enjoyable hobby.

 

Like many, I switched to collecting OA as a hobby far removed from condition and restoration issues. I truly hope we aren't doing down the path where collectors focus is on minimizing flaws and 'manipulation' as a major determinant of value...

 

My

 

 

I can see that. This would be the place where comics and comic art diverge on perception though....at least when it comes to preservation.

 

De-acidifying and stabilizing that vellum not only brightened the image but probably added

 

50-100 years to its life span. This is only partially "pretty-ing up" the piece. There's some real value in the conservation that's been done.

 

Who does this sort of work?

 

 

I think most conservationists can handle it. I had a vellum piece years ago that I was considering picking up and I checked on what could be done to keep it from deteriorating and discoloring and everyone I spoke to mentioned those being the first things they'd do to it.

 

Understood. I was hoping someone can provide the name of a company or individuals that perform this work ?

 

Gordon Christman.

 

Robert Dennis (judging by the success stories he's posted on his CAF)

[Ironmandrd]

The HA website is still having issues (at least for me and on two different browsers) for the May previews. I called up HA and they are looking into it (on their end though it looks fine).