What are Settei Sheets? Are they worth buying?

[bingk]

I occasionally see characters model sheets and "Settei" go up for sale, sometimes for really expensive prices, but my confusion is that often the images are available online already- so is there a difference in buying them vs. a Print/Xerox copy I've made myself?
My understanding of this is that Settei and model sheets are Xerox copies of final concepts that animators and staff get to review when creating the final product.
That being said- i am confused by why they appear as expensive?

This isn't a criticism or trolling on the product- it is a legitimate question- i feel like i maybe completely wrong in my understanding.

[cutiebunny]

My understanding of this is that Settei and model sheets are Xerox copies of final concepts that animators and staff get to review when creating the final product.
That being said- i am confused by why they appear as expensive?

The majority of settei are photocopies. Some of these photocopies were used by the actual animators themselves, but the majority of them are just nth copies of copies. I usually value those sheets as having the same value as the cost of the paper that they were printed on.

There are also original settei, which are sometimes referred to as 'handwritten' settei on auction sites like Mandarake. Unless they're from an obscure show, they are often very pricey as they are originals and are sometimes drawn by well known artists. These sheets are often larger than the 8.5x11 Xerox copies you'll see on the market, and they sometimes are hand colored or have other handmade marks on them. For example, one of the original settei that I own from Fushigi Yuugi has the outfit colored in a very faint gray color.

People often inflate the value of what they own for auction purposes. There's always a hope that someone is going to come in and pay that absurd sum. But if artwork on a show is non-existent, prices can skyrocket between 2 or more collectors. That's why you'll see some sets go for absurd prices on Mandarake - It's a bid war.

[Pixel]

To that I would add that there might be some informational value in even the copy settei. If you're really into a show, and want to know how the characters were drawn you might find some interesting notes on them. Generally though, the original hand-drawn or holographic settei have the most notes.

How much is knowing the information on a copy settei worth to you? That's about the maximum value of typical copy settei, as best I understand it.

Sometimes you can find art books from a series that are based on various production pieces, even settei. If all you're concerned with is the information, you might look for one of those.