Auction to Support "Cartoons For The Classroom"

If you've ever appreciated any of the cartoons on this blog here's a great chance to own limited edition prints signed by the cartoonist and support a good cause. plk


A message from Daryl Cagle of PoliticalCartoons.com :


The AAEC Online Auction

The Association of American Editorial Cartoonists (AAEC) is trying an online auction for the first time, to raise money for their "Cartoons for the Classroom" program. The auction starts tomorrow and runs through May 20th on Ebay. The art can be seen on the AAEC site here, with links to the corresponding pages on Ebay that go up tomorrow. There are some original drawings but many of the cartoons are signed, limited edition prints from cartoonists who draw or color their cartoons on the computer and don't have traditional original artwork to sell. I hope the auction will be a success and I'll be interested to see what cartoon prints sell for ­ I have no idea what to expect. The cartoon below by Michael Ramirez is one of the signed prints offered for sale.

Many editorial cartoonists are happy to sell their original artwork to fans who contact them at the e-mail addresses in the attributions on our site. Prices for original ink drawings usually range from $200 to upwards of $1,000, depending on the popularity of the cartoonist and the subject matter of the cartoon. Cartoons that feature people and events that will be historically significant and remembered years later are worth more. Cartoons on special subjects that are popular with some collectors also draw higher prices. Fans can usually pick up a cartoon on a strange subject, or a topic that might be a bit yucky on the living room wall, by a cartoonist who isn't very famous, for a pretty low price.

I think original artwork from editorial cartoonists is an excellent investment. We've seen growing prices for cartoon art in other areas of cartooning, like animation and comic book art. As editorial cartoons are being more widely accepted in elite circles, and are seeing more gallery and museum showings, I expect that the prices for editorial cartoon artwork will be the next to rise. I rate editorial cartoon artwork as a solid "BUY." (Disclosure: Cagle has a house full of editorial cartoon art.)