Beginning the third week of June and lasting all the way through the end of July, nine of the ten original paintings for Dan Frazier’s Secret Lair Signet series were sold on the MTG Art Market. They sold for anywhere from $6,000 to $10,000, and realized a final combined price of $74,800.
Each painting measures 9 inches by 11 inches and is done in oil paint on top of special paper adhered to a piece of Gatorboard. Frazier was asked to do these new Signets in the same style as the original Moxen, and the story was told as a part of the auction by his agent Mark Aronowitz:
“Not sure if everyone knows, but back then, the artists had a short deadline and many, like Dan, took on a lot of paintings. Pay was very low as well. So, to save time, Dan went to the craft store and picked out some fancy paper patterns. He then cut them out to fit the board size and adhered them to the board. Then painted the image separately and combined them. This is most evident when looking at the Mox Jet and Forcefield.”
These ten works were commissioned for the two brand new Secret Lair sets entitled Dan Frazier is Back: The Allied Signets and Dan Frazier is Back: The Enemy Signets and are the contemporary artifacts from Ravnica, rendered in Frazier’s classic style and printed within the classic Magic frame.
Let’s see how each auction ended up in chronological order:
The first to sell was on June 22nd, when Orzhov Signet set the tone for the entire series and finished at $10,000.
Next on Sunday June 27th was Simic Signet, selling for $6,000, a surprising adjustment from the first sale and what feels like a strikingly good deal, comparatively.
Rakdos Signet got things back on track to start off July. One of Frazier’s personal favorites, it realized $10,000 on July 1st.
After a short hiatus to account for all the new art from Adventures in the Forgotten Realms, Boros Signet was the next on the block. It was hammered sold on July 12th for $8,000.
Following shortly thereafter was the midweek sale of Azorius Signet on July 14th, which sold for $7,500.
Over that following weekend on Sunday July 18th, the lashed together Gruul Signet hammered home at $6,500.
On July 20th, the tree-like Selesnya Signet was sold for $9,300 after a long battle into soft close overtime.
And five days later, the eye-esque Dimir Signet realized $9,700 after a similarly strong struggle at the end of the bidding.
The last to be sold was Izzet Signet, which had the slightest separation of background paper as can be seen at the bottom, It was joined digitally for the card. This mattered not, and the piece sold for $7,800.
The Golgari Signet was not offered for sale, having been purchased by the artist’s agent as a monument to this momentous set and their near decade working together.
Frazier has illustrated more than 150 cards for Magic since the game’s inception in 1993, and is one of the original 25 artists from the very first set. This group of Signets was the perfect callback for Frazier to return to Magic, and they’ll see play for years and years to come in Cube and Commander decks alike. If there’s one fuel to the market for original Magic artwork, it’s nostalgia, and these were full throttle.
Thanks for reading, and stay tuned to Hipsters of the Coast for more Art Market Minutes.