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My 10-year quest has ended: MY ULTIMATE GRAIL HAS ARRIVED

Started by Michael Browning,

24 posts in this topic

Michael Browning

Michael Browning

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This is the story of my ULTIMATE GRAIL.

I have chased this piece of original art for more than a decade and ended up paying more than 41+ times what the previous owner paid when he bought it almost 10 years ago, but it is well-worth every penny I paid.

 

http://www.comicartfans.com/gallerypiece.asp?piece=1360044

 

Here's the story:

As a child, my Granny and Grandad were my heroes. I spent nearly every weekend with them. My Granny didn't have a whole lot of money, but she knew I loved comic books, so, occasionally, when she could afford it, she'd buy me a comic at the grocery store and bring it to me.

I was always a big fan of super-hero comics and would only read "funny books" if they were bought for me and the last thing I had to read. One day, my Granny came back from the store and handed me a copy of Archie's Pals 'N Gals #161. It wasn't Daredevil or Ghost Rider, but it looked pretty cool, with Archie on the cover dressed in drag so he could sneak into the girls' slumber party. I read the entire issue from cover to cover. It was a great issue, but the one thing that caught my 10-year-old eye was this pinup of a totally new character in the Archie Universe -- Cheryl Blossom. The stripes on her disco outfit were almost hypnotic and the way she was drawn was unlike any other comic book pinup I'd ever seen. I had no idea that I was looking at Cheryl Blossom's third appearance or that the comic would one day become worth a couple hundred dollars. All I knew was that this was one comic I was going to keep. I read it over and over and that pinup stuck in my mind all these years.

So, flash forward to around 2006 when I was actively looking through comic art websites, trying to find pieces that struck a nostalgic nerve in me. As I looked through Anthony Snyder's website, I saw the original art for this pinup for sale for just $75. I had to have it, so, I placed my order and was so disappointed when Anthony wrote back that the piece had sold quite awhile back and he had just forgotten to take it off the site. I was so upset; I had missed out on a piece that I fondly remembered and really, really wanted. But, in all my disappointment, I was smart enough to save the image on his site.

I asked Anthony to reach out to the person who bought the piece and to see if that customer would want to sell me the art for way more than what it cost them. Anthony never replied to my request, so I figured it would never be available to me again.

Then, in 2009, I got an idea from another collector who had a "WANTED" gallery on here and I decided to put up the scan from Anthony's site in my own "WANTED" gallery, just in case that collector was looking and saw that I was really, REALLY wanting to buy it.

In September of 2010, two comments were put on the scan from uM Leimay telling me that it had been found and was pictured on a deviantart.com page. I copied and pasted the link and there it was, stuck in the glass cabinet door in a guy's kitchen. I tried my best to find out just who owned it and if I could buy it. I searched and searched until I found the owner's email and sent him an message offering him $500 for it.

He sent back an email that read "Sorry, but it is not for sale. This is my favorite of my DeCarlo pinups." Arrrgghh!

Then, I immediately offered him $1000 but he didn't reply.

Each year thereafter, I emailed with a higher offer, but, still, never heard back from him.

Until this year.

I upped my offer to, like I said, 41+ times the amount paid for it when it was purchased from Anthony, and the owner messaged back to say that he was interested because he was needing to put a new roof on his house.

After several emails and phone calls between us, we came to an agreement of how we'd make the transaction work and, a couple weeks later, the art is in my hands.

I have many, many pieces of art that would qualify as my grail. There's the Flash 323 cover, the Saga of the Swamp Thing 3 cover, my Kull the Destroyer 26 splash, the Ghost Rider 80 cover, my Daredevil 226 cover, the pages that have me and my wife drawn onto them and a few others. But, I can't think of another piece that I have wanted so badly that I continued to hope and pray that one day I'd get it. Thank God that I finally have it in my collection!

I am so elated to have this art in my possession.

Thanks to uM Leimay for finding it for me and thanks to the previous owner for selling it to me. I am so appreciative of both individuals for helping me put this, my ULTIMATE GRAIL, in my permanent collection.

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Michael Browning

Michael Browning

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It may be painful to pay so much for the page but you've managed to put a price on a priceless acquisition and that's wonderful.

 

Congrats on finding your grail.

 

Thank you! With what I paid, I do believe I set a new record on a Dan DeCarlo pinup - and possibly on an Archie pinup (at least for the Silver-to-Modern eras).

But, it was worth it.

An aside to the whole story is the fact that, for awhile, the postal service couldn't locate it with tracking (I paid $100 to have it shipped overnight) and it apparently was on a plane circling WV because of the thick fog.

Talk about a scary moment!

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jeBailey

jeBailey

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Michael,

 

Congratulations on getting your grail. You only over paid if your going to sell it. I have pieces in my collection that others believe I over paid for but as I plan to keep the pages I will likely never know for sure.

 

Congrats again,

 

John B.

 

 

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Michael Browning

Michael Browning

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Michael,

 

Congratulations on getting your grail. You only over paid if your going to sell it. I have pieces in my collection that others believe I over paid for but as I plan to keep the pages I will likely never know for sure.

 

Congrats again,

 

John B.

 

 

There are only a few pieces in my collection that are truly permanent and this is one of them. I chased it for so, so long and wanted it so badly that I always said if I ever got it, I could quit collecting. I am actually thinking of having it framed to go alongside some of the other permanent pieces.

Someone asked me why I liked it so much and I explained the whole story and then said "Dan DeCarlo is the Dave Stevens of Archie Comics!" At that point, I think my friend either understood - or thought I was completely crazy.

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fmaz

fmaz

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Great story and a prime example of art being worth exactly what someone is willing to pay for it. While you might have "overpaid" accordingly to the desires of most other people you paid the exact perfect price for yourself and you should be thrilled! Enjoy!!

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NoMan

NoMan

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What an awesome story! Thanks for sharing it with us. If I have my eye on a piece of OR that is on the HA site and it sold about 4 years ago can I just contact Heratage to see if they will contact the new owner and see if it's for sale? Not sure how these things work.

 

Thanks all for any thoughts/ideas.

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