Bidders Go Mad for Cover Art From Magazine

Leave it to Alfred E. Neuman to turn a venerable auction house into a Mad-house.

Dozens of bidders from around the country jammed Christie’s on Friday and others bid by phone to claim their own twisted piece of Mad magazine memorabilia as the anything-for-a-laugh journal put its archives up for sale.

Those laughs may have been cheap, but the prices weren’t.

An artsy Tarzan and his gorillas from an old issue of the magazine got top dollar: The four panels of Frank Frazetta’s “Early One Morning in the Jungle”--estimated to be worth $5,000 to $7,000--went for $30,800.

The big-ticket items--original cover art, most of it featuring the gap-toothed “What, me worry?” smile of freckle-faced Alfred E. Neuman--went on the block in mint condition after being stored in a vault since their creation.

The second-highest price, $10,450, was paid for a Norman Mingo cover of Batman and Robin. Mingo covers of Neuman disguised as a guru and a soldier fetched $9,900 each to tie for third place.

Of 322 works offered, 308 went for a total of $636,625--including a 10% buyer’s premium--that will go into Mad’s coffers.