Sci-fi art collectors, rejoice! A Dallas, Texas auction house known as Heritage Auctions will be holding a massive lot of over 450 items of mid-century science fiction artwork. The Glynn and Suzanne Crain Science Fiction Collection will be auctioning of a combination of original artwork, rare first-edition books, pulp magazines, and posters, according to Fine Books Magazine.
“This sale includes classic examples from the genre, many of which are very rare or even unique, with just single paintings typically brought to market, or even traded privately without being made available to the public,” Heritage Auctions Vice President Todd Hignite said in the announcement. “To offer a collection with the breadth and quality found in this one is simply unprecedented—and we expect many bidders from diverse collecting areas to compete for these iconic images created for some of the most popular and historically important stories by the greatest writers in the genre.”
Some hot-ticket items include:
- Michael Whelan’s artwork for Isaac Asimov’s Foundation’s Edge paperback cover, 1983 (estimate: $10,000+)
- James Allen St. John’s illustration for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ At the Earth’s Core book dust jacket, 1922 (estimate: $75,000+)
- a first edition of Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Seas (estimate: $5,000+)
More information and context for each piece of artwork (including some surprising Star Wars influences) at Fine Books Magazine. And if you’re unable to make it to Texas, you can view the lots and proxy bid here. Good luck!
