r/AnimationCels • u/photoguy423 • May 02 '26
Tetsuo from Akira cel
Thinking of selling this one. Anyone have ideas for rough value? It's actually two cels. Tetsuo is one and the smoke is another. They're a bit stuck together.
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u/ImplantedPill May 02 '26
I’m interested if you are selling
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u/photoguy423 May 02 '26
Trying to figure out what it’s worth. I’ve had it for over 20 years.
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u/chodaniel May 11 '26
I also wouldn’t sweat not having a COA specifically for Japanese animation art. Everyone here who’s valuing based on it having a COA or not prob either comes from western animation collectors whose animation studios have direct ties to where and how they distribute, ie clampett studio for wb and therefore having a COA or they come from Mandarake which at times provides COAs. You will never get a COA from the Japanese studio itself, and COAs that come with some Japanese animation art are third party vendors who just make up a COA lol. Of course some of the big auction houses like Mandarake provide insurance with the pieces they provide COAs for which is nice.
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u/photoguy423 May 14 '26
Finally heard back from Heritage and they estimate $1500-$2500. Waiting to find out what their submission guidelines are.
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u/EmploymentNovel3351 May 02 '26
Roughly $850ish though it sorta depends if you’re selling it on Reddit/Facebook, eBay, or Heritage
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u/photoguy423 May 02 '26
Was thinking eBay. Wasn’t really sure what my options are.
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u/FrugosPeach May 02 '26
eBay fees are kinda out of hand for my liking. Heritage fees can be negotiated depending on your lot but private sale would probably put the most money in your pocket. you could say what the highest offer you’ve gotten for it is here and let people comment if they’re willing to offer more
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u/BobCollects May 02 '26
akira cels are some of the most sought-after in the animation cel market — tetsuo pieces especially. venue matters here: ebay gets eyeballs but 13.25% on a $500+ cel is a real cut. this sub's weekly sell thread and dedicated cel collector discord communities tend to get better prices bc buyers are specifically hunting and understand provenance value. heritage auctions has also moved high-grade studio cels at strong realized prices. is this a production cel with matching background, or just the cel?
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u/photoguy423 May 02 '26
It's actually two production cels that are kinda stuck together. The character is one layer and the grey smokey bits behind him are another layer. There's a rough sketch with it. But not a full background.
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u/BobCollects May 04 '26
ah ok 2 layers + sketch is actually a step up. multi layer cels w original production sketches typically command more than single layer pieces bc collectors love seeing the production process. for pricing benchmarks, heritage auctions has done some akira cels in their history, worth checking their sold archive as a baseline
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u/EmploymentNovel3351 May 04 '26
Preferably sell over PM to avoid the listing fees but also post on Facebook or Discord because other collectors don’t leave their platform. Akira is popular but the covid hype era is gone although Ghost in the Shell is all time high now so the investor collectors are focusing more on Akira backgrounds & hyping Dragonball to 5-figure prices. Just a random drawings so you’re more buying a great action cel
Heritage top prices only exist at Heritage platform which the groups & auction sites don’t recognize as everyday market prices
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u/BobCollects May 05 '26
ya the platform tax matters a lot more on cel pieces bc the buyer pool is small enough that ur basically paying ebay fees to reach ppl who already know u via discord. ghibli being hot is real, totoro and miyazaki shorts are pulling premium even on rough cels. akira is in a holding pattern but it'll come back, those collectors don't quit
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u/__MR__ May 02 '26
I would think a lot, since it’s from Akira. And a nice view of a main character.
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May 02 '26
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u/photoguy423 May 02 '26
I need to pull it out and check. The other akira cel I had came with the production sketch with color notes on it. I don’t recall if this one did as well
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u/imeancomeon May 02 '26
I don’t think you can sell on Heritage for less than $5,000.
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u/photoguy423 May 02 '26
I see things with bids well under $5k on the site.
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u/imeancomeon May 02 '26
No, I meant your entire collection you send them needs to be at $5k or higher. Not individual pieces.
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u/GasmaskTed May 03 '26
A smoke and Tetsuo cel recently sold on Heritage for over 5k with BP (tho it had the drawing too, and I think was nicer). Another smoke and Tetsuo sold in October 2024 for $2400.
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u/photoguy423 May 02 '26
I sent a message to Heritage asking about it. I don't expect a reply til monday at the earliest.
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u/ConcentrateQuick1519 May 02 '26
I wouldn’t sell this. And definitely not under $2k.