Original Art or High Grade Comics?

Discussions of VALIANT art, artists, and the creation process. Share your latest acquisitions,
or find help in learning about original art.

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Maxim St. James
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Original Art or High Grade Comics?

Post by Maxim St. James »

I decided to ask this question as I am torn which way to go, I can't really do both as the both of them seem to be premium items. If a person had to choose which would it be? I need a clarify a few things high grade meaning comics CGCed at a 9.6 or higher vs collecting orginal art. While I know some art pages are expensive so are high grade comics. While the higher grade comics are more plentiful or at least in theory. As there can only be one of an orginal art page. I know it varies by artist and such, but I think there may be a bigger marketplace for the high grade comics because there are more collectors of just comics. Of course the orginal art has it's advantage that you can actually enjoy it because it's not in a hard shell forever sealed for it's own sake. I was just curious as to what other peoples take on this would be. Any thoughts would be appreciated.. Thanks
Max
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Post by whetteon »

I would collect original art over cgc comics. Here is the reason why: cgc comics are a fad. Think early 90's variant covers and holograms and die-cut ect, ect...

Original pieces of art are one of a kind and they are, well, art. Look for original art from your favorite artist or inker and grab those at good prices (less then $150?). Especially go after art pieces that represent a moment in time. A good example of this would be Amazing Spider-Man #300. The first apperance of Venom is worth collecting as a comic book because it represents something to alot of people. To own the original, one of a kind art work from the pages of this comic would earn you rougly $3000 as oppose to the $200 from a cgc 9.6.
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Post by qrnd »

Good argument. If you went on the path of high grade comics, trying to find that 10.0 is quite a challenge. Who knows if one even exists for each book?

Original art from popular books can be really expensive, even on new books. So if you go that angle, try to find a lesser known title that you really like and you might be able to find some within your price range. For example, one week after Earth X #0 came out, each inked page was going for $500+. Almost all Spider-Man art is in that range as well. And if you plan on using eBay, be very aware of fraud. Ive seen a large amount of misidentified art there.

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Post by greg »

For me, it's first a question of expertise.
I'll admit that I have zero expertise in original art.

While I'm sure there are some fantastic bargains out there...
I probably wouldn't recognize them most of the time.

Secondly, original art is one of a kind.
That's an amazing thing to say... but is it really all good all the time?

What is a page worth? Does anyone really know? It's one of a kind...
Some pages aren't important... they're one of a kind, but so what?

Every comic ever made has a cover, original art inks, original art colors...
Every page in the comic book has original art inks, original art colors...
There are literally millions of "one of a kind" pieces out there.
Each one is "one of a kind"... but there are millions.

What if you can't own that one holy grail?
If the owner's not selling... you won't get it.
Discouraged? Incomplete?

Opinions appear to be the core component of original art collecting...
and if I'm looking to sell some day, how can I know what to expect?
Will anyone share my opinions about the pieces?

I own about a dozen pages of original art for Valiant.
I doubt that I will ever sell them... and I bought them for different reasons.
I have no idea whether I paid too much, or if I got great deals.

Does the original cover have more potential value than the comic? Sure.
Does the original cover have more potential value than 50 of the comic?
Hmmm...

The original color cover for Rai #3 sold for $1,000.
Rai #3 is about a $20 comic. 50 copies would be about $1,000.
If you're correct in "betting on Rai #3",
you get 49 chances to sell a comic and still own Rai #3.
If you buy the original cover, you get one shot to sell it. Then what?
Happiness or regret? It's possible you could change your mind daily.

There are a few too many questions and uncertainties in original art
for me to feel comfortable.

But hey, maybe it's just me! :D

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Post by qrnd »

I forget, how much did hillmanthe2nds painted cover to Harbinger #1 go for? I seem to remember it being way under priced to what I had thought it would go to.

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Post by graybola »

I cant remember which board member it is but their signature is the price. I believe it went for $911.
GRAYBOLA

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Post by magnusr »

greg wrote:I'll admit that I have zero expertise in original art.
But still you bring up some of the most thought-through statements I've seen about the topic...
While I'm sure there are some fantastic bargains out there...
I probably wouldn't recognize them most of the time.
Few of the experts would either. On a normal market, everything that is known is already in the price. You'd either have to find an item for which the price has been fixed at a too low level by the seller or for which there is a buyer that accepts to pay a premium. On the other hand,, is the market for original art big enough to follow the normal rules?
... There are literally millions of "one of a kind" pieces out there.
Each one is "one of a kind"... but there are millions.
So in reality much of the art is not valued as one-of-a-kind, but as one of many examples of a kind of art.
What if you can't own that one holy grail?
If the owner's not selling... you won't get it.
Discouraged? Incomplete?
Very good point to consider before getting into this.

I can only contribute how I feel. I have been disappointed at art I've missed (being too slow, or thinking it was too expensive, or strange things happening to it). It can be frustrating. But the pleasure of what I have managed to track down is so much greater. Btw, I can only try to answer Maxim's question when it comes to the emotions involved. The possible investment factor is not a factor for me.

The art is a part of the creation process and that is what fascinates me. As an art collector I'm still in what many calls the beginner's phase. I treasure the art not only as art but also because of its part in creating the comic. I've heard many art collectors describe how they turn away from the comics and more turn to the pure art. This also makes it hard to value the art. Should it be valued as a comic collectible or as a piece of art? For me it holds both values. I can love the art both because I admire the talant behind it and because I love the comics.

As Greg says, it's mainly about how you feel.

/Magnus

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Post by R Daneel »

graybola wrote:I cant remember which board member it is but their signature is the price. I believe it went for $911.
I think you are referring to ckb but I don't know the background of the sig.

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Post by R Daneel »

Oh, I would have to go with the original artwork. The graded comics are cool, and IMHO they are not a fad (at least judging from the history I know of sports cards and coins) but they just don't have the some collectability of a nice set of pencils. Just a personal opinion!

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Maxim St. James
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Post by Maxim St. James »

I think each of you have some very valid points. I am with Magnus and Greg in the fact that the actual investment factor is not a primary factor in the consideration. As I do this as a hobby not as a retirement play. So the real question then becomes where would a person just starting get some good solid information about collecting orginal art. I mean there isn't any price guides per say are there? I mean how would you price a commission art, other then by what it cost you? There are a variety of topics to explore such as storage of original art and so on but those are left to another thread. My primary goal is to get as much information about the topic of orginal art before jumping in head first. I am certain with the help of the this board we can all become more informed on this subject.
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Original art vs. high grade book collecting

Post by Snakemann »

I have done both in the past. You should try some of both because you will get a different facination from them.
I bought my first original art before Ebay was invented. Ebay has been the best price guide ever to exist. You can see what items are selling at. Original art collecting was so difficult pre Ebay and now because of Ebay has turned into a major market. I bought by characters that I liked and by artist. I have bought and sold Jim Lee, McFarlane and Neal Adams stuff. It is great to buy a page and find the creator at a show and have him sign it. Makes for great conversation. I did this with a McFarlane Spider-Man page. For storage, bags and mylar holders are available. The best pages I had matted and framed. I think you will have a different appreciation of the art once it is in hand. I bought a Neal Adams X-Men page (already signed) from the 60's for $400 and latter sold it on Ebay for over $1600. I sure wish I had that page today. I did enjoy the page for three years. :o


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