Byrne Wolverine sketch

Whoa that's a sweet Byrne penciled/inked Wolverine sketch on eBay. Signed 2006. Should go for a pretty penny. Auction ends soon.

Batman in I Am Legend ?!?

I saw Will Smith's "I Am Legend" the other night and just wanted to comment on a quick scene in the movie. Early in the movie, when Will Smith is hunting in Times Square (NYC), the camera pans and shows a future Batman movie billboard with the Superman logo superimposed in the middle of the Bats logo. The date on the billboard was 6.15.2010. Think this was only a billboard prop, or an early (and subtle) preview by the folks at Warner Bros? The camera seemed to stop on the billboard for more than a quick glimpse. BTW, The sets for this movie looked great. I heard they closed down at least 6 blocks of 5th Avenue on a Monday to shoot some scenes.

Here's what they are saying about the Bats/Supes billboard "officially", er when asked about it in an interview posted on mtv.com:
http://moviesblog.mtv.com/2007/12/03/batman-vs-superman-coming-in-2009-but-will-we-live-to-see-it/

Also, the "The Dark Knight" trailer before the movie showed a lot including his cool bike. Joker looks great, and really more mean psycho as compared to the comedic Jack Nicholson version. Maggie Gyllenhaal plays Rachel Dawes. Christian Bale returns as Batman.

Cockrum Colossus !!

Here's a detailed and large 11" by 14" sketch of Colossus by Dave Cockrum. Great piece whoever ends up as the lucky winner on this auction. This might be the best Colossus I've seen drawn by Cockrum! I think the high bidders think so too. I'm betting this one settles in close to $500.00 before it's all over.

Jim Lee Supergirl artwork goes for $2849.00

4 pieces of Supergirl art go for $2849.00 on eBay.

JJ Kirby, Michael Lopez, Oliver Nome, and Jim Lee versions packaged together in one auction. If I could make a guess at valuation for each, I'd guess that the Lee piece alone is $2500 and the others collectively are at $349.00.

CBLDF auctions ongoing...

The Comic Book Legal Defense Fund CBLDF was founded in 1986 as a 501 (c) 3 non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of First Amendment rights for members of the comics community. Their website has pointers to current issues they are facing. They always accept donations and I encourage you to become a member to support your favorite comic book artists that may require their help.

From time to time, they also auction off original artwork or hard to find comics/collectibles on eBay to raise funds. This time, they've got a full lineup of art and comics. To support this org, buy something from their website or even help by going to any of their eBay auctions and place a few bids in there to help raise funds. If you win, think that at least you are helping a great cause.

Some noteworthy pieces they have up include this cool Jeff Smith Bone sketch (he doesn't sell his art), original art from various studios, as well as lots of other cool comics and art.

The cover to Uncanny X-Men 138

Google'd more Byrne/Austin original comic book artwork and noticed that the original cover artwork to Uncanny X-Men 138 sold for $37,375.00 October 14, 2005.

Fortunately (or unfortunately), the Toy's R Us advertisement at the top of the cover really is part of my memory when I think about that cover, other than of course the image of Cyclops walking away from the X-Men with a bag slung over his shoulder. So when I see this original artwork with the banner ad at the top, it looks to me like something is missing. Regardless, this is a classic cover image. Easily one of the best and or most memorable covers in comic book history. Ok, maybe the cover to Uncanny X-Men 137 is more memorable with Phoenix and Cyclops battling on the moon. And then there is the Incredible Hulk 340 cover.. Or the cover to Daredevil 181.. Or the cover to The New Teen Titans 1... Or any number of Neal Adams Green Lantern covers... Animal Man covers stick in my head too... The Wolverine mini-series covers by Frank Miller... I also have a couple Batman covers that stick in my head too.

Uncanny X-Men 131 page 18. Colossus in action.

I don't know the seller, but here's another very nice Uncanny X-Men 131 page from ultimate X-art team of John Byrne & Terry Austin. Classic representation of Colossus (in metal form and as Peter), Cyclops, Kitty Pryde, Dazzler, and of course Nightcrawler. Don't forget Wolverine is lurking in 2 panels. The art on this page jumps out and oozes with 80s charisma. Love the third (middle) pane drawn with the cool perspective.

As you can tell, I love the art and story from this time in Uncanny X-Men. Who doesn't like this art, although I know there are a few of you that loath the art and story (Uh don't email me about it, just add your own comments eh and step out of the shadows), although I'm not talking about liking the artist or not for their personality. That could be it's own discussion. Byrne/Austin, Dave Cockrum, Neal Adams, and maybe Lee/Williams, really did some of their best work on this cornerstone Marvel title years ago.

Which brings us back to today. Don't get me started on what I don't like about today's art. I'm really not a fan of the art from current comic books where it usually seems the artist will tailor their artwork towards selling the art after the fact (ie. splashier = $), rather than telling a great story in the book using art. With the exception of a few artists, such as Ethan Van Sciver, most current comic art lacks intricate background details, even details in how the character is drawn, hair, etc. EVS seems to put his heart into each page he draws and esp when he inks his own work. This is good stuff kids. Really outstanding. It's easy to see why he is so popular and in demand. I really started to take notice when he had his run on Green Lantern Rebirth couple years ago.

Back to the auction, 7 days and 18 hours remaining and it's at $4550.00. To refresh your memory, another page from this book featuring Dark Phoenix recently sold for more than $7k. I'll update this post at the conclusion of the auction with realized price and number of bidders.

Stay tuned.

UPDATE: The auction has ended at a realized price of $8076.00 with 29 total bids. Seems like Byrne Uncanny X-Men pages are going up as not only they don't come out for sale often, but people are snatching them up when they do.

Uncanny X-Men 131 page 3 sells for $7211.00

This is a great page of original artwork from Uncanny X-Men 131 featuring classic 80s Byrne/Austin X-Men in action, including Dark Phoenix, Cyclops, Nightcrawler and even an early appearance by Dazzler. This auction ended November 7, 2007.

Please see my Byrne/Austin Uncanny X-Men pages for sale and on display at http://www.11by17.com

1963 John Romita Sr Amazing Spider-Man #74 cover!!

I call this a "wow" post on my blog. Turns out I have a lot of these here. If you don't believe me, scroll through some of my previous posts and see for yourself.

This time, it's a sweet and hard to come by John Romita Sr Amazing Spider-Man 74 cover, all original artwork. On eBay, it is currently at $44,544.00 with 2 days 17 hours remaining. I'll update realized price after it closes. Anyone want to make a guess at what it will end at?

This is worth looking even if you aren't buying!! You won't see this in a long time. 12 cent cover original art.

UPDATE: Auction did not meet reserve price and ended at $44,544.00. However, this seller often sets higher reserves and I'm guessing completes the transaction outside of eBay.

One Million Dollar Bill?

Ok, I've heard of trying to cash in on someone else's stupidity, but this is trying to take it literally. A One Million Dollar bill?

Yahoo article.

How to get the most for your collectibles.

Happy Holidays from 11by17.com

I've recently come across a nice article on some strategy for getting the most for your collectibles. You can read more about this MarketWatch.com article here.

Not a Rembrandt sells for $4.5 million

A painting given a reserve of £1,500 sold for more than £2m at auction after bidders became convinced it was a Rembrandt self portrait.

The work had hung on the wall of a house in Cirencester for several years before being sold in the town.

Philip Allwood - from Moore, Allen and Innocent - said he thought the portrait might be a Rembrandt but its owner said it had been checked and was not.

But bidders who drove the price up to £2m were convinced otherwise, he added.

Mr Allwood said he had to make sure the painting was not misdescribed in the auction room's catalogue.

"When I first saw it I said it looked very much like a Rembrandt and was assured by the client it had been checked out years ago and it wasn't," he said.

Deciding to do some more research on the painting, Mr Allwood spoke to the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.

Experts there assured him that, while it was of the period of Rembrandt, it was "probably not" painted by him.

He said the auction house was not sure so was very careful not to misdescribe the painting in the catalogue.

"But on the day of the auction both the winner and under bidder seemed convinced it was genuine," Mr Allwood added.

"The buyer who wishes to remain anonymous seemed very relaxed spending that sort of money."

SOURCE: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/gloucestershire/7064382.stm

Adam Hughes AH! Original art sketchbook @ $11,200.00

Check out the Adam Hughes original art "sketchbook" with 61 pieces of art up on eBay. I'll update this post after the auction ends with the realized price and more comments. Obviously there are many AH! original art collectors anxiously watching this auction.

Register for eBay today.

UPDATE: Sells for $11,200.00 with 32 bids. Let's see, that comes to about $183.61 a piece...

Arthur Adams FF 551 cover sells for $7200.00

Was anyone else watching the Arthur Adams Fantastic Four 551 variant cover close on eBay for $7200.00 tonight? Gotta love the snipers. I guess I wasn't expecting it to go as high obviously but there are 2 bids over the $7k barrier. It's some big art, 13.75" by 20" and according to the description, the art fills most of the paper. And if you ever seen Arthur Adams art in person, then you know it's fully loaded with super details and his inking is meticulously tight. If you've ever seen him draw, he takes his time but the result is almost always a beautiful rendition. Kudos to the person who won this great looking cover.

I've still got a few Art Adams pieces for sale...
http://www.11by17.com/forsale.htm
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Hero Initiative Covers still on eBay

Just wanted to follow-up with news that there are still a few Hero Initiative Ultimate Spider-Man #100 covers for sale (first time offering) on eBay. Check em out while they still last. Only 6 days left!!

Just to recap for those of you that didn't catch the initial batch that sold on eBay months ago, Todd McFarlane's cover garnered the highest activity and realized price. 37 bids and finally stopping at a cool $6,701.00. There are quite a few really nice ones comparable to Todd's, such as Adam Kubert's and George Perez's cover, but I guess it just goes to show you that the guy still has it and can still draw. Can you imagine if he came back to comic books to draw? I don't think he'd be on any regular title. And he clearly makes too much money now to NOT return to comics, but I would prob pick up his book and read it if he did return. Browse his art and that crazy spaghetti spider webbing he is known to spin.

Buscema Silver Surfer #4 Cover Recreation

Here's something you don't see often. A recreation of the cover to Silver Surfer #4 penciled and inked by the late great John Buscema. This is a classic cover image depicting the surfer coming down against Thor. The seller says that these recreations go in the range of $2500.00 - $3500.00. I actually believe this one will exceed this estimate. How often do you see these recreations become available and if you do, how much will it cost to get it out of the owner's hands? With early Sal Buscema artwork already fetching higher prices due to the great work he had done, I think collector's are coming around to these "old school" masters of the comic book medium. Sure, everyone talks about the Romita's, the Kirby's and Gene Colan's, and of course Neal Adams should get a lot of respect. It is long past due, that John and Sal Buscema original artwork will start to pick up in value and become more collected. Just a hunch, but look for it in the coming year+ if not already.

X-Men #1 Kirby page on eBay

Guess what's re-listed and for sale again? Yes, the Kirby X-Men #1 page that didn't sell in late August. I guess it never changed hands. Personally, I think it's a better overall investment than the FF pages. It won't be cheap but a better investment for the long run, probably, with all things equal as compared to a Kirby FF page. I can't factor in final realize price since, well, the auction is still going and won't end for some time. The X-Men franchise is very healthy --movies, merchandising, comics and their characters are doing well too. Broad appeal too. Stay tuned and we'll keep an eye on this.

Rare Honus Wagner T206 sold $2.8 million

The Mona Lisa of baseball cards, the mint and super rare 1909 Honus Wagner card, sold last week to an unidentified collector for a cool $2.8 million dollars.

Just had to share this on the blog. And I thought the collectible market as an investment vehicle wasn't doing that great, but I guess there still are people out there that collect baseball cards for more than a hobby. With real estate price investments fluctuating and or declining for the past few years, I think people are looking to broaden their portfolio from the traditional set of investment vehicles (ie. real estate, stocks, mutual funds, etc). Maybe that will pump more excitement and cash into the collectible area (memorabilia, comics, sport cards, etc) and further spur more movement of higher end collectibles.

4 Jack King Kirby Fantastic Four original art pages!

What a crazy single day for original art! Can you believe 4 different Jack Kirby Fantastic Four original art auctions will all end on Thursday, Sept 6?!? I'm guessing the 4 pages in total will sell for in excess of $32k, probably more. I hope they meet their reserves. Currently they are at collectively $21,097.00 with a total of 41 bids. All from the same ultimate seller too, nice.

I'm not sure what kind of investments these will end up to be in the future, but I gotta say that at least whoever ends up ponying up and getting them will be really happy, and that's an understatement. But then again, Jack "King" Kirby and Stan Lee really were the early vision of comics, and really that's how we got to where we are today.

If you are playing at home, here are those auctions, in the order in which they will end. Hmm, so many choice and so little time.. Which one will it be?

Kirby Fantastic Four #16 page 10, "Thing Transformation"
Kirby Fantastic Four #36 page 6, "Twice-up interior art"
Kirby Fantastic Four #51 page 23, "This Man This Monster"
Kirby Fantastic Four #20 page 15, "Mole Man Battles Invisible Girl"

And this doesn't include the John Buscema Fantastic Four 123 splash page ending today as well. It's going to be a Fantastic Four kind of day on eBay..

UPDATE 9/6 9:30pm

FF 16 pg 10: $4950.00 Reserve not met (BIN $11750.00)
FF 36 pg 6: $2299.00 Reserve not met (BIN $3975.00)
FF 51 pg 23: $16,102.00
FF 20 pg 15: $4450.00
FF 123 pg 1: $4305.00 Reserve not met

What does $4,130.00 and 83 bids get you?

Today, 3 pieces of Jim Lee original artwork sold for $4,130.00 with a combined 83 bids on eBay. Nice. Things seem to be picking up in the original art area..

$1469.00 - X-Men #9 page 23 by Lee/Thibert
$1436.00 - Uncanny X-Men #269 page 8 by Lee/Williams
$1225.00 - Unpublished (?) 1990 Wolverine sketch by Lee/Portacio/Williams

Shown here is Uncanny X-Men 269 page 8. This is the Rogue issue.

Bonds 756 Homerun Ball @ Sotheby's

This isn't exactly comics or original artwork, but just thought I'd add a post on the Barry Bonds #756 home run baseball. This is the ball that technically breaks Hank Aaron's long time "All Time Home Run" record. I say technically, since who knows what will happen to the record if/when MLB doesn't accept Barry's performance as legitimate. Further down the road, this ball will be a bargain I believe. Whoever ends up picking this up for the long-haul will have something significant from it, to show in the end. It will be a better investment than whatever Todd McFarlane dropped on Sosa's and McGwire's 1998 homerun race baseballs, that's for sure. How much better of an investment, only time will tell..

Anyhow, both #755 and #756 are on auction right now at Sotheby's SCP Auctions site. The balls are marked with special MLB markings "124" for the 755 ball, and "138" for the 756 ball, as these special numbered and marked balls were used during the pursuit.

I'll update this post with the realized prices as soon as the auction ends, for those of you interested in investment potential valuation.

UPDATE: Home run baseball 755, which tied Aaron's record, sold for $186,750.00. Home run baseball 756, which broke Aaron's record, sold for $752,467.00. Both buyers chose not to be be identified.

Flash #226, page 5 Neal Adams $3800+

Here's a nice page that actually might have been a bargain at $3837.77. Don't think so? Neal Adam's Green Lantern art is pretty much "classic" and always in demand, and nice pages with large panels devoted to GL don't come cheap, if they become available. Since this was a backup story feature GL from the Flash #226 book, that might have been a reason it didn't sell for more.

While some people say art is art, the storyline and book the art appeared does have some significance in valuing art. Art from key issues will always get a higher realized prices, as compared to something from a not significant story. They are more sought after since collectors not only can associate themselves with certain stories, but also may have attachment to issues they've read. Key issues definitely have storyline historical significance.

Would you pay more for original art that is from a key issue? I think most collectors out there will say 100% yes to that one, unfortunately for those looking to grow their collection. Artwork from more prominent issues will also be easier to sell.

Spider-Man 1 pg 5 McFarlane $7500

Another cool page came and went, sold on eBay. This time, Spider-Man #1 page 5, by Todd McFarlane.

Could this be a revival for McFarlane art? Seems like McFarlane pages are getting hot again and I don't say that because this page went for a nice number. This was a page from a first issue and a landmark best selling issue, from an artist that no longer or doesn't often draw anymore. Anything with McFarlane's autograph or a doodle seems to get a lot of attention. The pages I had for sale from All-Star Squadron #47 and Hulk #330 sold earlier this year too.

Hopefully those that have McFarlane art will start putting out some gems for sale. Also noticing some nice Kirby pages for sale lately. Even Jim Lee Uncanny X-Men art is showing up on eBay again.

First actual appearance page of Gambit sold!

If you were watching at home, the Gambit first actual appearance page from Uncanny X-Men #266 just sold on eBay for more than $1200.00 ! That's a nice realized price for a piece of art that was done by Mike Collins, an artist that doesn't have as big a following as other Uncanny X-Men artists. This is a nice page of art for any Gambit fan however. This was page 18.

I think I was expecting it to sell for around that price, maybe just shy of $1000.00. As popular as Gambit is today, he could get more popular if there is a new X-Men movie and he plays a key role. Then this page might just be considered a bargain..

Would love to hear your thoughts on this transaction.

X-Men 1 (1963) page doesn't sell on eBay

In case you didn't notice, a rare page from X-Men #1 (1963) appeared on eBay and did not meet reserve, and or was ended early. But did it switch hands into a new collector's gallery anyways? I was closely watching this auction as it hit the $25,300.00 price and actually expected it to go even higher, but the auction ended. Would it go as high as the Heck Batman cover that sold for $50k+? Would it sell for more than ALL the original art from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles #1 as sold by Eastman Studios? Was that $250,000.00? Original art from 1963 does not become available for sale often, and when it does, don't expect it to come cheap. But in the case of art from X-Men #1, the original book, there are many reasons to buy a piece as prestigious as this one.

- The incredible art by a ground-breaking artist Jack Kirby.
- The landmark first issue of a landmark comic title.
- The original story by Mr Superhero Stan Lee.
- This is where the X-Men franchise started!!

Of all the titles and characters in the Marvel Universe, the X-Men are probably number 1 (or maybe 1A next to Spider-man). Regardless, the X-Men have the best characters (Wolverine!!), best storyline (Days Future Past!!), usually the best artists on it (Kirby, Neal Adams, John Byrne, Dave Cockrum, Jim Lee, etc), and how many top grossing comic book movies have come out so far, with a few more spin-off movies lined up.

As more and more premiere art pages and covers show up at auction houses or eBay, stay tuned for more larger and more significant pages to sell in the very near future.

Collect original comic book art as a hobby.

Original comic book art as a hobby and investment vehicle is alive and kicking! Maybe that's an understatement. Due to economic instability and other usually stable investments going through a rough time, seems like people are starting to look at alternative places to put their money. And why not.

Comic books are starting to be accepted as more than just for geeks. The revenue generated from comic book movies is staggering. 5-10 years ago, comic book movies were risky and usually very poorly made. Remember seeing Arnold as Mr Freeze? Remember Christopher Reeves in Superman 1, 2 or 3. Were there more? Now, people are lining up to see costumed heroes on the big screen, such as the X-Men movies, Spider-Man movies, Fantastic Four movies (with Jessica Alba!!), the new grittier Batman, the new sophisticated and action-less Superman, etc. People want to buy into the merchandising around the characters. And if you are reading this, then I'll assume you are also into original comic book art and want in, on either getting a small piece of this franchise, trying to buy back your childhood or some fond memories, or maybe speculating on the next big investment. But you aren't alone if you think original comic book art is going to only grow in popularity. There is a lot of money moving around in original comic book art.

Original comic book art has been sold and bought on eBay for many many years now. Before internet dealers were selling and buying art, most low-tech dealers (things never change) advertised at cons, through word of mouth or in comics buyer guides. I bought my first piece off eBay back when it still wasn't too cool to be associated with comics, unless you enjoyed hanging out with other nerds including some of those that you see in costume at your local comic book con. I admit, I never dressed up, but I did geek out at a few of those cons. Back in the day, I've met some of my "hero" artists back. Only within the past 10 years or so, I started to get more into collecting art. I guess I liked comics but found that everyone also collected them, and it just seemed too mainstream. I wanted something more "one-of-a-kind".. I saw a few pieces of colored art, and instantly said I want that. My collection grew quickly.

I think I quickly realized that it was becoming a habit, almost a bad habit, to grow my collection. Then I started to understand that it would be wise to only grow the things I really enjoy and really wanted to keep. Otherwise, what was the point of just buying and hoarding. Buy, enjoy and share.

Anyways, this post is getting long and rant-like, but just wanted to quickly share a story on how my passion for collecting original art came from, some thoughts on the hobby, and confirm that I too think it is still growing.