Milton Caniff: A Leprechaun

It's generally a good idea to avoid making unfounded assumptions, particularly online. Nevertheless, I would guess that a fan named Mike Mongan wrote to the popular comic strip artist Milton Caniff back in the day, and requested, perhaps, a souvenir. I further imagine he was not disappointed with the color artwork he received in reply. Whatever the story, though, the drawing of a winking leprechaun, pipe in mouth, seems a fitting work to bring out ahead of St. Patrick's Day. Caniff has embraced an unfortunate stereotype, and that leprechaun appears to be rather inebriated. What we have then is a smoking, winking, drinking leprechaun—or so I would assume.

Milton Caniff
AbeBooks listing accessed April 11, 2025

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Leprechaun-Sketch-Signed-CANIFF-MILTON/32177586780/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=viewbook

Milton Caniff
AbeBooks item description

05226

Merry Christmas from Jack Davis

If you ever wondered what original Christmas card art by Mad legend Jack Davis looks like, today is your lucky day.

Jack Davis
AbeBooks listing accessed November 15, 2025

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Original-Comical-Drawing-Santa-Claus-Signed/32343172430/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=viewbook

Jack Davis
AbeBooks item description

05158

Charles Addams: Wednesday and Her Pet

For Charles Addams, souvenir drawings of Addams Family characters served as a kind of social currency. Many were given to friends and fans. Some are done on blank pages of his cartoon collections. Some are not—or at least are not any longer. 

A sketch of Wednesday with a very large pet—is that a cat?—is an example of a drawing that may never have been on a book page. A light wash was added to the drawing resulting in some mild bleeding of the ink. Offered for sale by Schulson Autographs, Ltd., of Millburn, New Jersey, it was priced at $1,925 in October. 

Charles Addams
AbeBooks Price as of October 17, 2024

And then it was sold:

Charles Addams
Sold!

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Original-Cartoon-Drawing-Signed-Wednesday-cat/32014875056/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&ref_=pe_aep_AEP_wants_buyer-wants&cm_ite=readmore

Now we see the same drawing back on the market, newly framed and with a certificate of authenticity. This time, the price is $5,495. The seller on eBay is Meier and Sons Rare Books of New Canaan.

Charles Addams
eBay listing accessed July 6, 2025

https://www.ebay.com/itm/267247216005?_skw=Addams+Wednesday&itmmeta=01JZGTK9DWDT4Z7VH92BVVXA7A&hash=item3e392ce585:g:WUAAAOSwfc1oILK7&itmprp=enc%3AAQAKAAAA0FkggFvd1GGDu0w3yXCmi1efT4Gg7sigrGKYrbifUTRKmRncUGJKwCDFLnoDKpHhfx9sLpC6BbS2NRuOnVRtwaJtnw%2FS0M54C9l90CGcFjyhY7en2j79Fi8lcHdXVXX1koXGig%2FyG%2FMRdZRUXQZ0IOtAG2NKzKvvwkvpR949Kl7JD5u%2FrL6Bp4JgCFCNRi0boSyVuMxSbLqXxb4OiG0S93Fg1MyVpgT7TZdLJrqY1a06JmoF9ncOIGdAuMS6C1uhze4tC4L6l359VWpwhQ3%2B4ws%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR7KYzZr8ZQ

Charles Addams
eBay item description

05024

Miguel Covarrubias: A Self-Portrait on a Doily

One of these was bound to turn up eventually:

Miguel Covarrubias
AbeBooks listing accessed December 18, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=15234865553&searchurl=kn%3DCovarrubias%26sortby%3D1&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp3-_-title5

04185

Chester Gould: B. O. Plenty Souvenir Sketch for Sam

Almost all of Chester Gould's souvenir drawings include his signature comic strip character Dick Tracy but at least one sketch, made out to a Sam, does not. Instead it has the rather unkempt character B. O. Plenty, who first appeared in the strip in 1945. Perhaps this uncommon sketch came into being because of a special request from Sam. But perhaps not.

Chester Gould
AbeBooks listing accessed May 8, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=31164713361&searchurl=kn%3DChester%2BGould%26sortby%3D1&cm_sp=snippet-_-srp1-_-title18

https://dicktracy.fandom.com/wiki/B.O._Plenty

The numbers don't lie. In the five months since this sketch was first offered by Schulson Autographs, Ltd., of Millburn, its price has been increased to $468. That's inflation for you.

Note:  Other Chester Gould souvenir sketches of uncommon characters would make welcome additions to Attempted Bloggery,  don't you think? Rogues from Tracy's Gallery are always welcome here. See who you can scrounge up.

04051

Bill Justice: A Pinocchio First Day Cover Sketch

I like original cartoon art and I suppose I like first day covers too. Put the two together with some thought and I might just be impressed. Put them together with no rhyme or reason and we have today's post. Disney animator Bill Justice has created a fine pencil drawing of Pinocchio's head on a first day cover cachet with the 45 cent Love stamp. The flowers and Pinocchio don't clash, but they don't really go together either. 

Bill Justice
AbeBooks listing as of April 8, 2022

Bill Justice

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Pinocchios-smiling-face-graces-LOVE-Stamp/31153788147/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=readmore_low

Schulson Autographs, Ltd., must have realized the appeal lies almost entirely in Bill Justice's charming drawing. They therefore ended the Pinocchio cover listed at $295 and instead combined the postal item with Justice's Chip 'n' Dale sketch which they also had listed for $295—it recently appeared on this blog. The two items are offered together at $500, which under the circumstances seems reasonable enough. They are now combining Bill Justice's Pinocchio with Bill Justice's Chip 'n' Dale, and that makes a more sensible pairing than Pinocchio and the Love stamp ever did, not that you would want to separate them.

Bill Justice
AbeBooks listing accessed May 6, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Pinocchios-smiling-face-graces-LOVE-Stamp/31153788147/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=readmore_low

03948

Ward Kimball: The Sorcerer's Apprentice for Bill Blair

Animator Ward Kimball (1914-2002) was one of Walt Disney's legendary Nine Old Men. Kimball's full-figure sketch of Mickey Mouse shows him in his most iconic role as the Sorcerer's Apprentice from Fantasia (1940). It was listed just the other day by Schulson Autographs, Ltd., of Millburn. It has already found a new owner.

Ward Kimball
AbeBooks listing accessed April 27, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Mickey-Mouse-Original-Drawing-Signed-KIMBALL/31168419988/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=viewbook

Disney Family Album:  Ward Kimball

April 30, 2022 Update:  Animation expert and Ward Kimball biographer Amid Amidi expresses some doubt about this piece:

https://twitter.com/wardkimball/status/1520528997532246020

03941

Bill Justice: Chip 'n' Dale

A souvenir sketch by Disney animator Bill Justice shows us everybody's favorite cartoon chipmunks, conveniently labeled. It is dedicated to another Bill.

Bill Justice
AbeBooks listing accessed February 19, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/signed/Chip-Dale-Sketch-Signed-inch-card/31099621784/bd?cm_ven=nl&cm_cat=trg&cm_pla=want_CM&cm_ite=viewbook

03916

Bill Justice: Donald Duck and ...?

Schulson Autographs, Ltd., offers two signed sketches by animator Bill Justice, whom the Millburn dealer correctly identifies. But can the same be said for the two Disney characters Justice has drawn?

Bill Justice
AbeBooks listing accessed February 19, 2022

https://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDetailsPL?bi=30371492591&cm_sp=rec-_-o_3_ii-_-bdp&reftag=o_3_ii

03915