Collecting sketches is more of a side thing for me but I was seriously looking at that Charles Hall sketch. I did like it a little more when I saw that it came from pack of a licensed set.

It's tough to compare sketches and autographs because sketches are 1 of 1's and for even a super-rare autograph, there are at least four other and maybe forty-five or more of them. For most collectors, if you got a great sketch from a pack, it's an instant keeper and it can be tough to get an idea of the money value unless you've been following the sales of a particular artist.

Do artists do more than one sketch of a particular subject in a particular pose for a set? I don't follow sketches closely but I don't think I've seen that.

If you got a rare autograph, it might be easier to at least ballpark it because of a similar sale. If your autograph is worth more than maybe $1000, you might even sell it while it's hot to get a couple of other cards you've really wanted for a while but didn't want to put out money for.

Also, it's like other hobbies where people who collect the same particular items tend to know each other. For example, I have had fossils that I didn't put on Ebay or sell at show because it was an instant sale with a phone call to a friend. We never see some really cool things change hands (and at what price?) and then that thing never gets resold unless the collector decides to thin out the herd years later or passes away and the heirs put it up for sale.

About 15 years ago, I went to a local mineral/gem show and recognized a particular specimen for sale that had been in a family display case twenty years before. It was great to see it for a second but then I sadly realized that an old friend had to have died and the family was breaking up the collection. She would never have sold that.

quote:

Originally posted by catskilleagle:

It's tough to compare sketches and autographs because sketches are 1 of 1's and for even a super-rare autograph, there are at least four other and maybe forty-five or more of them. For most collectors, if you got a great sketch from a pack, it's an instant keeper and it can be tough to get an idea of the money value unless you've been following the sales of a particular artist.

Do artists do more than one sketch of a particular subject in a particular pose for a set? I don't follow sketches closely but I don't think I've seen that.

If you got a rare autograph, it might be easier to at least ballpark it because of a similar sale.

Yes, trying to compare certified autograph cards to licensed sketches has big differences, but there are also some similarities.

My question was more about asking if sketch card collectors thought that the value of the best sketch cards is keeping up with the value of the best autograph cards as a market. I don't really hear a lot about artist followings anymore and individual top tier sketches are rarely seen. I would imagine it's because they go into collections and maybe just stay there.

Anyway, as far comparisons go, I would guess that the big thing all pack pulled sketches and pack pulled autograph cards have in common is that they are almost all "commons". It might be harder to get a sketch from a big-name artist than that 1/5 big name autograph, but then you still might not like the sketch. The majority of artists approved for a product title are doing so at minimum pay and they often do repeat the same image to keep the work down. So while all hand drawn sketches can be labelled 1/1s, it doesn't mean that the same drawing can't be redone over and over again. With autograph checklists, you know most of those people had minor roles and their signatures are worth under $20.

I do know that there used to be a big after market for quality sketches and that got to a point where it was really hard to distinguish just where a sketch began. If it was pack inserted? If it was commissioned on licensed card stock? If it was an artist return? If it was an ACEO? As time went on, I can see where it would become very difficult to verify a sketch origin without photo documentation.

And if you talking 4 figure prices for sketches you really do need to have expert knowledge from someone because it is all subjective and hard to compare with other sales.

With autograph cards it's all about the signature verification, but I actually think I have a better chance of authenticating autographs then I do of knowing what sketches to buy. I have seen beautiful ACEOs that nobody wants for $20 and Game of Thrones tablecloth designs for $350.

Yeah, I don't really know the sketch card market but it seemed fair to ask $250 for that sketch and the seller was open to offers. It might've sold for about $220-225 - maybe lower if the seller was in a generous mood.

For me, I like a nice portrait with time taken but also a quick doodle from a skilled artist like the sketches the Dark Horse artists did on signing cards the last couple of years Dark Horse was doing that at SDCC (see below).