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Page 32 The Antique Shoppe February, 2018
Collecting Original Comic Strip Art
By: Jeff Figler
There have been several inquiries about other types of comic
collectibles. For the record, people not only collect comic books,
but also the original art from comics and cartoons, and even the
original cell drawings used to make animated movie cartoons.
Such non-comic book collectibles can be worth a great deal of
money as well.
For example, original art for a "1944 Prince Valiant” strip
recently sold for nearly $21,000. Most original comic strips sell for
several hundred dollars.
Original cells can also be valuable, especially Disney ones.
In 1986, for example, a cell from “Snow White” depicting the
evil queen dipping the apple into a pot of poison sold for over
$30,000. An early cell of Donald Duck in “The Orphan’s Benefit”
sold for $286,000. Comic art used for posters can also reap
benefits to collectors, some art bringing in thousands of dollars.
It should be kept in mind that now cartoons are made with the
help of computers, and the hand-painted original cell is not used.
The subject matter of comic strips will influence its value. Local
political or sports cartoons will have little value. On the other
hand, any original strip for “Prince Valiant”, “Yellow Kid”, or “Li’l
Abner” is worth large sums of money.
If you own any comic-related materials, such as posters of
Spiderman, lunch boxes of cartoon heroes, or even cookie jars
of cartoon characters, you might be surprised to learn that they
are highly desirable collectibles. Generally speaking, comic book
and comic art collectors will be the ones interested in the comic-
related materials.
If you do own original comic art, treat them with the utmost
care. The strips and cells can fade and deteriorate easily. Do not
expose them to excessive light, heat or humidity. Despite the fact
that strips and cells can usually be restored if they are damaged,
unrestored original art is much more valuable.
If you want to learn more about original art, you might want to
check out the following publications:
Collecting Original Comic Strip Art, by Jeffrey M. Ellinport
Animation Art at Auction, by Jeff Lotman
Cartoon Toys & Collectibles, by David Longest
In addition, there is a Cartoon Art Museum in San Francisco, and
an International Museum of Cartoon Art in Boca Raton, Florida.
If you are interested in acquiring some comic art in auctions,
you might contact either the All- American Collectibles auction
house or Hake’s American & Collectibles. Both of these
companies regularly conduct auctions that contain many comic-
related memorabilia. They also auction other types of Americana
collectibles which may complement any of the comic memorabilia.
Collecting comic books and other comic-related art can be fun
for the entire family. Certainly, some of the vintage comic material
will be new to the younger generation, and likewise, some of the
newer comic heroes will be new and refreshing to the veteran
collector. Comics are just one of many types of collectibles that
helps connect people of all ages.
Jeff Figler, one of the world’s leading experts on collectibles, has authored over 600
published articles, and six books on collecting. He is currently a columnist for several
magazines, including Sports Business Journal, Sports Collectors Digest, Collectors
Journal, and others. His latest book, Picker’s Pocket Guide to Baseball Memorabilia by
Krause Publications, was released December 2014. You can contact Jeff at
info@jefffigler.com or by visiting his website www.collectingwithjeff.com