This is considered by many collectors to be THE German diecut to own. Its length, complexity of design and overall scarcity are three of the more important factors making this statement a true one. These don’t surface often. The last one was on eBay in late October 2021 and it sold for $5,000. That example was in significantly better condition than this one, so this one’s condition may act as an upper limit gate on the valuation, although with prices unsustainably frothy, who’s to say?
This diecut is rare enough that I wasn’t able to locate one good enough for the collection until just ~3 years ago. A couple of notes: This diecut design was factory folded at the center then shipped. The fold line is between the second and third figures. Although I haven’t seen more than a dozen of these in 34+ years of collecting, a majority of the ones I’ve seen have separated at this fold line. Several were missing the left-most figure for some reason.
I chatted with the great seller this morning. She stated that sometimes great rarity trumps minor-to-moderate condition issues. I agree with the sentiment. It’ll be fun to watch this auction!
08/07 Update: The result was shockingly low given the rarity of this diecut. Yes, $2551 is a lot of money but considering an example in somewhat better condition sold just nine months ago for almost double tells me too many high-end items are hitting the market within too short of a time frame. Whomever the buyer was should pat themselves on the back for such an unbelievable score.
