Happened to notice a few older sketch cards (5+ years old) had some relatively high ending auction prices on the 'bay in the first few months of 2017. Is there a resurgence in older sketch card collecting going on? To me, 1997 FUSM is always going have a strong following, but some of the other sets were a little surprising. Below are some examples (please excuse typos), but the ones that caught my eye were the Melike Acar sketch cards from 2011 Marvel Universe and the Elektra by Slickaway from Marvel Great Heroes (aka Avengers). Maybe after those years of "over saturation" the hobby has some newer collectors and returning collectors to finally begin to absorb some of those Marvel sketch cards and looking to add some nice older examples in the process?

1997 Fleer Ultra Spider-Man
$1150 - Joe Bennett, Punisher, Jan 20
$1027 - Steven Butler, Black Cat, Jan 15
$381.80 - Joe Bennett, Kaine, Jan 24

1998 Marvel Creators Collection
$117.78 - Mark Texeira, Silver Surfer, Jan 28
$139.01 - Ron Lim, Silver Surfer, Dec 20 '16
$122.50 - Rob Hunter, Hulk/Banner, Feb 24
$109.01 - Ron Lim, Silver Surfer, Dec 27 '16
$104.01 - Ron Lim, Silver Surfer, Dec 21 '16

1998 Marvel Silver Age
$1255 - Stan Lee, Spider-Man (BGS 9.5), Jan 3
$1200 BIN - Stan Lee, Spider-Man, Mar 16
$1151 - Stan Lee, Spider-Man, Jan 1
$374- Best Offer, George Tuska, Iron Man, Jan 20
$250.50 - John Romita, Peter/Spider, Jan 11
$231.50 - Joe Sinnott, Thing, Feb 24
$220 - Best Offer, Gene Colin, Daredevil, Jan 20
$184.50 - John Buscema, Silver Surfer, Feb 5

2001 Marvel Legends
$540 - Dick Giordano, Captain America, Feb 22

2008 Women of Marvel
$1500 Best Offer - Adam Hughes, She-Hulk (color), Mar 2
$496 - Nar, Mary Jane & Spider-Man, Jan 8
$115.06 - BIN, Andy Price, Mystique, Jan 7

2008 X-Men Archives
$299.88 BIN - Andy Price (case incentive), Rogue, Jan 1
$129.99 BIN - Ryan Orosco, Rogue, Jan 20

2010 Marvel 70th Anniversary
$249.50 BIN - Katie Cook, Cyclops, Dec 30 '16

2011 Marvel Kree-Skrull
$184.50 - Jim Cheung, Scarlet Witch, Feb 25

2011 Marvel Universe
$737 - Melike Acar, Elektra, Mar 6
$676.66 - Melike Acar, Lady Sif, Jan 31
$406 - Melike Acar, Storm, Feb 11
$405 - Melike Acar, Loki (female), Jan 12
$299 - Matt Glebe, Wolverine, Jan 11
$299 - Matt Glebe, Green Goblin, Jan 14
$199.95 BIN - Anthony Tan, Spider-Man & Lizard, Jan 29
$152.50 - Melike Acar, Cycops, Feb 11
$139.49 - Newton Barbosa, Scarlet Witch, Jan 1
$113.50 - Larry (Slickaway) Schlekeway, Dr. Strange, Mar 6

2012 Avengers Assemble
$125 BIN - Jim Cheung, Loki, Feb 11

2012 Marvel Bronze Age
$170.39 - Charles Hall, Spider-Man, Feb 11
$102.50 - Andy Price, Emma Frost, Mar 18
$100 BIN - Alcione Da Silva, Hellcat, Jan 23
$99.99 - Warren Martineck, Moon Knight, Dec 25 '16

2012 Marvel Greatest Heroes
$721 - Larry (Slickaway) Schlekeway, Elektra, Mar 6
$371 - Tony Perna, Scarlet Witch, Jan 29
$287.99 BIN - Warren Martineck (case incentive), Giant Size X-Men #1, Jan 21
$179.16 - Andre Toma, Firestar, Feb 12
$135.00 BO - Andre Toma, Hulk, Jan 17
$122.51 - Andre Toma, Firestar, Feb 23
$99.99 BIN - Katie Cook, Hawkeye, Feb 3

Interesting observation, thanks for the realized price list, a nice snapshot in time that'll comprise down the line.

Well, the 1998 Silver Surfer sale by John Buscema was mine, and it was one of the last I had left from that series. I did sell it to someone in Italy, so maybe more international buyers are starting to get into these? Anyway, they've been pretty good sellers from the beginning (well, from around 2000 on anyway. A couple of the ones I got closer to the original release I definitely sold way too early).

Beyond that, some of those artists simply transcend sketch cards, which is to say they have a big enough personal following that some of the buyers of their art, whatever format, may not even normally collect trading cards.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: chesspieceface,

I was never very heavy into the sketches, although I do appreciate a good one. I can only speak from limited experience in that market, yet I can easily recognize almost every one of those artists named. Which I think is how I would answer your question. Because there is so much over saturation, the demand has become more focused on older sketch product and past works from current top tier artists.

When it comes to Marvel, there is a group of hard core comic and card collectors that really know their stuff. New sketch collectors just don't wander into that area blind and start buying Creators or Silver Age. They know what they are looking for and why. It seems to me that the resurgence there has less to do with getting more new collectors interested and more to do with some of these sketches being let out of collections and getting snapped up again by the experts.

Plus with Marvel you will find collectors of specific characters, which can add to the demand over and above the artist involved.

Katie Cook is probably not an example of growth at these prices. I can remember a time when anything with her name on it was $300 minimum. I didn't take to her style, but she had the following. A Cook Hawkeye for $100 is a bargain compared to her old values.

As for the likes of the Glebes, Hall, Pernas, Cheung to name a few, they have their own high profiles from recent and current works. Sketch collectors are looking backwards on them, sometimes searching for bargains. I did that with Pence when I first started taking notice of his work.

The sketch market is really hard to gauge in terms of investment. I see tons of ACEOs that are really nice and they are not licensed and they just lie there. You can buy nice sketches for cheap prices and they will always be cheap. Licensed products are full of throwaway efforts not worth the time of day. The cost of really great sketches is topping out, even for the best artists.

Its a great subject with a lot of valid opinions, not just about the old stuff, but the whole direction of sketch art in the era of products designed like RA's Buffy. Now there is a conversation worth discussing.

I am completely baffled by Cook's popularity also. I think I actually pulled one of her sketches and didn't like it at all. One of these days I should make a list of all my sketches, but right now I don't see the point of doing it.

Steve Butler lives a few hours away from me and he has done some of the most insanely wonderful sketch covers for my friends and myself. I could get a baker's dozen covers of who I wanted for the same price as the Black Cat sketch from the Fleer Ultra Spider man. Wow!

There's s correction to the list

It's been on my mind ever since I was compiling the list that something was "off" and it finally dawned on me that the 'Bay listing of Warren Martineck Giant-Size X-Men #1 case incentive was actually out of 2014 Marvel 75th Anniversary and not from 2012 as what was in the auction's description:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/272530529576

Marvel Avengers 2012 Warren Martineck sketch sketchafex X Men 1 Rittenhouse

Still an "older" sketch card, but it was just within the 5 year range that I was trying to limit the examples. When it's 2019 then it would be right on target

Here is something to note. Steven Butler says he did not do the Black Cat Sketch Card that sold for over 1000.00. He thinks his ex-wife did it and maybe stuck it in the box back to the Fleer! Not his style at all he says. Isn't that a kicker!

quote:

Originally posted by barobehere:
Here is something to note. Steven Butler says he did not do the Black Cat Sketch Card that sold for over 1000.00. He thinks his ex-wife did it and maybe stuck it in the box back to the Fleer! Not his style at all he says. Isn't that a kicker!

Love it.

I don't think any of the artists that participated in these older Marvel products ever expected that their sketch cards would be selling for this much money some day. Like you said, you can commission straight from the source and pay a fraction of it, but it's as much about the art being on a licensed card as it is about the art itself.

quote:

Originally posted by barobehere:
Here is something to note. Steven Butler says he did not do the Black Cat Sketch Card that sold for over 1000.00. He thinks his ex-wife did it and maybe stuck it in the box back to the Fleer! Not his style at all he says. Isn't that a kicker!

Neat tidbit!!

Anyone have a scan/ picture of this particular card?

I need to make the time to learn to post the image here. I took a picture of it on Ebay and sent it to Steven on my phone.
Problem 1. It is only signed Steve not Steve Butler.
Problem 2. He said that he would not draw a figure with the face not showing.
Problem 3. He does not draw walls like that.
But guess who had a problem drawing faces? His ex wife!
He looked at several others of his sketches out there and they are all his. Hopefully, this was a one off.

quote:

Originally posted by barobehere:
I need to make the time to learn to post the image here. I took a picture of it on Ebay and sent it to Steven on my phone.
Problem 1. It is only signed Steve not Steve Butler.
Problem 2. He said that he would not draw a figure with the face not showing.
Problem 3. He does not draw walls like that.
But guess who had a problem drawing faces? His ex wife!
He looked at several others of his sketches out there and they are all his. Hopefully, this was a one off.

I see. Your description of it helps.

Does anyone know if a FUSM by Epting has sold in the past and for how much?