Art & Inspiration norm skull

Someone is selling a big lot of Norm Grabowski skulls & the rocking horse. Anyone know the story? https://www.ebay.com/sch/arroyo_esl...YbEAAOSwRZphgwY3&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2562

 

Yikes$$$$

 

searching for more material to shape at Winfield's

 

Wow! Do they come with a Certificate of Authenticity? And a car?

 

normie poo....one and only

 

These items do not need any stinkin' Certificate of Authenticity! They can not be duplicated to look as good as Norm created them. They will sell for more that the current starting bids. I personally do see a problem with how they are listed, first sell only one shift knob at a time, secondly start the bidding at $9.99. The auction bidders seem to go all crazy for these shift knobs, and in the end cause the selling prices to be ridiculously HIGH.



This one is my favorite of those that are for sale.

 

Cool shift know and a great artist and woodworker. I think the price is reasonable on a few of them.

 

I like the skulls but the problem I have is the seller was selling mainly sport related trading cards and department 56 stuff. Now all of a sudden he puts up thousand $'s items in a totally different field?

 

I see no problem with selling a variety of stuff on Ebay. Just cause a guy collects baseball cards doesn't mean he can't also collect Norm's work.

 

It could be Doc’s collection. He hired Norm to do a lot of skulls. Kept him employed for a while.

 

You might be on to something there..

 

My first thought was it was Docs but if so, they got to Ca. fast.

 

I spoke with my resident Norm Grabowski historian, @FLAT-TOP BOB and he says those are earlier pieces. Doc’s were later, so there goes my theory.

 

I know that Norm was a hotroding icon, and I appreciate the effort and talent in his woodworking.

I may be alone, but I never cared for the cartoon like skulls. Art is obviously in the eye of the beholder I guess.

 

Proto Type, sorry but anything can be faked. In the art world famous paintings are faked all the time. I'm sure they are real but without verification that they were done by Norm Grabowski I would be careful. Norman Rockwell's self portrait hung in a museum for years until the real one was found.

 

I've got 1 and know it's real, Norm gave it to me years ago

 

But can you "speed shift" with one of those at the end of the stick. Just asking.

 

I've always wanted one, but I just can't justify the cost.

 

And $65 shipping to add insult to injury.

 

I am in the same mindset as @anothercarguy .

My late brother, Wayne, became a casual friend of Norm (as I am sure many, many others were) and did buy one of Norm’s creations. Had not thought of that item for awhile, but am supposing my niece may have acquired it upon her dad’s passing. I think I will ask her about it and let her know it has monetary value as well as being a keepsake from her dad.

Ray

 

I’m superstitious about skulls.

 

Honestly it's one of those things I never cared about either, much like beer tap shift levers....

 

X2. Snowman

 

I'd say that the big question is where or who did they come from. Simply meaning that someone should recognize at least some of them or the rocking horse and know where they have been for most of their lives. There are always folks around who collect certain artists art work be it paintings, wood carvings or metal work. There are also patrons of the art that some artists know will buy a piece of their work if they need cash.
I'd love to have one to set on the shelf but my power ball ticket didn't say winner this go around.

 

I know a guy who has a huge Norm rocking horse and a really nice table. That rocker is at least 5’ tall! Along with quite a few cool shift knobs.

 

(I see no problem with selling a variety of stuff on Ebay. Just cause a guy collects baseball cards doesn't mean he can't also collect Norm's work.)

I agree a person can collect all kinds of different items and sell different items on ebay. I don't have a problem with that. I know people that list all over ebay in different categories all the time. The problem I have is when you are accustomed to selling mainly in 1 or 2 categories for cheaper items and then you are gone a few months and all of a sudden you come back and decide to sell multi thousand dollar items and not just 1 and don't list nothing else that is cheap or even do any easy relists? I have a problem with that.

Especially seeing I have seen most of those Norm Shifters posted on the internet before and believe those are legit, just not sure of the ebay listing is though. Then you take that rocking horse, I will admit I have only seen a couple of his horses but the ones I saw are over the top like his skull shifters and that one looks just to plain jane to me.

 

I came here to post a heads up on these being listed and saw this thread . The seller is a professional estate selling company hired to liquidate estates. There’s writing on the rocking horse that might give a clue to the actual owner ? I think it was a gift from The Campbells ? One knob says “ Ken “ I first saw these pictured a few days before the eBay listing . They are pictured on Instagram if you search Norm Garbowski . The pricing is good from what I’ve seen very limited numbers of sell for on the secondary. They are liquidating and can’t spend a year selling them . I have no affiliation with the seller . I just wanted everyone here to know about the listings. Burt Reynolds owned a Norm Rocking Horse. I wanted to let Doc know about horse ,, Sounds like he’s no longer here ? Hope I put some light on them . The company selling them seems to be a family outfit and good people.

 

Norm's skulls did not come with a certificate, they were delivered in a Crown Royal sack....that's how he handed me mine. I see the horse comes with a certificate, so he might have done the horses different since he only did a few of those. Don't know where this collection came from, but I suspect most of them didn't come to the current owner (or the estate that is being liquidated) directly from Norm, since the name on the horse and the name on one of the skulls don't match. I also know that the skull numbered 72 was on eBay from the original owner in 2019....I bought another skull from the same guy at the same time (#72 sold to someone else). That seller was in Indiana and knew Norm personally and had a few skulls he was selling at the time.

 

Looks like one went for opening bid...
7 others did not sell.

 

I posted earlier, I have no affiliation to the seller and found them before the eBay listing. They should be list for sell here soon .