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Cool Lines Art Work Inquiry
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210 posts in this topic

On ‎5‎/‎26‎/‎2018 at 7:25 PM, artcollector9 said:

Very interesting. 

I did two deals with them. Difficult. 

I had several deals ALMOST happen. One, we were 10K apart (it was a big deal) and they suggested I add in a 60K piece. Really?  I walked. 

Another time I got something that had been photoshopped to remove discoloration. I mentioned it and they offered a credit, no refund. 

I wrote them 5 times to say how did the discoloration not show up and to confirm they manually manipulated the image. They ignored my emails. 

I mentioned the photoshop story to a pal and he said the same thing happened to him. 

 

I bought a Humorama piece from them that looked white on their site.  When I got it there was a big tanning halo.  I paid $100 to have it deacidified and it came out well in the end.

Mike

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On ‎5‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 9:59 AM, Rick2you2 said:

I can certainly confirm this. Something I had bought over a year ago is still posted as for sale.

Something I bought 6 years ago is still for sale.

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On ‎5‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 6:15 PM, Flambit said:

I think I told this story a few years back on the list, but many years ago I really was hankering for a Kirby/Wood Sky Masters Sunday.  So that year at SDCC, probably mid 2000s, that was my goal.  The Donnellys had two - I think it was Rich (tall, thin) that I was dealing with - and he trotted out two Sundays.  One, he said, was inked by Ayers.  But the other was certainly inked by Wood, so a deal was made.  At this point, I knew that Wood only inked a portion of the Sunday strips, but I didn't know which ones.  But I literally thought, "A dealer wouldn't lie to me." Of course, he lied to me; I found out later it was inked by Ayers.  

I bear my portion of the responsibility for this: I should have done my research, but at the time I didn't know how to tell what was done by whom (I later found out when I bought a copy of the Jack Kirby Collector on a whim and they were all right there under Sky Masters, broken down by inker/date).  But I had assumed, having purchased most of my art though auction houses, which are generally pretty reputable, that dealers were as well.  

Another lesson: listen to your gut.  The whole time, my gut was screaming that this was wrong, that it wasn't Wood, and it didn't look right.  And the subject matter of the strip is odd.  I'm sure they were thrilled to unload it.  Still have it - I figure it's not totally worthless; there are Kirby pencils under there, but the whole thing left a horrible taste in my mouth.  

I bought a Fiction House piece once from them that they stated was by Lubbers even though it says Elias in the GCD.  They said they disagreed with GCD so I bought it (I didn't really care that much anyway as I liked no matter which artists it was).  Everyone who's seen it since says it's Elias.

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8 minutes ago, Monkeyman said:

I bought a Fiction House piece once from them that they stated was by Lubbers even though it says Elias in the GCD.  They said they disagreed with GCD so I bought it (I didn't really care that much anyway as I liked no matter which artists it was).  Everyone who's seen it since says it's Elias.

Even if you don't know the artist, you can't go wrong if you like the piece.  

Unfortunately, I hate this particular Sky Masters haha.  It's all set on the base, and mostly talking heads.  

I definitely still want a good Sunday though, but it's been so long since I've kept track even what they are going for now.  Does anyone know what a decent one is worth?  I never see them (Sundays) at auction or even for sale anymore...

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30 minutes ago, ZimmermanTelegram said:

Was able to track down the original Jim Lee X-Men prelim sold through ComicLink (mentioned a page or so back) vs. what Cool Lines is selling it as:

36584981_1037403256422807_6777314722136981504_n.jpg

XMen11CoverSketchRestored.thumb.jpg.ce14c8b9466ebf6600e8d5c8b527b029.jpg

Whoah!!! Check out what used to be just Wolvie's head that was inked....now it's moved down his neck and into his chest. 

 

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On 5/27/2018 at 6:15 PM, Flambit said:

The Donnellys had two - I think it was Rich (tall, thin) that I was dealing with

Tall and thin?  That's not Rich. :gossip: 

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7 hours ago, comix4fun said:

Whoah!!! Check out what used to be just Wolvie's head that was inked....now it's moved down his neck and into his chest. 

 

Good catch! This is interesting to me because until now, I thought some of the artwork that looked like it was digitally enhanced (i.e. darker lines) was just that. There is now, with this example, a possibility some of them have been inked over, and/or spots have been inked after the fact.

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20 minutes ago, comicwiz said:

Good catch! This is interesting to me because until now, I thought some of the artwork that looked like it was digitally enhanced (i.e. darker lines) was just that. There is now, with this example, a possibility some of them have been inked over, and/or spots have been inked after the fact.

Sadly, they have been known to do that, so this isn't new.

Malvin

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12 minutes ago, malvin said:

Sadly, they have been known to do that, so this isn't new.

Malvin

But, in situations where it's this brazen and this clear it's good to shine as bright a light directly on it as often as possible. 

 

 

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Kinda feel bad for the Donnelley brothers.  For years, they easily preyed on naive OA newbies and collectors who “pay or believe whatever” with their 2-3x FMV pricing and suggestive misrepresentation (“trust me, it’s Frank Miller!”) when art dealers were kings.... but that strategy isn’t as viable in today’s market with frequent auctions, greater access to market data/pricing and a maturing hobby and slower influx of new collectors.  

Today, new collectors can more quickly get up-to-speed on market values and more easily network with other collectors.  With fewer folks falling for “sucker” pricing, the Donnelleys now resort to more manipulation (‘Trust me, it looks like a sketch but the stats mean it’s an unpublished cover!”) and even consigning to auctions to generate cash flow to invest in more art with so-called “hidden potential”.   I do respect that they treat their huge inventory as a valuable asset and are working harder and more creatively to maintain a high margins/low volume strategy.   While their ethics can be criticized, what they do isn’t illegal, just an outdated business model struggling to adapt.

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21 hours ago, comix4fun said:

But, in situations where it's this brazen and this clear it's good to shine as bright a light directly on it as often as possible. 

 

 

Agreed. And I don't recall every seeing anything as damning as this. I'd love to see other examples if this isn't new.

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9 hours ago, GreatEscape said:

I do respect that they treat their huge inventory as a valuable asset and are working harder and more creatively to maintain a high margins/low volume strategy.   While their ethics can be criticized, what they do isn’t illegal, just an outdated business model struggling to adapt. 

That is being very charitable. 

Without making accusations, the practices being described are mercenary.  And leaving out the prospective buyers and middlemen (e.g. auction sites), they (those practices) do not respect the actual drawing, the artist or the artistic process.  

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