An archive of material pertaining to the famous counterculture cartoonist Robert Crumb – including a pair of original hand-drawn personal greeting cards and a 13-page sketchbook – sold for $16,950 at a multi-estate sale held March 4-6 by Philip Weiss Auctions. The event was held in the firm’s showroom, located at #1 Neil Court in Oceanside.
The sketchbook, measuring 5 inches by 8 inches, was crammed with the quirky and humorous drawings that have made Mr. Crumb famous since he burst on the scene in the 1960s. Included were a four-page story/poem titled The Moonlight March, illustrations depicting folk singers Judy Collins and Joan Baez, a two-page spread of the New York City skyline and more.
On the front of each greeting card is an image of a woman named Barbara (and each card was addressed to Barbara). One of the cards contained a long handwritten note from Crumb. Both cards measured 9 ¼ inches by 3 ¾ inches. Robert Crumb was a founder of Zap Comics. He is best known for the characters Fritz the Cat and Mr. Natural, plus the Keep on Truckin’ image.
The auction was heavily attended (both in-person and online, through Proxibid.com) and featured nearly 1,600 lots in a rainbow of categories. Offered were fine art, period furniture, decorative accessories, toys, toy trains, dolls, sports memorabilia, vintage comics and comic art, Disney items and estate animation. When the final gavel sounded, over $500,000 had been spent.
To learn more about Philip Weiss Auctions and the firm’s calendar of upcoming auctions visit www.prwauctions.com
