1965 Milton Caniff Drawing
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APPRAISER:
"Tim." That's you, isn't it?
GUEST:
Yes, that is me.
APPRAISER:
So, please tell us the story of this wonderful drawing.
GUEST:
Back in 1965, I was a newspaper boy for the "Journal Herald" newspaper in Dayton, Ohio. And once a year, they have an awards ceremony for, um, the newspaper boys. And I was one of the three or four, um, newspaper boys that was called up on stage during the awards ceremony. And Milton Caniff was the main speaker, which was a big cartoonist back in, in the early '30s, '40s, and '50s. While we were up there, he was, asked us a lot of questions on what we wanted to do with our lives. And he was drawing pictures of us. And one thing he asked me, what I wanted to be when I grew up, and I told him that I wanted to be a, a TV engineer, just like my father was. And during our conversation, he said, um, "I imagine your father really enjoys watching TV when he comes home from work." And I said, "No, actually, he really can't stand to watch TV."
APPRAISER:
(laughs)
GUEST:
"And he usually never has it on when he's home."
APPRAISER:
Oh, that's great. It's a wonderful image, and the artist is probably one of the most seminal mid-20th-century cartoonists. "Terry and the Pirate," "Steve Canyon," they were examples for so many other cartoonists that came after him. The market for pieces like this is a little different, because what people are mostly looking for with the major cartoonists are the strips. This is a little bit outside of that, but the cartoon market is very strong and very vibrant. So, I think there's a place for this, as well. In terms of the value of the piece, I think the value ultimately is more for you than on the market. But for insurance, I would say probably around $2,500.
GUEST:
Hmm, very good.
APPRAISER:
You look the same.
GUEST (chuckles): Thank you.
APPRAISER:
(laughing)
GUEST:
A little less hair.
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