• When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.

HA February Auction
6 6

569 posts in this topic

1 hour ago, jjonahjameson11 said:

A very interesting comment.  Several years ago, I commented that John Buscema was one of the four pillars of the Silver Age Marvel Universe artists (the others being Ditko, Kirby, Romita Sr).  I suppose tastes change over time and I no longer see John Buscema's work as I once did.  I no longer wish to own a Buscema Conan cover as I once did, and I don't think about his artwork as much as I once did.

Perhaps John Buscema artwork appreciation/valuation has also 'jumped the shark', similar to some extent, as that of BWS Conan and his other early artwork?

John Buscema is one of the greats (his brother, Sal, has said so, too, in the past). He was also prolific. There are thousands of JB pages available. If his available output was as limited as BWS, we'd see a huge bump in the price of John Buscema artwork. IMO.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, delekkerste said:

It surprises me as well that there are so many collectors out there who will only bid live on Heritage or snipe on ComicLink and won't trust leaving a bid in advance. I would say that more than half the time i have just put in my number and rolled the dice. 

If I was still in my prime buying years, this would deter me from some marginal buys, but, it wouldn't be a be a dealbreaker overall. These days, though, it's a huge roadblock against buying anything that isn't either very cheap and/or super, super coveted. I mean, sure, you just factor it into your overall max price, but, it effectively lowers your max by about 10‰, which, in this competitive market, is probably the difference between winning and losing for many pieces.  For example, without the tax, I would have gone at least a half or full increment higher on that Tank Girl page yesterday above where it ended (might not have been enough to win it, but, at least I would have had a shot). 

I always bid live and always snipe, but I am a very emotional bidder and do not see my hobby participation as in any way "smart" or driven by gross/net gain, future profit, etc. I suppose this means I often overpay at auction because I really don't set a specific limit on what I will pay for a piece. Usually, this is determined by the extent of nausea felt as my finger hovers over the Bid button...But I am very passionate about this stuff and do deep dives on upcoming auctions (Heritage search function in squirrely) while other guys I know wait for the print catalogs to hit their door. On that note, a BWS Opus piece is coming in May.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, jjonahjameson11 said:

Several years ago, I commented that John Buscema was one of the four pillars of the Silver Age Marvel Universe artists (the others being Ditko, Kirby, Romita Sr). 

He was a pillar, because he was such a workhorse.  Maybe only second to Kirby in terms of sheer volume?

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, tth2 said:

Maybe people are finally waking up to the fact that Buscema is only an average artist. (shrug)

I disagree!  Buscema is definitly a major artist and the prices don't seem soft to me. The Avengers page is not in any case an A level one, the Conan cover is inked by Chan etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, batman_fan said:
10 hours ago, tth2 said:

Maybe people are finally waking up to the fact that Buscema is only an average artist. (shrug)

:whatthe:  What happened to you !?

I've always thought Buscema was overrated and said so many times in this forum.  My comments to that effect were always guaranteed to elicit a response from Silver_Surfer.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 minutes ago, Garry Ghoul said:

I disagree!  Buscema is definitly a major artist and the prices don't seem soft to me. The Avengers page is not in any case an A level one, the Conan cover is inked by Chan etc.

Didn't even get to the same price as a Buscema/Chan Conan/Belit splash from 2013. No excuses, it was a weak result. 

Let's face it, the heat in the OA market is elsewhere than a lot of once-hot 70s material. I'm surprised that strip art is doing so well; probably in large part due to successful HA  marketing efforts in Europe in recent years if I had to guess. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

35 minutes ago, delekkerste said:

Didn't even get to the same price as a Buscema/Chan Conan/Belit splash from 2013. No excuses, it was a weak result. 

Let's face it, the heat in the OA market is elsewhere than a lot of once-hot 70s material. I'm surprised that strip art is doing so well; probably in large part due to successful HA  marketing efforts in Europe in recent years if I had to guess. 

still disagree about Big John! Any of his Silver Surfer or prime Avengers pages will hit the jackpot!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

56 minutes ago, tth2 said:

I've always thought Buscema was overrated and said so many times in this forum.  My comments to that effect were always guaranteed to elicit a response from Silver_Surfer.

I know you have posted it numerous times, but by law, I am legally required to respond.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, Garry Ghoul said:

still disagree about Big John! Any of his Silver Surfer or prime Avengers pages will hit the jackpot!

Of course, but, that doesn't mean that the broad middle of the Buscema market isn't looking a little squishy or that, broadly speaking, the real heat in the OA market isn't largely away from '70s material. 

Good for buyers, though! Lots of great art from this period that is looking like better relative value all the time IMO. 2c

Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 hours ago, BCarter27 said:

Random thoughts...

The $16K price for that Hughes WW 2-page lot was very high to me... It only had two good panels, no?

Cho Harley $4300 price was a little soft compared to recent comps at $8-12K, iirc.

Redondo Swamp Thing went for a strong number at $4500.

I guess the $26K for the Ross plate art was about right?

Man, who knew there was so much Warlord love out there? That cover hung in there at $5K. Warlord prices continue to surprise me. I guess it was part of the sword and sorcery wave at the time.

On your first random thought, I too thought that the AH panel pages went very high. When this was previewed, I was thinking that this would be a cost-effective way to add an AH WW to my collection (panel pages from 52, rather than WW proper, 7k max). Either AH has a rabid following or it could be as simple as AH + WW + Origin Story = straight cash homie.

(FWIW, I believe that the Alex Ross WW portrait was better bought than the AH panel pages.)

On your second random thought, that Cho cover was soft, but Harley on a bicycle wouldn’t be my first choice if I were to add a Cho art piece to the collection. Also, Harley’s hip & leg seems more Chun-Li (of the Street Fighter game) than the typical svelte Harley. Perhaps Cho’s art is softening, but I’m thinking this isn’t the right piece to confirm the trend.

On your fourth random comment, Alex Ross’ original seven in a circular pattern = 26k? Why not...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, chico_suave_58 said:

On your first random thought, I too thought that the AH panel pages went very high. When this was previewed, I was thinking that this would be a cost-effective way to add an AH WW to my collection (panel pages from 52, rather than WW proper, 7k max). Either AH has a rabid following or it could be as simple as AH + WW + Origin Story = straight cash homie.

(FWIW, I believe that the Alex Ross WW portrait was better bought than the AH panel pages.)

On your second random thought, that Cho cover was soft, but Harley on a bicycle wouldn’t be my first choice if I were to add a Cho art piece to the collection. Also, Harley’s hip & leg seems more Chun-Li (of the Street Fighter game) than the typical svelte Harley. Perhaps Cho’s art is softening, but I’m thinking this isn’t the right piece to confirm the trend.

On your fourth random comment, Alex Ross’ original seven in a circular pattern = 26k? Why not...

The AH seemed steep to me, too.

I am a Cho collector, and I agree that this piece’s result likely doesn’t portend a market trend.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, delekkerste said:

Of course, but, that doesn't mean that the broad middle of the Buscema market isn't looking a little squishy or that, broadly speaking, the real heat in the OA market isn't largely away from '70s material. 

Good for buyers, though! Lots of great art from this period that is looking like better relative value all the time IMO. 2c

you're right...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Brian Peck said:

Doh! They removed the Dave Stevens Birthday card art from the auction. One of the pieces I was going after. Wonder why? Was the pre-live bidding price not high enough for the seller? I hate when they do that just before the end of auctions.

Do sellers have the ability to withdraw art, if concerned that it won’t sell high? I hope not. 

Albert had it for 10k, earlier as I recall. Would it have gone that high? 

47634371-4807-4567-BCFD-1D2B5337C3ED.jpeg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

16 minutes ago, Catwoman_Fan said:

Do sellers have the ability to withdraw art, if concerned that it won’t sell high? I hope not. 

Albert had it for 10k, earlier as I recall. Would it have gone that high? 

47634371-4807-4567-BCFD-1D2B5337C3ED.jpeg

I don't think so being personalized and having it be 70th Bday limits the bidders. I figured it would go for alot less.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, delekkerste said:

Didn't even get to the same price as a Buscema/Chan Conan/Belit splash from 2013. No excuses, it was a weak result. 

Let's face it, the heat in the OA market is elsewhere than a lot of once-hot 70s material. I'm surprised that strip art is doing so well; probably in large part due to successful HA  marketing efforts in Europe in recent years if I had to guess. 

Wrightson 70s stuff is going very strong in this auction.  I think the BWS stuff is just not appealing and Buscema stuff is in a glut.  The Buscema and Aparo dumps are seeing the expected taper.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
6 6