A painting of Disney’s Uncle Scrooge McDuck, by his creator Carl Barks, is selling in an online auction and is already worth around $100,000.
The painting is from 1971 and is called “Money Lake”.
It shows McDuck as he would love to be remembered: floating on a lake of cash.
The image was painted by Barks in 1971, and is a 16″ by 20″ painting, signed by Barks and said – by Heritage Auctions who are handling this sale – to be in “excellent condition.”
Heritage say: “This example is spectacular! It captures each character’s personality beautifully, with the nephews giving new meaning to the phrase “fishing for change”.
“In 2011, Heritage Auctions sold the seventh painting in this series for over $100,000! These pieces very rarely come to market and are rarer than duck teeth!”
Barks made eight “Money Lake” paintings from 1971 to 1975. This is the fourth.
Barks and the Disney brand are inextricably linked, though he left the film studio relatively quickly, unhappy with pay and conditions there.
Barks, who died in 2000 aged 99, was a long-time Disney comic book artist, working anonymously for most of his career.
He was one of the first three people inaugurated into the Will Eisner Comic Book Hall of Fame on its 1987 opening.
Working for both Disney Studio and Western Publishing, Bark created much of the world around Donald Duck and his Duckburg home.
In 1947 he created Scrooge McDuck, the rich uncle of Donald.
Barks joined Disney in 1935, earning $20 a week.
He became a Donald Duck specialist, nicknamed “the Good Duck Artist” by fans who enjoyed his work.
He quit Disney, but not the character, finding a second professional life as an artist and writer for Western Publishing who put out Disney comics. He produced around 500 stories for them.
He retired in 1971 but continued to work on some stories and also as a private artist, producing pieces like this painting.
Heritage have themselves sold many of his most valuable works. In 2011 Bark paintings realised $262,900 and $179,250. A painting achieved $162,000 in 2021.
Money Lake will sell in an auction ending on January 12. It is currently valued at $97,500 ($117,000 with fees) by pre-sale bids.
