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Questionable Peanuts Strip on eBay
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21 posts in this topic

Is it my imagination or is there something off with this Peanuts strip that's for sale on eBay?:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Charles-Schulz-Original-Peanuts-Sunday-Comic-Strip-Signed-Rare-Rough-Draft-LOA-/262820364285?hash=item3d31507ffd:g:wNMAAOSwA3dYhmRb

 

Something looks wrong about the drawing to me. Plus there's no copyright date and the size looks a little too small compared with the paper in the photo.

 

The same seller sold a Sunday recently. This looks a bit more authentic, but there's still something bothering me about it. What do you guys think?

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Charles-Schulz-Peanuts-Original-Comic-Strip-Signed-1957-/262807133699?hash=item3d30869e03:g:IbgAAOSwo4pYcqJw

 

Regards,

Ted L.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

http://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryDetail.asp?GCat=3589

 

 

 

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Without even looking at the artwork, the godawful panel border ruling and the lettering is a dead giveaway. I won't even comment on the artwork itself.

The description of the four panel daily calls it a "Charles Schulz Rough Draft Sunday Comic Strip". (shrug)

 

The seller hasn't had a sale in more than a year, and those sales were all electronics / consumer items , etc. No comic related stuff .

 

Hijacked account?

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Here's teh real thing

 

https://comics.ha.com/itm/original-comic-art/charles-schulz-peanuts-sunday-comic-strip-original-art-dated-9-8-57-united-features-syndicate-1957-/a/829-41523.s

 

 

They don't match up. To my eye the fake was drawn/traced with a fine point pen instead of a nib... no real differences in line weight to speak of. Scratchy.

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Thanks to Bronty for the Heritage link. It's just concerning when counterfeiters go as far as copying the copyright sticker. Thankfully the caliber of forger still isn't that good for comic art :)

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The first image used in the auction has some MS Paint strangeness going on with it.

 

Apart from the art itself being questionable, that document attesting to it's authenticity is not something I would trust. The things I see that are troubling are that an individuals name must be legible and is required to certify the claim. An appraisal should be giving a valuation. It's possible this was one page out of a multiple page report, however an authentication function is meant to accompany a determination of value, so it being absent of a value is unusual. This final point may have to do with this dating from 2009 (USPAP may have since been revised), but an insurance company offering an appraisal of personal property is not a good idea.

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I'm pretty sure that "letter of authenticity" is a complete fabrication. I agree that no reputable company would return a form without a legible name or contact details on it somewhere. Hopefully no one will be fooled by this.

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I'm pretty sure that "letter of authenticity" is a complete fabrication. I agree that no reputable company would return a form without a legible name or contact details on it somewhere. Hopefully no one will be fooled by this.

 

At the very least, it should be printed on letterhead.

 

I know it's better to be proactive and discuss and ask questions before buying a piece. And caveat emptor, etc. But with all the comments about how badly this and other pieces appear not to be "original", does anyone think we could be actually helping these sellers ?

 

 

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Here's the strip pulled off the internet...

243961.full_zps8hmg8aqj.jpg

 

here's the auction...

s-l1600_zpsry5hgpqi.jpg

 

Ignoring all the differences in the drawings (for a minute) and just looking at the word balloons & lettering:

Some examples:

Panel 1 - compare the space between the word balloon and the right edge of the panel border between the original and the forgery. (ignoring the atrocious lettering for a second)

Panel 3 word balloon "MANAGER?" look at the word balloon outline. And the crooked lettering (imagine a straight edge under the lettering throughout the strip. Notice how straight the original is compared to the forgery).

Panel 4 - compare the word "dugout" in the original and the forgery. Look at how the letters run together in the forgery. Not to mention the forgery doesn't have the ellipsis at the end.

 

Look at the drawings. Check out the black fill in Snoopy's ears in all the panels. Check out Charlie Brown's left hand in panel 2. Snoopy's belly in panel 3.

Hell, just compare the drawing of the character outlines in every panel.

Even the panel borders are uneven (in line thickness & alignment).

 

Not even close.

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I'm pretty sure that "letter of authenticity" is a complete fabrication. I agree that no reputable company would return a form without a legible name or contact details on it somewhere. Hopefully no one will be fooled by this.

 

I wouldn't disagree, and Unca Ben has done a great job breaking down why it's a suspect/fake piece of art.

 

However, apart from the need for a name to be required to certify the statements/opinions in the latter, it's important to determine if the individual who is certifying the document is in good standing.

 

The only reason why I was reserved in commenting on whether it was a fabricated letter or not is because there are bad apples in every profession, and professional appraisers aren't immune from this problem.

 

Appraisers accredited from a professional society answer to a committee process, and especially on a dated certified letter, you'd want a name and professional organization tied to the individual who offered the original accreditation/training, and who would be in a position to confirm the appraiser is in good standing.

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Got a security warning email from ebay about this seller!!

"Our records show that you recently contacted or received messages from cag.galleries through eBay's messaging system. This account was recently found to have been accessed by an unauthorized third party, who may have used the account in an attempt to defraud other members.

 

We've taken action to restore this account to the original owner, but wanted to let you know to be suspicious of any communication you may have received from them."

 

"- - Report the fraudulent buyer or seller both to law enforcement officials in your area, and in the area where the buyer or seller lives. To find law enforcement agencies by area, please visit:

http://www.usacops.com

 

When you contact a law enforcement officer, please explain the following:

 

- eBay will be happy to help with the officer's investigation.

- For more information on how the officer can contact eBay, go to:

http://pages.ebay.com/securitycenter/law_enforcement.html"

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