Tuesday, April 26, 2016

ARTRAGEOUS! A chance to bid on a first printing of TMNT #1 on May 7, 2016!



     My daughter Emily works for a wonderful nonprofit arts organization in Concord, Massachusetts called The Umbrella Community Arts Center  (theumbrellaarts.org) and they are having their annual fundraising gala, Artrageous, on Saturday, May 7 at 40 Stow Street in Concord.

     There will be a silent art auction at the gala, featuring all kinds of cool things, including a lot of original artwork… and a mint condition first printing of "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" #1 (the original Mirage Studios edition, published in 1984). This book has been graded by CGC at a 9.6, and I am donating this copy to the art auction from my small personal collection of TMNT comic books. All proceeds will go to The Umbrella.

     The starting bid on this rare comic book will be $5,000 (five thousand dollars), and I am also offering (if a buyer wants it) to personalize the book with my signature (and probably a small Turtle head sketch) inside the book or on its cover.

    
I got an update from my daughter Emily today regarding bidding on the first printing of TMNT #1 which I donated to the Umbrella Community Arts Center for their fundraising gala event called "Artgaeous". Here's what Em had to say about how to bid on this item:

"To have the first opportunity to bid on this piece of comic book history, you'll have to either actually be at Artrageous or buy a ticket to the event. (Tickets to the event can be purchased at http://theumbrellaarts.org/event/artrageous.) If you are unable to be there in person but are interested in bidding, you can purchase a ticket and send Emily your cell phone number. You will get a unique bidder link to join the auction and can bid along with the other gala attendees. However, if the book doesn't sell on the night of the gala, it will be offered on eBay or another online auction website. If you have any questions about the auction, you can contact Emily at emily@theumbrellaarts.org."

So that's pretty cool! By the way, this copy of TMNT #1 first printing has been graded by CGC as a 9.6. A photo of the "slabbed" book which Em just sent to me is at the top of this post. -- PL

15 comments:

  1. Peter, when you say "featuring all kinds of cool things, including a lot of original artwork". Does this mean there will be original TMNT art by you, or any early pages

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    1. Hi Chris,

      The bulk of the art auction is donated by our Resident Artists, who have their studios at The Umbrella. This is the only TMNT-related piece at the auction. Please let me know if you have any other questions I can answer. Thanks!

      All the best,
      Emily Laird

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  2. Hi Peter - Neat book! A few questions if you don't mind:

    (1) I take it you're the original owner?
    (2) Was this comic "pressed" and/or "dry cleaned" at any point?
    (3) Was the comic stored in a dark environment for most/all of its life?

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Hello!

      1. Yes, my dad (Peter) is the original owner. It has been in his collection since 1984.
      2. No, it hasn't.
      3. As far as I know, yes.

      Please let me know if you have any more questions (emily@theumbrellaarts.org). Thanks!

      All the best,
      Emily Laird

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    2. Thanks for giving those answers, Em! To add just a wee bit more info: Back in 1984, Kevin Eastman and I agreed to each take a certain number of copies of the first printing of TMNT #1 for ourselves, to give to family and friends or to keep for posterity. I think we each got fifty copies, though I could be misremembering. I put my allotment in a box, from which I occasionally took a copy when needed. Except for these moments, the box was closed, and the copies sat there untouched.

      In the early 1990's, if memory serves, my then-assistant started a major project of organizing and archiving my TMNT comic collection as well as my original artwork, putting all of the copies of the early issues into individual archival quality plastic bags, with a sheet of acid-free cardboard inserted in each one. The first printing copies of TMNT #1 were treated in this manner, and they were put into a new box with a cover, and except for the rare occasions when I pulled one out as a gift for someone, there they have sat, untouched, since.

      The copy I donated to the Artrageous auction was never "pressed" or "dry cleaned". It was one of the copies stored in that box, untouched for years. And except for those brief moments when they were moved from one box to another, or the box was opened to pick one out, or when each copy was given its own bag and acid-free board, they were stored inside a covered/closed box, which I think qualifies as a "dark environment". -- PL

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    3. Emily, Peter,

      Thanks much for the thorough explanation and quick turnaround. Always nice to know the provenance of the book.

      Thanks again

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    4. i'd love to own a copy......thing is, as much as its worth, (and to me these days even a measly £10 is alot of cash. lol) i know i'd wanna cut that c.g.c casing off and read it to death. (p.s. im 35, and i just finished reading every copy of the turtles, even vol3, for the first time in my life. and as sporadic as the ishs are now, they are still amazing, as an artist i know that creativity can be a curse as well as a gift, and i hope you keep doing them, i need to know if mikes gonna find his babys, if dons gonna get bigger, and if leo's gonna freak when he meets splinter, raph? raphs raph, he's my fav, because just like me, he's yet to find his place in the world, apart from next to his bros of course, this was one long p.s. huh! keep up the great work)

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  3. I would love the book. Sadly I can't be there. Would you be willing to sell it to me if it doesn't sell? As you know I'm an old school Ninja Turtle fan. Thank you sir for your consideration.

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    1. Hi Michael,

      Thank you for your interest. If it does not sell at the auction, we will post it on eBay or some other online auction. I'm sure that information will be posted here, and if you would like me to contact you at that point, please send me your contact information to emily@theumbrellaarts.org.


      Thanks!

      All the best,
      Emily Laird

      Delete
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