On Sunday May 9, 2021, four ink artworks by Justine Jones for her Kaleidoscope Killers Secret Lair were sold via auction. The total price realized for the four pieces—three final ink artworks and one alternate ink work—was $11,850.
The works were sold on the MTG Art Market on Facebook, with yours truly acting as agent and working with the artist for the first time. Each sought an opening bid of $500, and each included a sketched artist proof as a part of the original artwork sale. Let’s go through each work one by one.
Slated to end at 9pm EST was Reaper King and an alternate version that was the first iteration of the Legend. These received the least amount of bidding prior to the end, and perhaps the most individual bidding in the soft close overtime.
Reaper King (Unused) by Justine Jones, micron pen and mechanical pencil on smooth Bristol board, 15” x 19”
The alternate was the first work claimed, sold at $700 at the scheduled end time. The final, however, would take a bit longer to finish.
Reaper King by Justine Jones, micron pen and mechanical pencil on smooth Bristol board, 14” x 20”
Two private bidders fought tirelessly, exchanging $25 raises for more than a half hour before one threw in the towel, sending Reaper King to a different collector at the final price of $1,950.
Scheduled shortly thereafter at 10pm EST was the ink for Sliver Overlord, which sat at $3,000 before the auction entered the last 10 minutes.
Sliver Overlord by Justine Jones, micron pen and mechanical pencil on smooth Bristol board, 14” x 17”
It would only be three bids, but in the total amount of $700, that would finalize this auction and send the Sliver to a new collection via a collector bidding publicly in the comments.
The final piece, and perhaps most anticipated, was Jones’ Ur-Dragon, only the second artwork for the very popular card and perhaps choice piece of the four ink works.
The Ur-Dragon by Justine Jones, micron pen and mechanical pencil on smooth Bristol board, 14” x 17” with her trusty assistant, Mo.
The Dragon had climbed steadily throughout the Sunday, and was at $4,400 as the auction neared its close. There would again be two private bidders in a fight to the finish, and only one stood victorious at $5,600 after ten minutes of overtime.
The Kaleidoscope Killers set by Justine Jones was a pioneering advancement in Magic: the Gathering artwork, not only as one of the first Secret Lairs to be released, but as something radically different than what we’d seen as alternate art. It literally has set the stage for those sets that have come since, and it turns out she wasn’t done there.
Justine Jones has also just made her return to Magic with her recently previewed Beholder artwork for the upcoming set Dungeons & Dragons: Adventures in the Forgotten Realms!
While we don’t know what the card is named yet, or even it’s abilities, it appears as the packaging art for the Collector Booster box, and is the first black and white work to be used as packaging art.
It also has a 14” x 17” micron pen and mechanical pencil ink final, which goes to auction later today.
You can follow that sale on Facebook. I’ll be running that sale as well, and I think we’re in for another incredible result. Stay tuned!