collecting cels

[polynesianfirsttimer]

Can anyone suggest what site to go to that would help me on collecting cels? I have no idea how to get info. on how to look for rare cels. Also, We are taking a disney cruise in Feb. Does anyone know if they sell cels on the cruise? Thanks for the help.

 

[Mickey7811]

There are some exclusive Sericels on the cruise ship - they are limited editions and can only be purchased on the ship.

They are very cute.

Good luck with your collection. I have a few they I was able to purchase from the Disney Stores, but they are so hard to get now.

It seems the only place I see them now is in Disney World.

I feel like it is like owning a little piece of Disney.

Darlene

 

[Dom13]

There are 3 basic types of cels.

1. Sericels - These are screen printed onto the cel. Some have backgrounds, usually a litograph, and some do not. Some of these are reproductions of scenes from Disney films while others can be original designs. These are in the low end of the price spectrum, $100 - $500 originally.

2. Limited Edition cels - These are produced in low edition sizes, usually no more that 500, and like the sericels can be reproductions of scenes from Disney films or original designs. There are 2 types, xerographic and hand inked. Xerographic is a photographic process that transfers the lines directly from a drawing to the cel not unlike photocopying. This process was first used in 101 Dalmatians and was used up until the CAPS system was introduced with the Rescuers Down Under. Hand inked, the more expensive of the 2. is just that. the lines are "traced" on to the cel using different color inks like was done up until 101 Dalmatians. Price is usually $1000 - $3000.

3. Productions Cels - These are cels that were actually used in the making of animated film or TV show. These are not made anymore although Disney was making LE 1 cels with production background paintings (the background used to make the film) but I'm not sure if they are still doing this as alot of the work is now being done on computers. The price on these varies widely from a few hundred dollars for a less popular TV cel to $100,000's of dollars, or more, for a pre-World War II cel. The condition of the cel is one of the biggest issues along with the character depicted and the pose. A full figure cel of a popular character with the eyes open can draw some serious $$$.

A reputable gallery is the best place to start with the higher end cels. There are also auctions around every so often.

This is a "crash course" on cel collecting. If you need more info let me know.

 

[pinhopper]

Some more ideas for collecting cels...
-- Back in the 1970's and 1980's, my family purchased a few production cels from several private art dealers. You can find advertisements for many of these dealers in the Tomart's Disneyana magazine (that comes out monthly or bi-monthly, I'm not sure which). A couple of these dealers also advertise in the Disney magazine. You can also go on the Internet and simply do a search for "Disney animation cels" or "Disney animation artwork" to find more dealer sources.
-- At least one big New York auction house usually has several animation auctions every year. If an auction is big enough, or theme-based, the auction house may even publish an auction booklet that describes all of the pieces being auctioned. Right now, Sotheby's is the only auction house that comes to my mind (I don't know if Christies' is still in business) . The Tomart's Disneyana magazine mentioned above usually has one page in each issue in which it summarizes the latest auction results for all major auctions held recently. This page would be a good place to get names of auction sources.
-- Of course, there are also the online auction sites, such as e--- .
-- The Disney Store's printed and online catalogs occasionally advertise LEs and sericels.
-- You can try calling the "Art of Disney" stores at WDW and the "Disney Gallery" at Disneyland to see what they have on hand. These places most likely would have just sericels and LEs, not production cels.

Hope these ideas help... collecting cels is a great hobby, especially when you find a cel of your favorite character in a great scene from a film that you love!

 

[flyinglizard]

Check out www.vegalleries.com

They cover a broad selection of animation art and they are good people to deal with.