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Batman 1978 Lithograph with Bob Kane Signature up on Auction
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10 posts in this topic

Hi everyone.  I know I rarely post these days but this auction came under my radar today for a Batman Lithograph signed by Bob Kane.  I did a search under ebay and Heritage without much luck on finding out anything on the piece.  It is not mine nor am I making commission.  I am just posting the information because perhaps someone is looking for it or would be happy to win it.

The auction is this Monday around noon.  I put a link down below.  This piece is towards the end of the auction.  You will need to get preapproved but they also do phone bids.  Hopefully this is OK to post in General.  I can have the mods move it down to the Sellers forum but again, I am not the seller nor have any monetary interest in this piece.  I am just a Batman fan but this is truly outside my scope of collecting.

239_1.jpg.2039de0b2f88c72c26ca8446fc8775c1.jpg

https://clarkeny.com/auctions/?a=234&search=lot 239

Edited by nocutename
Editted the Year in title
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49 minutes ago, nocutename said:

Hi everyone.  I know I rarely post these days but this auction came under my radar today for a Batman Lithograph signed by Bob Kane.  I did a search under ebay and Heritage without much luck on finding out anything on the piece.  It is not mine nor am I making commission.  I am just posting the information because perhaps someone is looking for it or would be happy to win it.

The auction is this Monday around noon.  I put a link down below.  This piece is towards the end of the auction.  You will need to get preapproved but they also do phone bids.  Hopefully this is OK to post in General.  I can have the mods move it down to the Sellers forum but again, I am not the seller nor have any monetary interest in this piece.  I am just a Batman fan but this is truly outside my scope of collecting.

239_1.jpg.2039de0b2f88c72c26ca8446fc8775c1.jpg

https://clarkeny.com/auctions/?a=234&search=lot 239

Bob Kane is one of the most  frequently fraudulently copied sigs-without any provenance (not a worthless COA) I wouldnt go near anything with his sig on it.  Ps I dont see any sig on this piece where is it?  I dont see any where in the auction listing that says it is signed?

Edited by kav
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10 minutes ago, kav said:

Bob Kane is one of the most  frequently fraudulently copied sigs-without any provenance (not a worthless COA) I wouldnt go near anything with his sig on it.  Ps I dont see any sig on this piece where is it?  I dont see any where in the auction listing that says it is signed?

Kav. it's Clarke auctions in Larchmont, NY. It is signed, in the margin, lower right, just under the color area. Even on their site it's too small and indistinct, the picture not enlargeable enough to make out any details of the signature to assess its authenticity.

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3 hours ago, James J Johnson said:

Even on their site it's too small and indistinct, the picture not enlargeable enough to make out any details of the signature to assess its authenticity...

...which is precisely why an item like this should NEVER be bid on for any amount over-and-above what the unsigned litho itself is worth (= not very much), unless the potential buyer can view it in person, and either doesn't give a damn and can afford to take a chance or is also a preeminent authority on signature authentication.

There are really only two outcomes at the (extremely broad) estimated hammer price for this thing: it's either the genuine article, or a very expensive and very colorful piece of toilet paper.

Caveat emptor...

Edited by jools&jim
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34 minutes ago, jools&jim said:

...which is precisely why an item like this should NEVER be bid on for any amount over-and-above what the unsigned litho itself is worth (= not very much), unless the potential buyer can view it in person, and either doesn't give a damn and can afford to take a chance or is also a preeminent authority on signature authentication.

There are really only two outcomes at the (extremely broad) estimated hammer price for this thing: it's either the genuine article, or a very expensive and very colorful piece of toilet paper.

Caveat emptor...

Auction estimate: $50 to $1000. ???   I don't recall ever seeing a 2000% estimate hi/lo estimate spread before on any item at any auction venue.

But I did tool around the site long enough to see how to find more images for each piece. Here's a closeup of the Kane signature, and IMO, it looks authentic. 101918_BobKane.thumb.jpg.6e7182295790afb493ef76123daac67e.jpg

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4 hours ago, James J Johnson said:

Auction estimate: $50 to $1000. ???   I don't recall ever seeing a 2000% estimate hi/lo estimate spread before on any item at any auction venue.

But I did tool around the site long enough to see how to find more images for each piece. Here's a closeup of the Kane signature, and IMO, it looks authentic. 101918_BobKane.thumb.jpg.6e7182295790afb493ef76123daac67e.jpg

All the pieces in the auction are estimated that way between $50-$1000.   It isn't just this piece.  From what I understand, a lot of these auctions go for rather cheap.  So it is a nice way to get some inexpensive art for your walls .

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5 hours ago, jools&jim said:

...which is precisely why an item like this should NEVER be bid on for any amount over-and-above what the unsigned litho itself is worth (= not very much), unless the potential buyer can view it in person, and either doesn't give a damn and can afford to take a chance or is also a preeminent authority on signature authentication.

There are really only two outcomes at the (extremely broad) estimated hammer price for this thing: it's either the genuine article, or a very expensive and very colorful piece of toilet paper.

Caveat emptor...

Oops, I typed the incorrect date.  1978.  Yes, that is why I mentioned my empty ebay and Heritage results.  I feel like those two places would root out any funny business.  I haven't see the signature in person and I am hardly an expert. 

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This thread cries out to be linked with this one:

 

http://boards.collectors-society.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2925876&fpart=3

 

Greg Theakston said that he " worked for Bob Kane for the last five years of his life ", in 1965 Kane let 19 oil paintings be made but didn't want to pay the original painter. I wonder where those paintings are and how they look like. And I wonder who did this painting here ?

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