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Trimpe Godzilla art question
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23 posts in this topic

Hey folks, question for those of you with your finger on the pulse of the market. I've always been a fan of Herb Trimpe's Godzilla art and I've seen it rise in value slowly but steadily over the years...considerably less drastically than other Bronze Age art but about in keeping with its relative value compared to more mainstream superhero stuff. But in the past couple weeks I've seen pieces come to market whose asking price shocked me! 15K for a cover and 1800 for a panel page (to be fair, the panel page had the Fantastic Four on it, but the cover was just Godzilla). If that's what they're going for now it means my small collection is worth a lot more than I thought it was, but I wanted to ask those who are more active in the hobby than me...are people actually paying these prices, or is it just wishful thinking? To give you an idea why I'm confused, the last cover I saw was the #15 cover in a CLink auction last year and I believe it closed at $3500. And I don't recall ever seeing a panel page that didn't also include superheroes break $1000. Thanks for any thoughts!

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I remember speaking to Anthony years ago about Godzilla art and I think he said this particular cover meant a lot to him because he either lives or lived in Vegas at one time, or something along those lines...I believe you're right that it may be a situation where he'd just as soon not part with it unless it's for the proverbial "offer you can't refuse." Which I get. I wonder if other sellers will see prices like these and overvalue the Godzilla pages they have...like I said, I wouldn't complain if one could actually realize these prices, as it would make my pages worth more, but if I'm being honest I don't think the demand is there. It's like how Sal Buscema Rom pages were cheap, then shot up because there were a couple of folks who were willing to pay big money for them, and now there's a correction going on as those collectors seem to have obtained enough examples and prices are falling more in line with general demand.

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My opinions for Marvel Godzilla art commanding higher prices than one might think:

1) There are non-CAF, Godzilla collectors that actively seek Marvel Godzilla art specifically splashes and covers.   I received an offer from one of them about 6 years back that was too good to turn down.

2) Nearly every single piece of Marvel Godzilla art at one point came from "The Brothers" - since I've nothing nice to say about that situation, I won't.

3) Still Growing fan base for a multi-culture pop icon

4) Godzilla collectors tend not to give up items from their collection. Good pages from the series do not come up frequently.

5) In recent times 9.8's from the title have also seen price jumps in auction

I also feel the Pages and Covers that have the FF and Avengers on them  are a double-threat of Pop-Culture goodness. Then there are several pages from the last 2 issue that have Avengers, FF and Godzilla for a mind shattering triple threat of Pop Culture imagery.

I am fortunate to own several display type pieces from the series. picked up during the first few years of this century when they were only high priced, would never be able to buy them today.

Christos, 20 years ago we did a deal on an amazing Godzilla piece, extending my thanks to you as the item still hangs on my home office wall. I wasn't kidding that it meant a lot to me. May all be well!

 

Edited by MAR1979
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2 hours ago, MAR1979 said:

My opinions for Marvel Godzilla art commanding higher prices than one might think:

1) There are non-CAF, Godzilla collectors that actively seek Marvel Godzilla art specifically splashes and covers.   I received an offer from one of them about 6 years back that was too good to turn down.

2) Nearly every single piece of Marvel Godzilla art at one point came from "The Brothers" - since I've nothing nice to say about that situation, I won't.

3) Christos, 20 years ago we did a deal on an amazing Godzilla piece, extending my thanks to you as the item still hangs on my home office wall. I wasn't kidding that it meant a lot to me. May all be well!

 

1) True, I've had some crazy offers emailed to me for the one piece I have on CAF, but have no interest in selling at this point.

2) Yuck, and brings back bad memories of trying to buy pieces at SD from them. Specifically remember they had the cover to #21 on display for a while and I tried my darndest to get a price out of them the entire weekend, only on Sunday to find out Jonathan had bought it for much less than I would have paid. Oh well.

3) Don't leave us hanging - what amazing Godzilla piece?

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8 hours ago, First Upgrade said:

Mr. Snyder has allegedly 'valued' original comic book art which features gambling iconography...go figure...

This asking price feels like the cover is from his personal collection & he doesn't want to sell it for what someone is immediately willing to pay.

The ask for it last year was "only" $12,000, so it's nice to see the value is still rising.

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4 hours ago, MAR1979 said:

Christos, 20 years ago we did a deal on an amazing Godzilla piece, extending my thanks to you as the item still hangs on my home office wall. I wasn't kidding that it meant a lot to me. May all be well!

 

Is that the #13 cover? Much as I hated having to sell it (medical bills) I am glad it went to such a good home. If you ever decide to part with it give me a shout!

I hadn't thought about Godzilla-specific collectors, which I realize is its own distinct fan base. Excellent point!

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Folks Christos and I communicated on side; for now I prefer to not reveal the issue number of the cover I got from him all those years ago. Please do know it was not #13.

These days collecting-wise I'm mostly focused on obtaining graded books due to being pretty much priced out of art market.  No plans in selling any of my art before retirement and when that comes even then it will be a slow drip.

Edited by MAR1979
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7 hours ago, PhilipB2k17 said:

Still looking for a good Trimpe Godzilla page. Can’t afford a cover. But I’ve seen a free drip out here and there. 

I'm not aware of any up for sale right now other than the CoolLines "inquire" ones. But they do come up every now and then. The last few I've seen, aside from the issue #12 battle page earlier in the thread, have tended to be SHIELD Agent-heavy, less Godzilla, but they do trickle out.

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On 5/23/2020 at 11:18 AM, First Upgrade said:

Mr. Snyder has allegedly 'valued' original comic book art which features gambling iconography...go figure...

This asking price feels like the cover is from his personal collection & he doesn't want to sell it for what someone is immediately willing to pay.

MDS17241.jpg

20200523_100604.png

Wow! It’s not a color guide!

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On 5/27/2020 at 6:35 PM, Xenosmilus said:

@Jordysnordy knows all Godzilla! (thumbsu

I was lucky to own this beautiful splash page from issue 14 for many, many years until I sold it last year to another boardie. I truly loved this page and I do have a bit of seller's remorse but I do take comfort in that it went to a fellow Godzilla lover who will cherish it every bit that I did.

lf.jpeg

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18 hours ago, christosgage said:

It's a great splash to be sure but I can't handle a decapitated Red Ronin...too painful! HOWEVER, if you are ever selling another Godzilla page, holler at your boy!

Believe me - I wish hadn't passed on so many pages over the last 10-15 years when they were relatively cheap.

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