Tattoo Flash and Underground Art Auction on Apr 09, 2026 by Potter & Potter Auctions in IL
Hand Painted Sign for Seven Seas Tattoo StudioOriginal Ink and Watercolor Portrait Flash Sheet. NYC: Bowery, ca. 1900-1930s.Death Before Dishonor Flash Sheet by Tex Rowe, ca. 1940s-1950s
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Chicago, IL, United States
Auction Details

Tattoo Flash and Underground Art

Potter & Potter Auctions is pleased to announce a landmark auction of tattoo art and memorabilia to be held April 9, 2026. This sale celebrates both the rich history of early-twentieth century tattooing and the life and legacy of legendary tattooer and underground cultural luminary Jonathan Shaw. The auction features over 150 lots of tattoo flash sheets from the hands of old-school masters (Bert Grimm, Cliff Raven), alongside rare and personally inscribed material from the lives and careers of Charles Bukowski, Johnny Depp, and R. Crumb. Among the most popular artforms of the modern era, tattoo art, flash, and memorabilia has become wildly collectible in recent years. These offerings from Shaw?s collection ? among the best of its kind ? are expected to fetch more than $250,000.00 at the fall of the auctioneer?s hammer. Founder of New York City?s oldest tattoo shop, Fun City Tattoo, Shaw is widely recognized as an authority on tattoo history. His lifelong preservation of the medium?s material culture is chronicled in his critically acclaimed memoir, Scab Vendor: Confessions of a Tattoo Artist (Turner, 2017), a record of his singular journey from the cultural underbelly to the mainstream, chronicling the forces that helped propel tattooing into broader public consciousness. Shaw?s client list included names like Johnny Depp, The Cure, The Velvet Underground, The Ramones, Marilyn Manson, Orlando Bloom, Tupac Shakur, and Jim Jarmusch. The auction will be held live at Potter & Potter?s gallery at 5001 W. Belmont Avenue in Chicago and simultaneously streamed live on potterauctions.com.
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Ted Inman Twelve Design Flash Sheet, 1948: Ted (Don) Inman Sr. (American, d. 1971). Ted Inman Twelve Design Flash Sheet, U.S., 1948. Signed to the center, dated to verso. Ink and watercolor on board. Twelve flash designs, many presenting
0005: Ted Inman Twelve Design Flash Sheet, 1948Est. $900-$1,200$450
Bob Shaw Thirteen Design Flash Sheet, 1960s: Bob Shaw (1926-1993). Long Beach: The Velvet Touch Tattooing by the Shaw Boys, 1960s. Unsigned. Ink and watercolor on board. Central Japanese-inspired pinup surrounded by many dedication tattoos. 15
0008: Bob Shaw Thirteen Design Flash Sheet, 1960sEst. $1,000-$1,500$500
Bert Grimm Vietnam War Era Flash Sheet: Bert Grimm (1900-1985). Long Beach: The Pike, Mid 20th Century. Unsigned. Ink and watercolor images pasted on board. Fifteen Vietnam War-related flash designs, many with dark humor. 15 x 20" Toning;
0009: Bert Grimm Vietnam War Era Flash SheetEst. $1,500-$2,000$750
Eight Designs on Red Background by Tattoo Lou: Hand-painted tattoo flash sheet with hand colored red background by Lou Lewis (d. 1969), Bert Grimm’s, Long Beach, CA, ca. 1940s. Ink and watercolor on board. Flash sheet with eight classic
0012: Eight Designs on Red Background by Tattoo LouEst. $1,200-$1,800$600
Tattoo Flash Sheet by Tattoo Zeke, 1974: Zeke Owen (1940-2019), Denver, Colo., 1974. Signed “Zeke denver colo’74.” Features a Japanese-inspired Oni, geisha, Bambi, and pin-ups, among other designs, underscoring
0017: Tattoo Flash Sheet by Tattoo Zeke, 1974Est. $1,200-$1,800$600
Japanese-Inspired Sheet by Cliff Raven: Hand-painted sheet by Cliff Raven Ingram (1932-2001). Likely from Lyle Tuttle’s Sunset Strip Tattoo Shop, Los Angeles, 1979. Ink and watercolor on board. Flash sheet displays six designs, with
0018: Japanese-Inspired Sheet by Cliff RavenEst. $1,800-$2,600$900