Graham Nash Collection of Underground Art Tops $6.3-Million Comics Event at Heritage Auctions
DALLAS, Texas (Aug. 15, 2017) - Singer/songwriter Graham Nash’s collection of Underground Comix art realized more than $1.1 million to lead Heritage Auctions’ summer Vintage Comics & Comic Art Auction in Dallas. The $6.3 million auction presented fresh-to-market art and key books to more than 2,800 bidders in person and via HALive!.
“The market for original comic art continues to show its strength - especially for works by Robert Crumb,” said Ed Jaster, Senior Vice President Heritage Auctions. “This is the second auction in a row in which we achieved six-figure selling prices of Robert Crumb’s art for our clients.”
The highlight of Nash’s collection was art by Crumb. The artist’s 1967 Original Cover Art for ZAP Comix #1 soared to $525,800 (the cover was never was used for the publication and was thought lost for years). The People's Comics Complete Four-Page Story Original Art sold for $203,150. Even Crumb’s later works bested high estimates as Weirdo #22 Complete 4-Page Story Original Art from 1988 sold for $131,450 and Crumb’s 1991 ID #2 Original Cover Art ended at $101,575, to round out the collection’s top six-figure lots.
Additional examples of Crumb’s art continued to beat expectations as Your Hytone Comics #nn Complete 9-Page Story "Pete the Plumber" Original Art sold for $89,625 and Mr. Natural #2 Complete 6-Page Story Original Art hammered for $77,675.
Key Comics Command Five Figures
An important private collection from Mister Magik Woo offered several key books in outstanding condition: The Amazing Spider-Man #14 (Marvel, 1964) CBCS NM/MT 9.8 sold for $71,700 and The Amazing Spider-Man #1, with a verified Stan Lee signature (Marvel, 1963) CBCS VF/NM 9.0, ended at $65,725.
A copy of Detective Comics #35 (DC, 1940) CGC VG+ 4.5, shot to $56,165 and 17 bidders competed to own All Star Comics #8 (DC, 1942), CGC VG 4.0 - featuring Wonder Woman's first appearance and origin - and pushed the auction price to $53,775. A coveted copy of Amazing Fantasy #15 (Marvel, 1962), CGC VG/FN 5.0, sold for $38,240.
Additional highlights include, but are not limited to:
· From the Eric Sack Collection, Robert Crumb Snoid Comics One-Shot Complete Nine-Page Story Original Art (Kitchen Sink Press, 1980): realized $74,687
· Steve Ditko’s Original Art from Strange Tales #141 Story Page 8 featuring Doctor Strange (Marvel, 1966): realized $65,725
· Steve Ditko’s Original Art from Amazing Spider-Man #22 Story Page 17 Original Art (Marvel, 1965): realized $52,580
· Barry Windsor-Smith’s Original Cover for Marvel Comics Presents #83 featuring Wolverine/Weapon X (Marvel, 1991): realized $52,580
Consignments are now welcomed for Heritage Auction’s Nov. 16-17 Comics Auction in Beverly Hills. To consign and to learn more about the upcoming auction, please visit the Comics Auction Portal on HA.com.
Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, San Francisco, Chicago, Palm Beach, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
The Internet’s most popular auction-house website, HA.com, has over one million registered bidder-members, and searchable free archives of four million past auction records with prices realized, descriptions and enlargeable photos.
