$35,850 Mickey Mouse art proves cartoons are serious business

A never-before-auctioned 1932 Mickey Mouse three sheet stock poster, scarcely four years removed from Mickey's creation by Walt Disney, brought $35,850 to lead Heritage Auctions' recent $1.5m sale in Dallas, US.

The 41 by 81 inch poster was designed during the two year period in which United Artists was distributing Mickey cartoons. It comfortably met its low end estimate thanks to concerted bidding from potential investors.

Grey Smith, director of Vintage Movie Posters at Heritage, commented: "We've seen prices realised on the top examples steadily rising over the last few months and holding strong the deeper you go into the catalogue."

The second spot on the auction podium went to a 1953 Paramount style B half sheet from The War of the Worlds, one of the most iconic of the genre, and certainly the most elusive. It achieved $31,070.


Mickey was created in 1928 and has
been a cash mouse for Disney ever since

Close on its heels was a $29,875 1938 Universal three sheet from Frankenstein, depicting the great Boris Karloff as the famous monster.

"To date, this is just one of two known three sheets from any release of Frankenstein to ever surface, and well worth the price," said Smith.

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