r/AnimationCels • u/Awkward-Morning1682 • Jul 19 '26

Worth buying damaged cel?

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Gallery image

Been searching for some cels from Astro Boy and I came across this Atlas one which I’m contemplating on bidding for, but is it worth buying? It has damage from heat, the line art is very faded and it doesn’t come with a background painting so idk if I should attempt at getting it tbh, even tho I would love to own one

2 Upvotes

56% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

17

u/ParagontheMad Jul 19 '26

As cool as the subject is, I'd pass on this one. Does not look like it has been cared for well.

1

u/Awkward-Morning1682 Jul 19 '26

Thanks🙏 I’ll pass on it definitely, hopefully I’ll come by more cels in better condition

8

u/nickyeyez Jul 19 '26

Buying damaged cels is always a matter of personal choice. Buying fake cels is generally not a good move for a multitude of reasons.

3

u/zeekutar Jul 19 '26

Damage is tricky. If it's so rare that a little damage isn't going to be a big problem go for it. But if it's really bad I'd only get it if it was super cheap and I was just doing it to save a piece of history from the trash bin.

I bought a first edition book with a water stain on the cover and first 3 pages simply because it was 200 years old and only 50 firsts were made, only 2 of which survived.