Help determining authenticity of interior pages..... 1 1

[707comics]

All,

I won't pretend to know the first thing about OA but when I saw these I just wanted to have them on my wall. They were sold to me as "original art" and I am wondering if that means pencils under the inks or some other means of production art during the whole process. As I mentioned, I will enjoy these pieces on my wall either way but would like to educate myself for any future purchases.

Notes about the pieces:
* They appear to have ink soaked through the paper on the back as you can see with the photos of the back.
* They have blue pencil ink with text for the story.
* One page has pencil sketching for the title ("Distinguished Service Cross") and some notes of the top of the one page.
* One page has an old sticker that was attached by someone trying to sell it at some point in it's life denoting it might be something from "Heroic Comics".
* They are not signed anyplace but the one panel has the name "LeDoux" (It is / was sold as a Harold LeDoux piece).
* They were sold as "twice up" pieces.
* They were sold as being from the 1950s.

Questions I have:
* What are some of the bigger signs you folks with lots of experience look for in identifying if an item is really an original artist work and not a production piece?
* What are some of the key elements you look for when trying to authenticate pieces from a given "generation" / "era" (i.e. paper used, inks used, panel sizes, etc.)? 
* Are there are good resources available which covers silly beginner questions like these?
* In your personal opinion, is the work in the attached photos considered "original" work or would you consider them some other form of production art?
* What can be / should be done regarding the removal of the dealer price sticker on the one page?

 Any guidance you can offer is much appreciated. 

[Unca Ben]

You have some nice pages there, congratulations!  

To answer some of your questions, in no particular order:
Sure looks like original art to me.  Great inks!  These look original, not production or photocopies.  The pencil artist and inker (if different people) actually touched these pages.  They are not copies.
If the dealer sticker you're talking about is the little round white sticker on what appears to be the title page; I'd be tempted to leave it alone.  It is located in the upper margin and doesn't interfere with the artwork.  Any damage the glue on the sticker might have done to the paper is probably already done.
I'm not real familiar with LeDoux, but the sig looks like his.  I'm sure others on here can provide a more qualified opinion.  Either way, some nice art!
Given the size of the art and the condition of the pages, these look to be from the '50s.
Nice wide borders, it appears the pages were never trimmed down.  Which is great, IMO.

Hang those puppies on your wall & enjoy!

Edited October 14, 2018 by Unca Ben

[chrisco37]

Agree.  Looks like the real deal.  

[PhilipB2k17]

I agree they look authentic. But they may not have been published. The absence of inked dialogue is an indicator of that plus an editor wrote “Dead -Do not use” in the upper margin. 

They are very nice pages, regardless. 

[707comics]

Thanks for all the feedback and comments guys, much appreciated!

@Unca Ben You are correct, the little white sticker is what I was referring too ... wish I could have got it at that price! Also, you mention that the size of the paper / art leads you to believe it's from the 1950s. What are some key differences around the medium (paper, inks, etc.) that give you an indication as to what era it is from?

@PhilipB2k17 When art / stories are marked as "dead" and not published does this mean the art never sees the light of day again or could they be used for "stats" on other pieces in the future? 

Thanks again!