This has been a lively few days. I saw Philipp's post immediately after successfully bidding on a lot in the Heritage auction. My husband was sick on Thursday and was safely sleeping (I thought) when Heritage called me. All of a sudden he says, "How much?" and I reminded him that he was sick and needed his sleep! (My husband found out "how much" in the morning and he wasn't upset after I explained.) Well, it was a lobby card from Return of the Vampire for $750. I felt so guilty about it that I wrote out two checks the next day for some charities that we support. Even if we had the means to pay $46,000 for a piece of movie memorabilia, I wouldn't do it. Do I spend too much as it is? Yes, certainly. So people in glass houses shouldn't throw stones, right? $46,000 could buy a lot of medicine or even a house for someone who has nowhere to live. Maybe the person who bought the card is already doing these things? If so, bravo to him or her. Keep letting your money help others. We all need to remember how fortunate we are. Many, many people do not have the luxury of being able to spend precious funds on hobbies as they are just trying to survive. Will I stop collecting anytime soon? No, not at all likely. But we just need to be reminded - as Amanda reminded us - that we do not exist as islands entire of ourselves."
The other point raised is interesting, too, and often repeated. Certain collections and collectors are "important." Does that make the other collections and collectors "unimportant?" Hardly. There are those who collect less expensive movie paper and even reproductions but display them in marvelous ways so that the images they love are always in view. And there are those with huge treasure troves that are hidden away in stacks on shelves and closets. Collecting movie paper is about savoring images and memories of movies we loved (or even about great poster art from movies we did not love.) So - and I am prodding myself into action here as well - get your beloved movie paper up on the walls and enjoy what you have collected.
My own experiences as a woman who collects classic horror material have been fascinating. When I started, it was hard to get any "respect." Dealers would just assume that I was acting as a shill for a male collector or some such. Nobody has said that to me lately, but some dealers still try to overcharge me and tell tall tales about condition. Do they do this with "important" collectors? I don't know, maybe. Many pieces that the rest of us would sigh over are never offered to us because they are traded with other dealers or offered to collectors with more "prestige." And that is a shame. The dealers most enjoyable to buy from are those who are also collectors because they understand what makes you tick and don't just see you as a customer or, worse yet, a fool!
When I see a $10 piece of movie paper (or a $5 still) that appeals to me, I buy it. It doesn't give me any kind of a thrill to tell people how much money I spent for movie paper. It's the images and the memories that appeal to me, not the price tag. Have I spent more than $10? Sure, obviously and will continue to do so. But people who collect less expensive things have just as much reason to call themselves true collectors as those who spend thousands upon thousands. Last summer, I felt like an effete snob when friends invited us to a party with neighbors of theirs that we didn't know. One woman excitedly asked me to come take a look at her collection which turned out to be Precious Moments figurines. What a jerk I was! This lady had her things all beautifully displayed in lighted glass cases and took such a joy in them that who the heck was I to even think that her collection was silly. I reminded myself that I collect paper and cardboard and that much of it is in binders and stacked up. So who was getting more out of her collection?
Whatever you collect is valid if it gives you happiness and you do not make others miserable to acquire it. My husband has a high tolerance level for my habit (bless him!) and also has grown to appreciate the beautiful art on many of the pieces. We all need to have a similar tolerance of and appreciation for each other's movie paper obsessions rather than proclaiming that the price is the mark of quality.
Best to all,
Nathalie Yafet
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