Garth Williams: Trick-or-Treaters from Over and Over

If I had the time and inclination to try and generate some extra cash through eBay, one strategy I might use would be to buy items in bulk and then sell them off individually. While I would hate the idea of breaking up a set of anything, it is generally a sound way to increase overall cash value. I personally wince at the thought of taking apart a bound volume and selling individual plates--I don't think I could ever do that--nor could I comfortably break up a complete suite of lithographs, say, or a fine desk set. I am not exactly the stuff of which a successful dealer is made.

Nevertheless, I don't feel so bad about the current dispersal of the preliminary pencil sketches by illustrator Garth Williams for Charlotte Zolotow's Over and Over. The twenty-one sheets come from the estate of Garth Williams, which to me suggests there may not have been much of a market for them during the artist's lifetime anyway. Heritage Auctions, which I consider one of the best at presenting and archiving even low-end works at auction, didn't bother to photograph these sheets individually. They sold for $500 as a set, including the buyer's premium.

Now individual sheets are being sold off on eBay, including a very loose pencil sketch of some trick-or-treaters bearing the initials G.W. It is no masterpiece certainly, but the sale price of $22.26 still seems fairly low and challenges my long-held belief that breaking up a set is one surefire way to create instant profit.

Garth Williams, original pencil sketches for Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

http://historical.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=201248&lotNo=90299#91389138613

Page 8 of the sketches:

Garth Williams, original pencil sketch of trick-or-treaters for Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

Garth Williams's initials

Garth Williams, Over and Over by Charlotte Zolotow

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GARTH-WILLIAMS-Original-Illustration-Drawing-OVER-and-OVER-Childrens-Book-/281184972604?_trksid=p2047675.l2557&_trkparms=aid%3D222002%26algo%3DSIC.FIT%26ao%3D1%26asc%3D18348%26meid%3D2035418984338743711%26pid%3D100011%26prg%3D8402%26rk%3D4%26rkt%3D5%26sd%3D271250155007%26&nma=true&si=UB68sj2DvLx%252F9kdb54zXrlCgzYs%253D&orig_cvip=true&rt=nc

November 20, 2013 Update:  Author Charlotte Zolotow passed away yesterday at age 98.



Note:  A decidedly more expensive illustration by Garth Williams from Stuart Little by E. B. White is featured on this blog here.

More Halloween-themed posts may be found here.

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