Every piece of art we sell either has a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) issued when the piece was released or a COA issued from The Cricket Gallery. What pieces of art have a studio issued COA, signatures, or seals can be very confusing. Vintage art was not released through an official art program. Studios that do have programs such as Hanna Barbera have released cels with and without signatures, COA’s and seals. We have the advantage of a long history in the animation art market and are well informed about what the authenticate process was for a particular piece. When you purchase from The Cricket Gallery you can be sure that:

1. We are experts in the field of Animation Art. Michael Halbreich has done the authentication for Sotheby’s auction house for the animation art auctions. We have personally handled more animation art than almost anyone in the business.

2. We were the original distributors for much of the artwork on the market including Simpsons, Hanna Barbera, Nickelodeon and MTV.

3. Gallery issued COA’s are just pieces of paper unless backed up by someone substantial. Anyone can print up a certificate of authenticity and many folks think it is some sort of legal document, which it isn't. Our certificates are so highly regarded, however, that they have been known to be forged themselves!

4. We have an authenticity guarantee. You will receive a total refund if any of our pieces are found to be forgery.

5. Please call or email us with any questions and concerns.

Production Cel - The Cel, short for celluloid, is the final step in the creation of characters for an animated film.  Each Production Cel is a hand-painted work of art on a clear sheet of acetate (usually 12" x 10" or 16" x 12").  These Cels are one-of-a- kind pieces, which, when photographed and replayed sequentially, create animated motion.

Limited Edition Cel - Limited Edition Cels are created using the same techniques as Production Cels, for the sole purpose of being enjoyed as works of fine art.  These cels replicate important scenes from films, or present popular characters in new and amusing situations.  Limited Editions are frequently signed and/or come with studio seals to ensure authenticity.

Production Drawing - Production Drawings are the building blocks of animation; through these drawings, the animator carefully plans the look and movement of each character.  Drawings are refined (often using different colored pencils) until the animator is satisfied with the look, detail, and degree of motion for each character; at this point, cels are created by tracing or xerographically reproducing drawings onto clear acetate.  Production Drawings provide perhaps the most intimate look in the animation process.

Master Production Background - A Master production Background is a painting used as background scenery in an animated film.  Usually rendered with watercolors onto heavy paper, these backgrounds are considerably more scarce than cels, as many hundreds of cels may be photographed over a single background to create on scene in a film.

Non-production Background - Non-production Backgrounds are any of a number of hand-painted or reproduction backgrounds used to put cels in context.  These backgrounds are used for display purposes only, and did not appear in any animated film.  Courvoisier and Studio Prepared backgrounds are included in this category.

Model Sheets - Model Sheets are drawings of a single character (or grouping of characters) showing a variety of attitudes and expressions, created as a reference guide for animators.  Most surviving Model Sheets are photographic reproductions of a single original which were provided to the animators as a film was being drawn.

Sericels - Sericels are limited edition cels that are neither hand-inked nor hand-painted.  To produce a sericel the lines and colors of original or newly created drawings and paintings are transferred onto acetate via a screen-printing process known as serigraphy.