Smurf Cartoon cell help please?? :)

[Unregistered]

Hello Everyone!

I am a complete newbie to Smurf memorabilia, and I was wondering if I could please trouble someone for their help? It seems like this is THE place to come to with a smurf question! :)

I live in Australia and I have an original Smurf cartoon cell that has been signed by Bill Hanna and Joe Barbara. The cartoon cell has an image of three smurfs standing around a gift. The cell is predominantly light blue and light pink and the gift box is an olive colour with a red bow around it. Bill Hanna and Joe Barbara have signed their names in blue.

The cartoon cell personally given to my Mum by either Joe or Bill (can't remember which one) when she worked at Australia's Wonderland, Sydney.

I do love this cell, but I don't think I treasure it as much as a lot of smurf fans out there would, so I'm looking to sell it. Can anyone please give me a rough idea of how much it would be worth? I have had it since I was a young girl and the white cardboard frame it's in is a bit off-colour, but the actual cell is fine.

Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thank you SOOO much!
Bye for now,
Cindy

[PonySmurf]

Cindy-- Hello!

The best thing to do is get some photos of the piece, and the condition it's in.

Anything you have that would verify the autographs would also increase the value of an animation cell (letters to your mother, etc).

I have seen animation cells go for as little as $50, up to several hundred dollars (or more) depending on the cartoon. I would say the autographs alone would add $200 to the price of the cell itself. Realistically I'm guessing you could get around $400+ for it, depending on condition, and the enthusiasm of the collector/buyer for the piece.

WELCOME to the forums by the way! ;)

[Unregistered]

Hi Kiwi Smurf

Thank you so much for the time you’ve given to my question, I really appreciate it. You make a really relevant point about verifying the autographs. I don’t have any verification via letters etc, however maybe I could offer a 30 day return policy, as I know for sure that it is authentic, but maybe this would reassure a potential collector if they want to somehow verify it themselves...

Thank you for your warm welcome to the forum, and once again, for giving me such an informative answer!!! 

Have a wonderful day!
Bye for now,
Cindy

[PonySmurf]

Cindy,

No worries! Anything you have that would prove your mother worked there. Perhaps a photo with the two? Anything that would contribute to the authenticity, or provenance as they say will help you sell it.

I'm not saying you won't sell them without these things, it would most likely get you a larger price for them is all.

eBay is always your best bet. You can set a reserve price on the auction (which means you won't accept less than a certain amount to sell for). It's really handy. ;)

[Unregistered]

Hi Kiwi Smurf, thank you SO much for those additional pointers. I totally understand what you're saying, and it all makes a great deal of sense. I really appreciate your time.
Have a great night!
Bye for now,
Cindy :)

[PonySmurf]

No problems... Glad I could help! Let me know when you get some pics or if you list it on eBay. ;)

[bill walters]

HI Cindy; I agree with everything that PonySmurf said except putting the reserve on it. I have never sold anything on ebay, but I have heard if you put a reserve on it you have to pay a commision to ebay anyway. You can get the same effect by making your starting price at your lowest price, and then if it doesn't sell you just relist the item until it sells. Also from a buyers point of view. I don't like the reserve auctions because it is a guessing game as to what you want for your item. I have bypassed reserve auctions for one that doesn't have a reserve on it. Bill

[PonySmurf]

Good point Mr Bill... I didn't think of it that way ;)

[Unregistered]

Hi Mr Bill

Thank you for making that point about eBay. I am most grateful to both you and Kiwi Smurf for sharing your thoughts and knowledge with me.

I'll keep you posted!
Bye for now,
Cindy :)

[Unregistered]

Hi Kiwi Smurf, Mr Bill and all other smurf lovers

Just for your interest, I have listed the URL for the cell here.
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=150380804919

It may not be worth the amount I've listed it for, but I love it too much to sell it for anything less. If it doesn't sell, I'm happy to keep it. :)

Once again, thank you Kiwi Smurf and Mr Bill for your kindness in sharing your time and advice with me.

Have a wonderful day!
Bye for now,
Cindy

[PonySmurf]

Well done! Looks great! I will post it on BlueCavern for you ;)

[Unregistered]

Hi Kiwi Smurf,

Thank you SO much for putting a listing on BlueCavern for me. That's really nice of you! :) :)

Many, many thanks.
Have a wonderful weekend.
Cindy :)