Freeman here,
I am surprised this hasn't come up
before, but many of the people mentioned today are dealers who
operate galleries. It should come as no surprise the
shocking amount of money that is spent for rent every month. To
that end the price of posters naturally are going to be at their
premium. To their credit, the better
galleries usually strive for best quality and the
service and individual attention is key in the handling of the
sale.
But I worry how long these
galleries can compete with Ebay especially the week in and week out
dumping of poster materials beginning at less than $5 and saturating the
marketplace, thus driving the prices down. Some say this is good
for the hobby allowing the poster to establish its own equilibrium
within supply and demand.
Horseshit. It has
horribly tainted a great deal of the buying public to EXPECT posters to
be at rock-bottom prices on the internet. Therefore the truly rare
and premium posters that once did find their way to
Ebay are being listed less and less When
they do the results are rarely impressive.
For example of late I have
tried to concentrate on materials not often seen on EBay.
Valentino Blood and Sand lobbies and the signed Cocoanuts
lobby the exception, I have floated out to the sound of
silence AS YOU LIKE IT from 1936 with
Olivier, STANLEY AND LIVINGSTON 3sheet,, Mae's first
starrer SHE DONE HIM WRONG WC, Stan
Laurel individual onesheet, LES MEPRIS -French
affiche, Snow White WC original release and currently the advance one
sheet, THE UNINVITED, DRUMS ALONG THE MOHAWK Wc and
shockinly not even an email inquiry on the large DIARY OF A
COUNTRY PRIEST, Brini's 4 Foglio for MIRACLE IN MILAN,
a nmint WINGS, and a one of a kind THE WAY OF ALL
FLESH mint daybill. and currently a onesheet for THE
PRIVATE LIVES OF ELIZABETH AND ESSEX, a near mint pressbook
of the 1935 production of SHE and the 4 foglio of Cool Hand
Luke.
These aren't loser posters ...........or did I not get
a memo?
I think the more affluent/informed
purchaser has tired of the so very common listings repeated ad-nauseum that
he/she is situated in dealing with galleries or individual sellers like myself
and very much likes to be wooed and stroked. There lies the
success that the Tony Nourmands, Kirbys, Adrian
Cowdreys, Sarowitzez, Helmuts, Limageries, Cinemondes,
and to a lesser extent the Freemans and Channings (he
Chan I didn't want to be by myself) pursue. But is
it a law of diminishing returns? How many galleries have folded in
the last 5 years. How many have opened.....atta boy
Rich.
So there is a market for gallery
pricing inasmuch as people will pay the extra for the informed, higher
quality and premium material with courteous service and personal
attention. But the days of once popular mainstays like Star Wars
material, Godfather, Chinatown, The Wild Bunch, Eastwood
anything, Bond (dramatically so) and early Disney '37 to
present have all tumbled. Depending on the price originally
purchased which for many inventory two years old will presetnt
challenges in meeting the profit arc require to operate their space and or
websites.
But may I give credit where credit
is due, I sold 3 posters on MOPO --- Bicycle Thief (Italian 4
foglio), Roaring Twenties (1 sheet) and Shoe Shine
Italian in a 2 month span totaling over
$20,000.00 SCOTT'S GALLERY is open for biz to be
sure.
