A sixty-year-old sketch of Wednesday by her creator Charles Addams was sold yesterday at Heritage Auctions. It is dated April 1965, which was toward the end of Season 1 of "The Addams Family" television program. The paper it is on appears trimmed, with a partial symbol visible in the upper left.
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| Charles Addams Heritage Auctions listing accessed October 25, 2025 four days before the sale |
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| Charles Addams Heritage Auctions item description |
Sold!
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A rough pencil drawing by cartoonist Barbara Shermund was sketched on a paper wrapper originally attached to the back of an illustration board. (That board bore a cartoon with the caption "I'll just be a minute.") There is a copyright stamp for Life Publishing Company. The piece's eBay seller has called it The Lecture.
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| Barbara Shermund eBay listing ended January 3, 2025 |
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| Barbara Shermund eBay item description |
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Autograph and drawing collector Paul P. Goldberg's practice for obtaining cartoonists' sketches from the 1950s to the 1970s was to send them self-addressed, stamped, blank postcards or envelopes along with a note requesting a specimen of their artwork. Stan Hunt's disgruntled businessman postmarked in 1970 from New Milford is a typical example, quickly executed and quickly recognizable. A large number of Goldberg's originals have been offered for sale on eBay since late November, work generously sent to him free of charge by some of the best American and European political, comic strip, and gag cartoonists of his time. I thought I might share a few of these here before they disappear from view forever.
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| Stan Hunt eBay listing ended November 30, 2023 |
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| Stan Hunt eBay item description |
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A sketch on an index card signed by New Yorker cartoonist Edward Koren (1935-2023) shows one of his furry creatures. It is dated February 8, 2018. The drawing was sold on eBay three months ago to a bidder willing to meet and potentially exceed the $49.99 opening bid.
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| Edward Koren eBay listing ended April 23 2023 |
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| Edward Koren eBay item description |
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| Edward Koren eBay bid history One bidder leaves two bids, just in case anyone else shows interest at the last minute. |
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Many Old Master drawings retain antique collector's annotations and ink stamps that give a rough history of ownership and scholarship from generations back. Today, some dealers and, presumably, some collectors are embracing an authentication technology that imprints original artwork and autographs with a unique code that links to a permanent database. This is an updated version of the Certificate of Authenticity, which is not always reliable.
The five sketches by cartoonist Edward Koren seen on eBay have been examined by PSA/DNA authenticators, issued a certificate, and marked with the stickers and invisible ink that characterize the process. Whether this adds anything to the value of such obviously authentic Koren art is the decision of the buyer.
It's not clear whether the database will still be accessible in ten, twenty, or fifty years. It's also unclear whether newer technology will render such databases obsolete. It's possible that soon we might be tracking artwork as it changes hands through blockchain technology. Each individual work could be accompanied by an NFT that show's the piece's history from the artist's studio to the current owner with all transactions along the way. Nevertheless, quick sketches such as these may never merit such careful documentation, and could still leave them subject to the judgment of professional authenticators.
First up is a Koren sketch of a fish. Here's the full eBay listing:
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| Edward Koren eBay listing accessed March 18, 2023 https://www.ebay.com/itm/325341844447?hash=item4bbfe293df:g:xwgAAOSw0eBjILZ-&amdata=enc%3AAQAHAAAA0KHxzMdnhLE249Ec%2FAkam7a7iA%2BCERY4%2F96aoZt7W%2BwHiWq4UFT0TGQLA5P1u75yW6VR1GqgQDVivaszyPWqNXho5Swh0y5sGi0%2FsKgvQ2gj0FNwrtb58uwpl%2FvYlfJUABJrLIvN%2FBcAxQ8YkCcCtnqHNrQNVwVpnwPBDrl6F5JsAkgHNKgiG2yP0n9U3g9UY8KuH5m64n3TdQq5SCFGp7c7UJHuLos%2F%2FTck6To5d%2Be3wUZlsH8B6lyrrlMLUjc7EcYEgGRI6yvyUQtqO%2B3RgOg%3D%7Ctkp%3ABk9SR9iu8u_eYQ |
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| Edward Koren eBay item description |
The other Koren sketches have very similar eBay listings, so we can look at just the photos.
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A signed sketch card by Ivan Brunetti depicts the bearded artist wearing a red plaid shirt. The Chicago artist has chosen to show himself walking in a city, smiling.
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| Ivan Brunetti eBay listing ended September 11, 2022 |
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| Ivan Brunetti eBay item description |
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| Ivan Brunetti eBay bid history Two bidders face off within thirteen seconds of each other. |
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I have absolutely no idea who Chuck Saxton may be, but I know who he is not. He is not New Yorker cartoonist Charles Saxon (1920-1988). But go tell that to the eBay seller of a genuine Chuck Saxton sketch—if one can call it that—erroneously promoted as the work of Charles Saxon. No one familiar with Saxon's cartoons could mistake this for his signature or his art. Nevertheless, the new owner has also won himself a Letter of Authenticity. Congratulations, and caveat emptor.
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| Chuck Saxton eBay bid history Two bidders fight over a sketch that shouldn't be fought over. |
Here's the real Charles Saxon on the cover of Newsweek:
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| How Men Are Changing Charles Saxon Newsweek, January 16, 1978 |
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| Legal Battle of the Sexes Charles Saxon Newsweek, April 30, 1979 |
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