Comic Book Collecting

Bill Ward Original Vintage Sleaze Paperback Cover Painting For Sale on Ebay

By Artsuggest on | From vintagesleaze.blogspot.com

Well, here is something you don't see everyday. For historical purposes, here is what purports to be the Original painting by Bill Ward used on the cover of Just Friends by Peter Willow, Wee Hours #511. It is being offered on Ebay with a stratospheric starting bid. It looks good to me, but if I were spending the opening bid, I'd want to see it in person, including the edges and the reverse out of the frame (which Ward could hardly have imagined!) Before YOUR peter willows, note the seller is accepting offers!

Just Friends was, of course, a book from Stanley Malkin's line of sleaze which included Gene Bilbrew, Eric Stanton and Bill Alexander illustrations along with Ward's. It was just one offshoot of Satellite Publications, which also included After Hours, First Niter, Nitey Nite and Unique Books.

The auction listing has a few mistakes. One, "This is the only Original Color 1950's paperback cover....that has survived" Well, that isn't true at all, as the book was published in the 1960s. But he DOES have some great looking things up for auction, and I have no reason to doubt the authenticity of the piece.

We know Some of the original Eric Stanton covers done for the same publisher have survived, as a good group of them were on sale at Danceteria nightclub HERE.

"Peter Willow" may have been Gil Fox, who used the name a few times. If the name achieved "house" status, it could have been used by anyone else, including even (possibly) Ward HIMSELF who was known to write some of them.

The seller is smart...he angled the image so as to prevent that jerk low-life who is stealing things from this blog without my permission OR any copyright holders to make and sell useless trinkets
like cigarette cases won't be able to bootleg the painting. Just for the record, if the SOPA bill really wants to combat copyright fraud, they should start with ebay.

If the seller, bidder or anyone with an interest in this work, including a possible buyer would like my post here buried, I can do, just let me know. I put in MY offer! I am sure it can't be rejected fast enough.

YEP! There it Is! DECLINED faster than my proofreading of the paragraph above!

"We're sorry, but preduction has declined your best offer for US $250.00. You still have time to make another offer. The listing ends in 11 days 16 hours"

If the post draws attention to the auction, fine. But shop with care. I am not endorsing this piece in any way, I am not acting as a shill either.

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