“The Jon Berk collection is one of the most-asked-about, written-about, talked-about auctions in our history,” said ComicConnect Director of Consignments Rob Reynolds, “Which is saying a lot, as we’ve had some pretty amazing auctions in the past. The majority of these books have not been on the market in years, if not decades, and collectors are drooling over the chance to see these rare comics in person.”
Metropolis Gallery, located at the ComicConnect/Metropolis offices in midtown Manhattan, has a public display of some of the original art in this remarkable collection, nearly 3,000 offerings of books for a full public display to be arranged.
“Often, collectors will make an appointment to view a book in person from our current auctions, which we can usually accommodate, but the sheer size of this collection, plus the timing, makes it difficult to juggle so many requests,” Reynolds said. “However, we didn’t want to say no to so many of our longtime clientele, so we worked out a plan that would allow us the chance to display selected items, while still allowing our tireless stockroom staff the chance to catch up on the hundreds of shipments that our Spring Special auction generated.”
After the Berk Collection has been unveiled online, ComicConnect is proud to offer by-appointment viewings of selections from the auction, for serious clientele who would like the chance to view the books personally before bidding in this historic event.
Viewings will be available by appointment from May 15 through June 2, and can be arranged by directly contacting Mr. Reynolds at (212) 895-3999, or Sales Executive Brandon Pierce Peck at (212) 260-4147. “We can pull specific books for viewing by request with at least 24 hours’ notice,” said Peck. “But we are limiting customers to less than 50 books. This gives our stockroom time to gather the books so that the client can come in and comfortably view the books right away, without waiting, in our gallery. We’ve been swamped with questions about the collection, so hopefully this will give buyers a chance to see the lots they’re more interested in, without causing too many delays or bottlenecks in our day-to-day customer service.”
“I don’t think I’ve ever had so many excited phone calls and emails about a collection like I’ve had with this one,” Reynolds added. “It’s been pretty much nonstop since we announced it, and we’re all exhausted, but excited, both for the comic community, and for Jon, who’s become kind of like a folk hero to so many serious collectors. There was no way we could keep these books away from the eyes of the public, as they simply must be seen in person before hitting the marketplace, and this should hopefully allow serious bidders a chance for some one-on-one with their grail books. This is a really once-in-a-lifetime event, and it may never be matched, so we want to pull out all the stops.”
Note that viewings of more than 50 books at a time may be possible at the discretion of ComicConnect, depending on scheduling and availability – contact Mr. Reynolds for details. Of course, the Jon Berk Gallery, featuring dozens of the most valuable of Mr. Berk’s art collection, as well as the top 20 comic books from the auction, is open to the public Tuesday through Friday 11 AM to 5 PM, no appointment necessary. The Metropolis Gallery is located at 36 West 37th Street, 6th Floor, New York, NY.
