Following comics expert Jerry Weist’s death in January (see this obituary), comes word that Heritage Auctions will be holding a special catalog auction of his estate on 12 September, in Beverly Hills, California. The auction will feature Weist’s artwork collection, as well as rare first-edition books, movie posters, fanzines, pulp magazines, comic books, and many rare personal items.
Artists to be represented in the auction include Chesley Bonestell, Virgil Finlay, Frank Frazetta, Frank Kelly Freas, Frank R. Paul, Richard Powers, Alex Schomburg, J. Allen St. John, Wally Wood, and many others. Authors of first editions, rarities, and inscribed copies will include Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Arthur C. Clarke, Philip K. Dick, Robert A. Heinlein, Robert E. Howard, H.P. Lovecraft, H.G. Wells, and complete runs from nearly every publisher.
“Over the course of the decades that he was an active collector, Weist had been in close contact with artists, writers and their estates as well as every major collector and important figure in the field, including Forrest J. Ackerman and Sam Moskowitz,” said Todd Hignite, Consignment Director for Illustration and Comic Art at Heritage, “and he was always upgrading and seeking out rarer items. As a result, virtually every desirable science-fiction title from the 20th century is represented by an incredible copy.”
SFScope also received a note clarifying matters a bit, from Roger Hill. He writes: “Only a small portion of Jerry’s collection will be auctioned off in September. Jerry had a lot of duplication in the way of artwork, and to put it all in one big auction would have been a huge mistake, and against his final wishes. [The collection] was big enough that it will be spread out over the coming years. And Heritage is already talking about doing another Weist auction early next year. Jerry’s collection of EC comics, fanzines, and monster magazines will be auctioned off on eBay and are already being listed under the seller’s name of: kidkameron.
“Many of his pulps will continue to be sold through the Windy City Pulp and Paperback shows over the next few years. Doug Ellis is already involved with this.”
The Heritage catalog is available online here. ArtDaily.org talks more about the impending auction in this article.