The very first TMNT sketch created by Kevin Eastman & Peter Laird measuring 8.5″x11″ sold for $77,700.00 measures at Heritage Auctions in May 2012.
On May 11th, 2012 Heritage Auctions auctioned off the very first art for ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles’ for a whopping $77,700.00 to one lucky collector.
Collectors all over the world never expected this piece of pop-culture history would be made available to the public. The TMNT creators felt it was time to part with it. Here’s the story of how the very first TMNT sketch came to exist told by the co-creator Kevin Eastman:
“Late in November 1983, Peter Laird and I were sharing a studio (our living room) in Dover, New Hampshire. One work night, in an effort to make Peter laugh, I drew a sketch of this character I called a “Ninja Turtle” and threw it onto Peter’s desk. He did laugh, and did a version of his own — to which I needed to take it one step further, and did a pencil sketch of four different Turtles, each holding a different weapon — and gave it to Peter, who wanted to ink it in — and when he did, he added “Teenage Mutant” to the “Ninja Turtle” part of the logo, and we both fell off our chairs!”
Perhaps as collectors it is the idea of owning a piece of history or simply reclaiming a piece of your childhood? Who knows, but it would be pretty awesome either way to proudly display such a unique piece of art on your wall as proof that sometimes the impossible is possible!
Heritage Auctions has made quite a name for themselves over the years as a premier “Auction House” for collectors of history, film, literature, comic books, coins and space memorabelia – and even gives Christie’s a run for their money. For the full story go to HA.com
