Dallas – A painting from the halls of the Haunted Mansion in New Orleans and a trove of work by iconic Disney artist Mary Blair helped make Heritage Auctions’ Animation Art Auction the largest such auction of all time, with sales totaling $2,965,596 Dec. 13-15 in Beverly Hills, California.

The total smashed the previous record of $2,068,451, achieved by Heritage Auctions in June 2019. The result of this sale, Heritage’s June Animation Art Auction that sold a total of $2,068,451, the Mickey Mouse and Friends – the Animation Art Internet Auction that brought $144,095, as well as the animation art lots that sold in the weekly comics online auctions led to the best year ever in animation art sales, with totals exceeding $6 million.

“This was a phenomenal auction, the biggest ever held, covering three days and featuring 1,838 lots,” Heritage Auctions Animated Art Director Jim Lentz said. “Animation art, especially Disney art, is in extremely high demand, and it showed in the results from this three-day sale.”

“Haunted Mansion” Stretching Room Disneyland Painting (Walt Disney, 1969) prompted bids from 16 collectors before more than doubling its pre-auction estimate when it finished at $57,600. The lot is one of four historic paintings for the mansion designed by Disney Legend Inductee and one of Disney’s original “Nine Old Men,” Marc Davis, hand-painted between 1969 and 1972. The paintings were designed to be used in the elevator/stretching rooms for a period of six months, and then replaced. This painting, depicting the Elderly Widow sitting across her husband’s tombstone, is one of the rarest original hand-painted stretching room paintings ever brought to market and is considered one of the most identifiable pieces of Disneyland Park original art.

The auction included 40 lots from Mary Blair, who is identified regularly as Walt Disney’s favorite artist, including the largest “It’s A Small World” art collection ever brought to auction. Among the top lots by Blair in the sale were:

    •    Mary Blair Alice in Wonderland Tulgey Wood Signpost Concept Painting (Walt Disney, 1951): $42,000
    •    Mary Blair Cinderella Concept Painting (Walt Disney, 1950): $36,000
    •    Mary Blair Alice in Wonderland Original Concept Painting (Walt Disney, 1951):  $36,000
    •    Mary Blair Alice in Wonderland Concept Painting (Walt Disney, 1951):  $36,000
    •    Mary Blair “It's a Small World” Concept Painting (Walt Disney, 1964): $33,600
    •    Mary Blair Peter Pan Wendy and the Mermaids Concept/Color Key Painting (Walt Disney, 1953): $33,600
    •    Mary Blair “It's a Small World” Concept Painting (Walt Disney, 1964/66): $33,600

The first animation auction to span three days featured a spectacular collection from what has been called the lots from the Disney’s Golden Age of Animation that helped bring film animation back to its highest levels, including:

    •    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White Production Cel on Master Production Background (Walt Disney, 1937):  $33,600
    •    Mother Goose Goes Hollywood Production Cel Signed to Groucho Marx by Walt Disney Courvoisier Setup (Walt Disney, 1938) $33,600
    •    Pinocchio Concept Painting by Gustaf Tenggren (Walt Disney, 1940) $33,600
    •    Fantasia Mickey Mouse as The Sorcerer's Apprentice Production Cel on Master Production Background (Walt Disney, 1940): $22,800

The top Snow White lot was one of 84 that sold in the sale, underscoring the support and demand for vintage art. Other Snow White favorites in the sale included:
    •    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Snow White Bashful and Sneezy Production Cel and Key Master Background (Walt Disney, 1937): $19,200
    •    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Storyboard Art by Gustav Tenggren (Walt Disney, 1937): $18,000
    •    Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Production Cel with Courvoisier Background (Walt Disney, 1937): $13,200

The sale included 102 lots from the personal collection of the late animator Revalee “Rev” Chaney, a collection that brought more than $125,000. The artwork in the Chaney trove dates back to the 1940s, when Warner Bros. animation art was exceptionally rare. Among the top lots from Chaney’s collection in the auction were:

    •    Baseball Bugs Bugs Bunny and Gas House Gorilla Production Cels Group of 2 (Warner Brothers, 1946): $9,600
    •    Hair Ribbin'/Daffy's Southern Exposure Bugs Bunny and Dog Production Cel setup on Production Background (Warner Brothers, 1944/42): $5,880
    •    Buckaroo Bugs/Jack Wabbit and the Beanstalk Bugs Bunny Production Cel on Production Background (Warner Brothers, 1945/1943): $5,520
    •    Stage Door Cartoon Bugs Bunny Production Cels Group of 2 (Warner Brothers, 1944): $4,560
    •    The Heckling Hare Bugs Bunny and Willoughby Concept/Layout Drawing (Warner Brothers, 1941): $4,560

Two lots set new records for signed Walt Disney memorabilia, when a Mother Goose Goes Hollywood Production Cel Signed to Groucho Marx by Walt Disney Courvoisier Setup (Walt Disney, 1938) yielded $33,600 and a Walt Disney-Signed Letter on Fantasia Letterhead (Walt Disney, 1941) brought $15,600, while Bugs Bunny Studio Model Drawing by Rev Chaney (Warner Brothers, 1940s) set a record for the most paid for vintage Warner Brothers artwork when it finished at $1,440.

The auction even got caught up in the spirit of the season. Holiday-themed lots capturing the interest and bids of eager collectors included, but were not limited to:

    •    Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas The Grinch and Max Production Cel Setup and Key Master Background (MGM, 1966): $22,800
    •    Peanuts A Charlie Brown Christmas Snoopy Steals Linus' Blanket Production Cel (Bill Melendez, 1965): $12,600
    •    The Nightmare Before Christmas Santa and Jack Skellington Storyboard Drawing by Jorgen Klubien (Touchstone/Walt Disney, 1993): $4,800
    •    Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas Jack Skellington Concept Art (Touchstone/Walt Disney, 1993): $4,080
    •    Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch Stole Christmas Blue-Eyed Grinch Production Cel (MGM, 1966): $4,080
    •    Pluto's Christmas Tree Mickey Mouse Production Cel Setup with Key Master Background (Walt Disney, 1952): $1,440

Westport, CT – A book and a carte de visite photograph both signed by Abraham Lincoln, a matador outfit owned by Ernest Hemingway and later gifted to his best friend and biographer A.E. Hotchner, and a Second Congress document signed by Thomas Jefferson are just a few of the expected top lots in University Archives’ next big auction, slated for Thursday, January 16th.

The 283-lot online-only auction, starting at 10:30 Eastern, is packed with unique relics, photos, autographs, books and ephemera, to include 55 of the 56 Declaration of Independence signers (all except Button Gwinnett), plus presidential items (high-ticket Lincoln, Jefferson, Washington, Teddy Roosevelt, Richard Nixon and others, with 12 lots alone dedicated to Franklin Roosevelt).

Also offered will be literary items (including five lots of Hemingway), music (the Beatles, Elvis Presley, Jimi Hendrix and others), entertainment (Marilyn Monroe, Harry Houdini and others), and science (to include Edison, Einstein and Freud, with a special emphasis on psychology).

“We’re starting the New Year -- and the new decade -- with a blockbuster sale,” promised John Reznikoff, president and owner of University Archives. “Our first 68 lots, or nearly one quarter of the entire sale, is dedicated to autographed material from 55 of the 56 Declaration signers. The group includes very rare signers, such as Thomas Lynch, George Taylor and Arthur Middleton.”

Mr. Reznikoff added, “We also have outstanding pieces representing psychology, science, space, entertainment, music, US Presidents, the Supreme Court and World War II. Start off 2020 with a New Year’s Resolution you’ll be glad you kept and will bring great joy for years to come: begin or add to your collection of superb historical autographs and collectibles starting January 16th.”

The Abraham Lincoln signed carte de visite, PSA/DNA encapsulated and graded Gem Mint 10, is after an Alexander Gardner portrait and was signed by Lincoln during wartime, circa August 1864, when it was probably presented to its dedicatee, Ohio Infantry Regiment officer Colonel Benjamin Rosson. The CDV was preserved in Col. Rosson’s wife’s Victorian scrapbook album until it was recently discovered by treasure hunters in an antique store (est. $50,000-$100,000).

An even higher estimate ($100,000-$120,000) has been assigned to a book owned by Lincoln that was formative to his views on slavery. The volume boasts 100 years of provenance, which includes an ownership signature by Lincoln, as given to him by his brother-in-law, later inscribed by his law partner and biographer William Herndon, and finally gifted to a prominent American feminist writer of the 19th century. The book was written by a prominent Irish literary figure.

The 12 lots relating to Franklin Roosevelt include a phenomenal presentation copy of Addresses of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Winston Churchill -- a war dated book issued by the White House and including the United States’ Declaration of War against Japan. The volume, presented in the publisher’s slipcase, was given to First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and inscribed by FDR as: "For E.R. A month's episode, with much love from FDR Christmas 1942" (est. $20,000-$24,000).

Bibliophiles will relish the five lots pertaining to American novelist Ernest Hemingway, from the collection of 102-year-old A.E. Hotchner, Hemingway’s biographer, close personal friend and confidante. Among these treasures is a black and white photo of the two men trudging through snow laden with their hunter’s catch, personally signed and inscribed by Hemingway, “To Hotch from his pal Mr. Papa” (est. $5,000-$6,000). Included is a letter of authenticity from Hotchner.

Hemingway’s passion for Spain and bullfighting is well-documented. A unique lot personally owned by Hemingway is the 1960 “Suit of Lights” worn by Hemingway’s friend, the Spanish matador Antonio Ordonez (est. $25,000-$30,000). Hemingway purchased Ordonez’s three-piece matador outfit -- encrusted with jeweled ornaments, metallic thread, sequins, and tassels -- after profiling him in a series of magazine articles, later published as a book The Dangerous Summer.

A pristine document from the 2nd Congress, boldly signed by Thomas Jefferson, regarding a lighthouse at Cape Fear, framed to an overall size of 20 inches by 29 inches and signed (in print) by Washington and Adams, should realize $10,000-$12,000. Also, a one-page letter written and signed by George Washington while he was President in April 1791, to his nephew George, with slavery content and concerns about Mount Vernon and its crops, should go for $15,000-$20,000.

A letter written and signed by George Taylor, the third rarest Declaration signer, one page, dated May 31, 1779, with war content, is estimated at $20,000-$24,000. It’s one of only a few known letters by Taylor. Also, a two-page letter written and signed by William Whipple, a Declaration signer, dated July 21, 1783 and penned from Portsmouth, N.H., to his brother, regarding business matters, including prospects for an excellent grain crop, should change hands for $3,000-$3,500.

A large portrait photograph signed by Theodore Roosevelt while he was President, dated April 30, 1906, with a long inscription from Roosevelt to Pope Pius X, matted and framed to a size of 25 inches by 29 ½ inches, is expected to fetch $15,000-$17,000. Also, a four-page typed contract document, dated February 24, 1885 and signed by iconic inventor Thomas Edison, in which his electric company agrees to power the trains in New York City, should command $4,000-$5,000.

A one-page letter handwritten and signed by Marilyn Monroe (as “Marilyn”), undated but probably from the early 1950s, to Lefty O’Doul, Joe DiMaggio’s mentor, with the handwritten transmittal envelope, has an estimate of $10,000-$12,000. Also, a vintage black and white photo, circa 1962, with all four Beatles on one side and the full signatures of all four on the back, 3 ½ inches by 5 ½ inches, in a 6 inch by 9 inch Beckett encapsulation, should achieve $4,000-$5,000.

A group of three letters typed and signed by President Richard Nixon, one from 1970 and two from 1973, regarding U.S. relations with Cambodia and addressed to “His Excellency, Lon Nol, Prime Minister of Cambodia”, in a custom clamshell box, will be sold as one lot (est. $12,000-$14,000). Also, an Apollo 11 “Type 1” insurance cover, bearing a July 20, 1969 Houston, Texas postmark and boldly signed by Armstrong, Collins and Aldrin, should soar to $6,000-$7,000.

A postcard handwritten by Sigmund Freud, dated August 25,1920, addressed to Edward Bernays, the Austrian-American public relations and propaganda pioneer, written at the height of “Freudmania”, is expected to bring $4,000-$4,500; while a single-page typed letter, signed by Albert Einstein and dated February 29, 1953 (a leap year), in which Einstein grants permission to Dr. Walter de Francois to be quoted in a letter Einstein wrote in 1935, should hit $3,000-$3,500.

The catalog has already been posted online and bidding is available via LiveAuctioneers.com, Invaluable.com and Auctionzip.com. Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted. Folks can visit the website and browse the full color catalog now, at www.UniversityArchives.com.

University Archives has become world-renowned as a go-to source for rare items of this kind. It is actively seeking quality material for future auctions, presenting a rare opportunity for sellers. Anyone who has a single item or a collection that may be a fit for a future University Archives auction may call Mr. Reznikoff at 203-454-0111, or email him at john@universityarchives.com.

University Archives was founded in 1979, as a division of University Stamp Company, by Mr. Reznikoff, who started collecting stamps and coins in 1968, while in the third grade. Industry-wide, Reznikoff is considered the leading authenticity expert for manuscripts and documents. He consults with law enforcement, dealers, auction houses and both major authentication companies.
 
For more information about University Archives and the Thursday, January 16th online-only auction, please visit www.universityarchives.com. For phone bidding, please call 203-454-0111.

Chicago — Potter & Potter Auctions is pleased to announce its 650+ lot vintage poster sale to be held on Saturday, January 25, 2020 starting at 10am at the company's gallery, located at 3759 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60613. All lots from this upcoming sale are on display and available for public preview on Thursday, January 23rd and Friday, January 24th from 10:00am to 5:00pm in the Potter & Potter facility.

This sale's timeless posters promoting important US travel destinations are certain to generate nostalgia, as well as bids, among enthusiasts worldwide. The range of examples on offer from favorite 20th century illustrators, including David Klein (American, 1918-2005) and Stan Galli (American, 1912-2009) will not disappoint. Lot #95, Galli's c. 1950s Disneyland United Air Lines features a ferry full of families riding through a swamp safari at Disneyland. It is estimated at $2,000-3,000. In December, 2018, Potter & Potter sold a similar example for $6,000. Lot #241, Klein's 1964/65 New York World’s Fair Fly TWA Jets is estimated at $1,400-2,000. This can't look away poster is one of the rarest of all New York World’s Fair posters and comes to life with fireworks and the fair’s giant globe on a bright orange background. And it’s go west, young man with lot #440, Panama Pacific International Exposition by Perham Nahl (American, 1869–1935). This 1915 time capsule, created to advertise the opening day of the 1915 World's Fair in San Francisco, is illustrated with the 13th Labor of Hercules. It is estimated at $1,500-2,000.

Now let's journey onward to posters promoting a little foreign intrigue. Lot #13, Air France Amérique du Nord by Guy Arnoux  (French, 1890-1951) is estimated at $3,000-5,000. This vibrantly colored lithographed poster from 1946 was printed in Paris by Hubert Baille & Cie, and shows the United States as a mighty and mythic place situated high in the clouds, juxtaposed against the old and staid boundaries of Continental Europe. Lot #4, Air France Flying Holidays this Year! from c. 1935 is estimated at $1,500-2,500. This example is handsomely decorated with the airline’s route map printed within the outline of a propeller plane, covering major cities of Europe and layovers for points in Asia and South America. According to our experts, "This poster rarity is only the second copy ever seen at auction." And lot #200, an Air India Dekho Dekho poster is estimated at $800-1,200. It was printed in Madras in the 1960s and features a colorful image of Maharaja playing an antique gramophone.  

This sale presents a fine selection of vintage posters promoting European consumer products. These would be ideal for rooms and spaces needing a fine accent piece. Lot #245, a 1933/34 Rallye Automobile Monte-Carlo Antar poster advertising the French brand of Antar oil, is estimated at $1,500-2,000. It features a cherry red racecar zooming through the cliffsides of Monte-Carlo. Lot #430, a signed, original lithograph advertising poster for Campari soda, is estimated at $1,500-2,000. It was printed in Bologna in 1950, and includes the censor’s hand-stamp to its lower right image. And lot #431, an attractively colored lithograph advertising the French aperitif wine Bourin Quinquina, is estimated at $800-1,000. This large, one sheet poster was printed in Paris in 1936 and illustrated by Jacques-Pierre Bellenger (French, 1903–1985).

The 19th century Black Americana posters offered through this sale present a snapshot of times long past and themes that catalyzed social movements across the globe.  Their unflattering images continue to educate, nearly 150 years onward. Lot #569, J.A. Haverly’s Mammoth Uncle Tom’s Cabin Co. Sunset Pastimes on the Old Plantation, is estimated at $1,500-2,500. This c. 1880 framed color litho, printed in St. Louis by the Great Western Printing & Litho company, is illustrated with an idealized depiction of a plantation dance of black slaves, with cabins on one side in the background, a mansion on the opposite, and a steamboat in the river. Lot #571, Thatcher, Primrose & West’s Mammoth Minstrels, is estimated at $1,000-1,500. This c.1880s stone lithograph minstrelsy poster advertises "The New, Greatest & Most Laughable After Piece Ever Produced With Grand & Startling Effects." And lot #570, L’Original Nowils Negro Musical Comic is estimated at $800-1,200. This 1890s color litho, printed in Paris by F. Appel, features a racially stereotypical portrayal of a performer, one of whose talents is advertised as “bird imitator.”  

Posters featuring magicians and sleight of hand acts of yesteryear also take the spotlight in this exciting winter sale. Lot #547, Kellar the Great Magician, is estimated at $2,000-3,000. This example was printed in Cincinnati in 1894 by Strobridge Litho. This iconic poster debuted the “whispering devils” theme that has been endlessly copied by magicians since Kellar’s time.  Lot #554, a fine color lithograph of the Italian magician and palm reader Roody is estimated at $1,200-1,800.  It was printed in Milan by N. Moneta in c. 1930 and shows the performer with a giant hand behind him and a representation of the movement of his arm captured as if stop-motion photography were used.  And lot #554, Harold Presente Le Coupeur de Tetes, is estimated at $1,000-1,500. This color litho poster was printed in Paris by Harfort in the 1920s and shows a bloody and horrific Grand Guignol-style depiction of a decapitation illusion.  

This sale comes full circle with wall to wall selections of fantastic event, circus, and sporting themed posters. Lot #446, an early framed and matted football poster is estimated at $2,000-3,000. This rarely seen late 19th century example features lithographed players in color and letterpress text, for the matchup between the Detroit Athletic Club and the Akron Football Club at Buchtel College Grounds. Lot #379, a c. 1950s Sun Valley Idaho Union Pacific Railroad poster featuring skiers gazing at a snow-covered lodge and the picturesque mountain range, is estimated at $700-900. And ending on an Olympic caliber note, lot #312 - a color offset poster advertising the 1960 winter games - is estimated at $900-1,200. It's gold-metal imagery includes an identification of Squaw Valley, California on a map of the United States and a skier weaving through multi-colored slalom flags in the background.

According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, "What a way to kick of 2020! The entire staff is in love with the vibrant, vintage posters in this sale, and we're looking forward to a successful outing this time around - just as last year's two sales were. I'm especially fond of the Galli and Klein designs in the auction (as I was in the past). There is perhaps a bit more variety in this auction that our last vintage poster sale, and my hope is that the wide range of offerings will bring in an equally wide ranging field of bidders."