Leslie Thomas "Batman" Painting, ca. 1966
Watch
GUEST:
So this painting is a set design painting from the Batman movie from 1966. I got it from a collector about five years ago in Virginia, and I just loved it.
APPRAISER:
I love it too! And one of the things I like about it is the action,
GUEST:
Yes, yes.
APPRAISER:
That we see in the scene. I think we all remember this movie, it was kind of this spectacular camp triumph of cinematic glory.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
But I don't really remember there being such a debaucherous scene in the film.
GUEST:
I would agree with that. Yes.
APPRAISER:
I think he's kind of used artistic license to depict this scene, and we see a lot of drinking and lots of fun going on.
GUEST:
That's correct.
APPRAISER:
But it's actually a really large painting, you have the painting nicely matted and framed here, it appears to be acrylic or gouache on board, with perhaps a little bit of pen and ink line tracing in
GUEST:
OK.
APPRAISER:
the under-painting. There's no signature.
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
But we know that the artist who worked on all of the Batman series as well as the film was Leslie Thomas. So what did you pay for it?
GUEST:
I paid about a thousand dollars.
APPRAISER:
I think that's a really good deal, 'cause I think very little of his work has actually made it to market, and this is kind of an emerging area of collecting. I'm a big fan of production art, and I'm a big fan of the movie, and I think it's awesome that he imagined this scene in this way.
GUEST:
Sure.
APPRAISER:
He got all the characters, you've got Robin, you have Batman, you've got the Joker being strangled, you have the Penguin, you have Catwoman. I think if you were to put it into an auction, the estimate would probably be somewhere around six to eight thousand dollars, but I would not be shocked at all if it went well beyond that.
GUEST:
Holy money! OK!
APPRAISER:
Yeah, I mean, yeah. That's not bad for a thousand dollar investment.
GUEST:
Yeah!
APPRAISER:
I mean the market for Batman continues to grow. He's one of the beloved comic figures, and Adam West Batman,
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
I think is everyone's favorite Batman, so.
GUEST:
That's great!
APPRAISER:
Thank you so much.
GUEST:
Thank you, appreciate it.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
Note the date: Take note of the date the appraisal was recorded. This information appears in the upper left corner of the page, with the label "Appraised On." Values change over time according to market forces, so the current value of the item could be higher, lower, or the same as when our expert first appraised it.
Context is key: Listen carefully. Most of our experts will give appraisal values in context. For example, you'll often hear them say what an item is worth "at auction," or "retail," or "for insurance purposes" (replacement value). Retail prices are different from wholesale prices. Often an auctioneer will talk about what she knows best: the auction market. A shop owner will usually talk about what he knows best: the retail price he'd place on the object in his shop. And though there are no hard and fast rules, an object's auction price can often be half its retail value; yet for other objects, an auction price could be higher than retail. As a rule, however, retail and insurance/replacement values are about the same.
Verbal approximations: The values given by the experts on ANTIQUES ROADSHOW are considered "verbal approximations of value." Technically, an "appraisal" is a legal document, generally for insurance purposes, written by a qualified expert and paid for by the owner of the item. An appraisal usually involves an extensive amount of research to establish authenticity, provenance, composition, method of construction, and other important attributes of a particular object.
Opinion of value: As with all appraisals, the verbal approximations of value given at ROADSHOW events are our experts' opinions formed from their knowledge of antiques and collectibles, market trends, and other factors. Although our valuations are based on research and experience, opinions can, and sometimes do, vary among experts.
Appraiser affiliations: Finally, the affiliation of the appraiser may have changed since the appraisal was recorded. To see current contact information for an appraiser in the ROADSHOW Archive, click on the link below the appraiser's picture. Our Appraiser Index also contains a complete list of active ROADSHOW appraisers and their contact details and biographies.
