I'm with Goofy
Earning My Ears
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2011
- Messages
- 1
Hi, everyone--
I need your help. My friend has a vintage Goofy maquette that he's trying to sell. It's supposed to be genuine, but it doesn't have any papers, and it's unsigned. It's also supposed to be from the 1920's, though I read that Goofy didn't debut till the early 30's, so maybe that info is a bit off.
I wish I could post an image here, but a description will have to do: It's about 2 feet tall, wood carved with felt ears that were replaced at some point. He's standing slouched with his hands in his pockets, mouth open, buck teeth pointed out and down. He's wearing a long-sleeved mustard yellow shirt and black vest; his pants are red-orange. His boots/shoes are brown and pointed out. The colors are still nice and vibrant; the only real flaw is a small paint chip on the right pants pocket.
My friend said that it was supposedly carved by Goofy's creator, so I guess that could be either Art Babbitt or Frank Webb. The story goes that the artist gave the figure to his wife or girlfriend or something. She later either sold it or gave it to another man who kept it for many years. Then that man sold it to my friend about 3 years ago. And that's about all we know.
So where do I come in? My friend doesn't have a computer and doesn't know how to use one, and he's having a hard time finding the right audience to buy the maquette. We know that it could be extremely valuable if it's genuine, way too much for us to handle as a private sale, and definitely not suitable for Ebay.
So we're looking for an auction house that's experienced in dealing with really, really high-end Disney collectibles. We know that the figure needs to be authenticated before it can be properly sold for a good price, but who should we ask? I'm hoping that you guys can point us in the right direction.
Please keep in mind, my friend and I both know that the sale of this item could be considerable, and even somewhat life-changing for both of us. And we could both really, really use the money. Please help if you can. Thanks!
I need your help. My friend has a vintage Goofy maquette that he's trying to sell. It's supposed to be genuine, but it doesn't have any papers, and it's unsigned. It's also supposed to be from the 1920's, though I read that Goofy didn't debut till the early 30's, so maybe that info is a bit off.
I wish I could post an image here, but a description will have to do: It's about 2 feet tall, wood carved with felt ears that were replaced at some point. He's standing slouched with his hands in his pockets, mouth open, buck teeth pointed out and down. He's wearing a long-sleeved mustard yellow shirt and black vest; his pants are red-orange. His boots/shoes are brown and pointed out. The colors are still nice and vibrant; the only real flaw is a small paint chip on the right pants pocket.
My friend said that it was supposedly carved by Goofy's creator, so I guess that could be either Art Babbitt or Frank Webb. The story goes that the artist gave the figure to his wife or girlfriend or something. She later either sold it or gave it to another man who kept it for many years. Then that man sold it to my friend about 3 years ago. And that's about all we know.
So where do I come in? My friend doesn't have a computer and doesn't know how to use one, and he's having a hard time finding the right audience to buy the maquette. We know that it could be extremely valuable if it's genuine, way too much for us to handle as a private sale, and definitely not suitable for Ebay.
So we're looking for an auction house that's experienced in dealing with really, really high-end Disney collectibles. We know that the figure needs to be authenticated before it can be properly sold for a good price, but who should we ask? I'm hoping that you guys can point us in the right direction.
Please keep in mind, my friend and I both know that the sale of this item could be considerable, and even somewhat life-changing for both of us. And we could both really, really use the money. Please help if you can. Thanks!
