Heritage Signature Sale A Resounding Success!

Rogue River Collection Exceeds Expectations!

Dallas, Texas: The latest Heritage Comics Auction (HCA) Signature Sale was held June 11-12, 2004, at Heritage's Dallas offices. Over 2000 bidders competed for 1,736 lots, with 455 of those bidders realizing successful bids. Over 85% of the lots offered were sold, for a total sale of $1,784, 337, with more after-auction purchases expected to push the final total significantly higher.

"It's always exciting putting a sale like this together", said John Petty, Director of Auctions for HCA, "and it's always gratifying to see our customers respond the way they did this weekend. There was a great deal of outstanding material in this sale, but without a doubt, the keystone of this collection was the Rogue River Collection."

"The Rogue River Collection," continued Ed Jaster, HCA's Director of Acquisitions, "is an outstanding assemblage of original art and popular culture memorabilia put together by uber-collectors Bill Grandey and Kathy Morby. Their dedication to this hobby, and their obvious eye for quality, were apparent to everyone who took part in this exciting sale."

"It was also good to see the continued support for high-grade Silver Age DCs," added Fred McSurley, Consignment Director for HCA. "We've been noticing a groundswell of interest in these often-overlooked books, and it's great to see them finally getting the attention and respect that they deserve."

Highlights of the recent sale include:

Floyd Gottfredson - Mickey Mouse Western Painting "Race for Riches" (No Publisher, 1980).
This magnificent and famous painting of Mickey and Horace Horsecollar confronted by evil nemesis Peg-Leg Pete was part of a series of 24 paintings originally commissioned by Malcolm Willits. They were the only full-scene Mickey Mouse paintings that Floyd Gottfredson, artist on the character for an amazing 40 years, ever did. This piece set the record for the highest price at auction of the Willits group, selling at Christie's in 1986 for $32,890 (with buyer's premium). There was something about the classic Western "shoot out" confrontation that set it apart. It represented all the Mickey Mouse adventures in one perfectly conceived and executed painting. Gottfredson's popular "Race to Riches" Western story went from the 1938 Big Little Book, to the newspaper comic strips, to comic books (all by Floyd) to this large 21" x 16" painting. Opaque watercolors were used on board; it has been maintained in a dark room, and is in Excellent condition. This is the first public offering of this incredible work of art since the original mid-80s auction. Additionally, although we've indicated "No Publisher" above, this treasure has been "published" in color in the 1987 edition of The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide for setting a record at the Christies Auction. Later, in 1990, it was represented by Howard Lowery in the Malcolm Willits Collection. Now, it could be the centerpiece of the (Insert Your Name Here) Collection! Sold for $66,125.

Sub-Mariner Comics #1 Larson pedigree (Timely, 1941) CGC VF/NM 9.0 Off-white to white pages.
Timely's aquatic anti-hero gets his own title with this Golden Age favorite. Graced with a dynamic Alex Schomburg World War II cover, loaded with 40 pages of Sub-Mariner action, plus another 20 pages featuring that most dapper of all superheroes, the Angel, this is a package no comics fan could resist back in 1941. And how can you refuse now? Subby's creator Bill Everett writes and illustrates the Prince Namor story, with Paul Gustavson doing the same for the Angel. One of the most sought-after Timely keys, this book ranks at number 21 in Overstreet's 2004 list of Top Golden Age books. This Larson pedigree is close to flawless, with some minor staple rust, very light foxing, nice corners, and truly awe-inspiring colors with deep gloss. To date, only one other CGC-certified copy of this issue has been graded VF/NM; none have been graded higher. Sold for $47,150.

Charles Schulz - Peanuts Sunday Comic Strip Original Art, dated 9-22-57 (United Feature Syndicate, 1957).
Poor ol' gullible Charlie Brown. Once again, he has fallen for Lucy's insincere vow about changing her ways when it comes to holding for a placekick. And, once again, the Lou Groza wannabe winds up flat on his back with a mighty whump. The football kickoff is a famous fall ritual in the Peanuts strip, and this is a fine example of the game of trust and betrayal Charlie and Lucy play. The expressions on Charlie's face vary from annoyance, to bitterness, to determination, and finally, to dismay. Meanwhile, Lucy dupes Charlie with her trustworthy smile. With just a few simple pen lines, Schulz makes his characters come alive, and their actions reveal the inner workings of the human condition. The overall size of the paper is approximately 15.5" x 23.5", in Very Good condition. The art paper has been professionally mounted to another piece of board, is trimmed close to the top and bottom panel borders, and retains its original Peanuts logo. Sold for $41,400.

Alex Raymond - Flash Gordon Sunday Original Art, dated 3-15-36 (King Features Syndicate, 1936).
Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon is considered by most to be the finest science fiction/fantasy comic strip ever done, with the period of 1934-1936 being the most desirable for original art collectors due to the large size of the art drawn during those three years. Titled "Three Against Ming," all of the major characters in the Flash Gordon saga appear in this Sunday: Flash, Dale Arden, Dr. Hans Zarkov, and, most impressively, their nemesis, the evil Ming the Merciless. The inscrutable, leering portrait of Ming in panel two must number among the finest ever done; his sinister presence is palpable. Dale turns Ming's weapon of choice, the paralyzo-ray, on his own minions. This insidious device was frequently featured in the "Flash Gordon" movie serial, and is fondly recalled by aficionados. Making this already impressive Sunday even more spectacular is the art for the matching Jungle Jim topper. Jim is being forced into a "shotgun wedding" with the evil Bat-woman, and the line work on her gorgeous visage on the final panel is breathtaking. The Flash Gordon strip's image area measures 24" x 19", while the Jungle Jim topper measures 24" x 11.5". The art is in Excellent condition. Considering all the remarkable qualities of this example, it must number among the top five known Flash Gordon originals. This is a rare and splendid piece for any enthusiast of American comic strip art. Sold for $28,750.

Detective Comics #27 (DC, 1939) CGC FR 1.0 Light tan to off-white pages.
This milestone comic book remains one of the hottest collectibles of all, holding second place again this year in the updated Overstreet 2004 Top Golden Age Books list. Only Action Comics #1 outranks the book that introduced Batman in 1939. Co-creator Bob Kane provided the cover and the interior art on the Batman feature, in which Commissioner Gordon also makes his first appearance. You may find a nicer copy, but this one is complete save for the large chunk out of the back cover, and a small piece from the front. And even at FR 1.0, CGC's census lists just nine unrestored copies with higher grades to date, which makes Gerber's "uncommon" estimation ring true. A truly blue-chip comic classic. Sold for $23,000.

The Flash #123 Western Penn pedigree (DC, 1961) CGC NM 9.4 White pages.
"Flash of Two Worlds" was a landmark book for comic fandom. To the delight of all readers, it introduced the concept that the Golden Age DC heroes still existed, living on a parallel world (later dubbed Earth-Two). The revolutionary idea paved the way for countless subsequent crossovers, all of which were fan favorites. In the story, Barry Allen blunders into the other dimension quite by accident. The Central City native finds himself in a place called Keystone City, a name he recognizes from... reading Golden Age comic books! This sets up an amazing thrill for comics fans as Barry meets the Golden Age Flash, Jay Garrick. To everyone's relief, the two get along swimmingly. The origin of each hero is recounted, and the team-up begins. All of it was rendered in the clean, appealing style of Carmine Infantino, who drew both the cover and the interior art. This bright, fresh, exciting copy is the best one you'll find on our particular Earth -- this is the highest grade that CGC has assigned for this issue to date. Sold for $23,000.

Carl Barks and Tom Wood - Walt Disney's Donald's Date Six Original Watercolor Illustrations (Good Housekeeping Magazine, 1939).
Carl Barks did storyboarding as part of a "duck unit" for the Walt Disney "Donald Duck" cartoons, including "Mr. Duck Steps Out". This cartoon was originally planned using the working title of "Donald's Date." Disney artist Tom Wood carefully reviewed these storyboards and selected key scenes to use as publicity art, in the form of watercolor illustrations for Good Housekeeping Magazine. These six cartoon illustrations have been matted together in a professionally crafted frame. The "Walt Disney's Donald Duck" logo art in the upper left measures 2.5" x 6.5". The five remaining cartoon illustrations each measure 6" x 8.5". The overall framed size of this piece is 26.5" x 30". Carl Barks has signed the piece in the lower left cartoon art illustration and titled it, "Mr.Duck Steps Out. Storyboard script." The art is in Excellent condition and the delicacy of the watercolor is beautiful. Donald and Daisy Duck, along with the loveable and incorrigible Huey, Dewey and Louie, all appear in this wonderful lot. Sold for $19,550.

Hal Foster - Tarzan Sunday Original Art Comic Strip Art, dated 6-25-33 (King Features Syndicate, 1933).
Edgar Rice Burroughs' world-famous creation, Tarzan, has enjoyed phenomenal success in a never ending series of books, movies, and radio and TV shows, but comic strip history was made when Hal Foster was selected in 1929 to illustrate the adventures of the Lord of the Jungle for the newspapers. The feature was an immediate sensation, and led Foster from a career in magazine and advertising illustration, into a 42 year stint in cartooning. His work became the "gold standard" for action-adventure cartoon illustration. This Sunday is one of the earliest Foster originals known to exist, and features Tarzan in no fewer than seven panels. This dramatic page from the "Egyptian" story line was presented to Edgar Rice Burroughs as a gift from Hal Foster. To the right of the "Tarzan" logo, in the first panel, an inscription reads, "To Mr. Burroughs -- author of Tarzan -- with kindest personal regards -- from Harold R. Foster." The piece measures 20" x 27.5", in Excellent condition, and would certainly serve as a showpiece even in the finest collection. Sold for $18,400.

Haunt of Fear #15 (#1) Gaines File pedigree 2/11 (EC, 1950) CGC NM/MT 9.8 Off-white to white pages.
The first issue of one of EC's famous horror titles also was a first for the Old Witch, her first appearance. Johnny Craig's cover gave way to exquisite drawings by Craig, Harvey Kurtzman, Al Feldstein, and Wally Wood. And, oh! The horrors! This unbelievable copy, at NM/MT 9.8, is one of only two with this grade atop CGC's census. And to top it off, this is a "scarce" issue! Sold for $18,400.

All-American Comics #16 (DC, 1940) CGC VG+ 4.5 Cream to off-white pages.
After the Big Four of Action Comics #1, Detective Comics #27, Marvel Comics #1, and Superman #1, Overstreet lists this milestone issue next on its Top Golden Age Books list. Overstreet calls it "rare," while Gerber designates it "scarce," but you get the picture. To date, CGC hasn't awarded a higher grade than FN- 5.5 for an unrestored certified copy, so don't eschew this because you feel the grade isn't high enough. This is one of the nicest copies you will find of the book that has the origin and first appearance of the Golden Age Green Lantern. Sheldon Moldoff is responsible for the cover, while creator Martin Nodell does the GL story inside. DC's other Sheldon, of the Mayer variety, also contributes with a Scribbly feature. Sold for $18,400.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HeritageComics.com.

HCA specializes in rare, high-grade comic books, as well as vintage comic and animation art, illustration art, classic toys, movie posters and comics-related collectibles.

Prospective consignors and sellers of top-end comics material, toys, and original art are invited to call Ed Jaster at 214-252-4288 or Fred McSurley at 214-252-4293 to discuss their rare comics and original illustration and comic art. Or visit www.HeritageComics.com and click on the "consign" tab. Or simply email Ed Jaster at EdJ@HeritageComics.com or Fred McSurley at FredM@HeritageComics.com.