Featured JUST A QUICKIE QUESTION I SHOULD KNOW THE ANSWER TO....

I have a small etching....in the lower left corner is a hand written "A/P"....does that mean 'artist's proof'?? And if so, does that add or take away anything from the etching?? OR what else does it mean??? I've had it forever and never opened it, but noticed it's not the 'cleanest' image when I looked REALLY close at it.....not enough to bother me, but was just wondering??? The whole paper it's on is 9-1/8" x 7-1/2", but the actual etching itself is 2-1/2" x 4-3/4". It's "embossed into the center.....I'm pretty positive there's no 'significant' value here, but am just curious!!! I have looked Rachel Badeau (the artist) up and saw one other of the same print "One In Every Crowd" was listed for $60-100 and sold for $30, I believe it was in 2011 at Invaluable. I also noticed that one had the same A/P in the LL Corner..... Thanks in advance.....

 

This would be a question for @moreotherstuff.
But we haven't seen him for a long time. Hoping it is just because he was having computer problems.

 

A/P would mean artist's proof; but whether it adds value or not depends on the print, and the reputation of the print-maker. Often, it doesn't add any value, but if it is a well-known artist, the various proofs may be worth a bit more than the regular edition. That has been my experience at least.

 

Non-numbered AP's and HC's (same thing) can be ok, but you have to keep in mind that there can be lots and lots of them outside of the numbered edition. In this case there are probably not so many, but the reputation for AP's in general was brought into ill repute due to massive numbers of AP's issued by well known artists such as Salvador Dali.

 

I don't care that it isn't worth a lot - I just think it's adorable!

 

Thank you all, as you can see, it never got framed and was destined years ago for our little townhouse that we had in the White Mtns of NH that we sold last year! And no place in this house....walls are full.....GROAAANNN!!!

If anyone likes it that much, Might want to check out the "GIVE AWAY" section!!!!!

 

Many people confuse artist proofs and trial proofs. In theory artists proofs are identical to the numbered edition, whereas trial proofs are more experimental in nature. In theory, an artists proof is worth exactly the same as a numbered print except for when people mistakenly assume that it is experimental and somehow more valuable, or as Blooey pointed out, a huge number of fake prints are either a/p or h/c because it is too easy to get caught selling multiple copies with identical edition numbers.

 

it is too easy to get caught selling multiple copies with identical edition numbers.

I once caught an artist selling me the same print...with different numbers....
he asked me to return the ones with the different edition size.....
as if...