DALLAS, TX.- Three world auction records and strong results across genres propelled Heritage Auctions’ Oct. 29 Illustration Art Signature® Auction to $2.6 million. The 366-lot sale drew 1,577 international bidders and achieved a 99.5% sell-through rate, underscoring collectors’ enthusiasm for original art created for books, magazines and calendars.

“This was a very strong sale overall, with collectors responding across the range of illustration art,” says Sarahjane Blum, Heritage’s Director of Illustration Art. “The records are exciting, and the depth of bidding throughout the auction shows Heritage continuing to be a force in the field. From early pulp covers to beloved fantasy imagery, these results reflect an enduring appreciation for the artists who brought stories to life.”

Leading the three artist world auction records was Laurence Herndon’s The Land of Hidden Men, which realized $52,500. Painted for the May 1931 cover of Blue Book to illustrate an Edgar Rice Burroughs tale, the work was previously in the collection of Robert Lesser and appeared in the Brooklyn Museum’s 2003 exhibition Pulp Art: Vamps, Villains and Victors.

Robert A. Graef’s Maza of the Moon, created for the Dec. 21, 1929, cover of Argosy, brought a record $32,500. Illustrating Otis Adelbert Kline’s science-fiction adventure, the watercolor and gouache depicts a futuristic battle that captures the imaginative reach of early pulp art. Charles Wesley Copeland’s May 1960 MEN magazine interior illustration, Miss Society by Day “Any Bed Dolly” by Night, established a world auction record for the artist at $19,375.

Among the sale’s standout results was Frank Earle Schoonover’s Where is the Key, Sola?, which realized $175,000. From the collection of Burroughs collector and historian Robert “Bob” Barrett, the 1917 painting helped introduce readers to John Carter and Dejah Thoris in the first book edition of A Princess of Mars.

Gil Elvgren’s 1962 Brown & Bigelow calendar illustration Rare Edition (Hold Everything) brought $118,750, while Greg and Tim Hildebrandt’s Cirith Ungol, painted for the official 1977 J.R.R. Tolkien calendar, realized $68,750.

Horror art also delivered a notable result: Don Brautigam’s original cover for Stephen King’s 1985 collection Skeleton Crew sold for $13,750, the highest auction price paid for a book cover by the artist. The painting came directly from Brautigam’s estate.