I want to make sure all MoPo members are aware of the 1,057 lobby card lots
(mostly from 2-14 cards per lot, PLUS a really interesting collection of 55
single horror/sci-fi/detective lobbies, plus a set of Breakfast at
Tiffany's cards sold singly!) that I have on eBay closing Tuesday night
(6/6). What is included in this weeks items?
First more on that collection of 55 single horror/sci-fi/detective
lobbies. These were all collected by one collector over many years. He
wanted to get one card each from ALL the top Universal titles, but he
realized he could not afford top scenes from the early classics, so he
instead tried to either get a "lesser" original card (lesser in terms of
the scene depicted) or a Realart re-release card. But he made the VERY
wise move of finding the very best condition cards he could, and (because
he had a background in comic books, where both the condition of an item and
whether it has had restoration has a HUGE influence on its price) he almost
exclusively sought out lobby cards that had had no restoration whatsoever!
I have carefully noted the exact condition of each of these 55
cards, and written in words whatever condition defects each had (on some, I
had to look very hard to find anything at all wrong because the condition
was so nice!) and I also noted what, if any, restoration each card had had,
even noting if there was any tape on the back of the card, put there
decades ago (some collectors view this as "restoration" and others don't).
Many of the cards have had NO restoration of any kind (front or
back) and many have that nice "crisp" feel that most collectors prize and
so rarely find, especially in horror/sci-fi lobbies (because most horror
lobby cards were handled a lot, either while being used at theater after
theater or while being handled by collectors in the days before they were
so highly prized). There are A FEW of the cards with condition defects, and
all those are clearly noted, and there are great super-sized unenhanced
images that show you exactly how the cards appear.
More and more comic book collectors and dealers have been "moving
over" to our hobby each month (many of the very best, like Robert Rogovin
and Stephen Fishler, have been here for many years!) and it seems that most
of them are drawn to "high grade" unrestored lobby cards from top
horror/sci-fi movies, likely because these items have so many similarities
to the comics they collect. The collection of 55 single horror/sci-fi
lobbies that ends Tuesday night is FILLED with "high grade" unrestored
lobby cards from horror/sci-fi movies, and any collector who has been
around for any length of time can tell you that these kinds of cards are
not often offered for sale or auction!
Just for fun, I listed the horror/sci-fi lobby cards in the order
of the movie's first release. Note that his collector had an interest in
the great detective lobby cards of the 1930s and 1940s, and so he had 8 of
those cards among his 55, and I listed those AFTER the horror/sci-fi lobby
cards (but I accidentally left the SHERLOCK HOLMES FACES DEATH in with the
horror/sci-fi ones). The 8 detective cards include one Mr. Moto, three
Sherlock Holmes, and four Charlie Chans!
After the special collection of 63 single horror/sci-fi/detective lobbies
comes a set of Breakfast at Tiffany's cards sold singly. Why did I break up
this set when all the other sets I am selling this week are left as sets?
Because this title is of such interest to so many collectors, and prices on
this title have reached the point where many collectors know they can never
afford an original poster, but they still very much can afford one of the
original cards. This is an unusual set in that there are NO dead cards, as
Hepburn is prominently in every scene, and of course, the #6 card has the
classic iconic image of Hepburn. Note that all of the cards were lightly
folded horizontally at one time (likely someone at a theater was holding
them in their hands and absentmindedly partially bent them across the
middle!), but the crease is very light on all the cards and I noted on each
how noticeable it is (plus our super-sized images show you how noticeable
it is on each card). If you can accept this relatively minor defect, you
may well get one of these classic lobby cards for your collection at a
price you are happy to pay, and that doesn't happen very often!
After the single lobby cards described above come nearly ONE
THOUSAND complete and incomplete lobby card sets (from 2-14 cards per set),
each from a single movie. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL MAJOR LOBBY CARD OFFERINGS IN
THE PAST, AND THIS IS SURELY ON A PAR WITH ANY OF THEM! You'll find cards
from every decade and genre, from early silents to the present day (and
lobby cards from the past 25 years are especially hard to find, and sure to
increase in value once collectors realize just how rare they are!). There
are complete (or near-complete) sets from such titles as SAFE AT HOME,
FORCE OF EVIL, RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK, THE UNINVITED, FAST TIMES AT
RIDGEMONT HIGH, DUEL IN THE SUN, FAST TIMES AT RIDGEMONT HIGH, and on and
on. While these are clearly NOT zillion dollar titles, they ARE much-loved
movies, and this may be one of your last chances to get an entire set (or
most of a set) on titles such as these at one time, since more and more
dealers now routinely "break up" all sets and sell them by the card. It can
be VERY hard (and time-consuming) to
assemble a set one card at a time, and many collectors are glad to pay a
premium on an entire set from a desired title, as getting it at once saves
much time and shipping, as opposed to finding them one card at a time and
spending lots of time and effort and paying eight different shipping fees!
There are a LOT of really cool titles included throughout the
nearly 1,000 lots, so I urge you to look at them all. You'll find three
excellent re-release sets, on titles where it is not easy to find a single
card from the first release. One is from the 1952 re-release of OUT OF THE
PAST, one is from the 1956 re-release of ANGELS WITH DIRTY FACES, and the
last is from an undated 1960s re-release of ROMAN HOLIDAY. You'll find LOTS
of really hard-to-find titles, like some early Bebe Daniels titles, four
ultra-rare lobby cards from KING COWBOY with Tom Mix, six ultra-rare lobby
cards from FLYING TIGERS with John Wayne, six lobby cards from THE WORLD OF
ABBOTT & COSTELLO (including the two great monster cards), and on and on.
Note that on titles from before 1970, a general rule of movie
poster collecting is that you can find lobby cards from just about any tile
far more easily than you can find a one-sheet from that same title. But in
the 1970s on, most theaters stopped using lobby cards, and as you get into
the late 1970s on, just the reverse is true! There are many, many titles
from the late 1970s on where you can easily find a one-sheet from that
title, but it can next-to impossible to find even a single lobby card! Take
the Steven Spielberg movie, "1941". This is a movie where the one-sheets
survive in abundance, even the somewhat lesser-seen "Wild Bill" advance
one-sheet. In the past 17 years, we have sold SIXTY one-sheets from this
movie! But during those same 17 years, I ONLY SOLD A SINGLE SCENE CARD
ONCE, and never any others, until now, when I am offering a complete set of
eight!
NOTE TOO THAT A SURPRISING AMOUNT OF THESE CARDS ARE IN QUITE NICE
CONDITION! You all probably know that I am a VERY strict grader of lobby
cards (although I would say that everyone else is too lenient!), and I
don't easily give my "fine or better" grading to many lobby cards (and my
"fine or better" grade equates to most dealers' "mint" or "near mint").
On most weeks when I have sold lobby cards, at most 10% or 15% of the lots
get a "fine or better" grade. YET THIS WEEK 32% OF THE ITEMS ARE GRADED
"FINE OR BETTER"! THIS IS BECAUSE WE WERE CONSIGNED A MARVELOUS COLLECTION
OF "HIGH GRADE" LOBBY CARDS, NOT BECAUSE WE LOWERED OUR STANDARDS!
And note too that even many of the "lesser" lots of lobby cards
are in a condition that many collectors can accept. OUR "lesser" ("good to
very good", or a lower grade) is FAR more harsh that almost any other
dealer or auction house (and I know this because I have personally bought
many thousands of lobby cards from hundreds of other dealers and auction
houses!), you should look closely at the super-sized images of the "lesser"
items that interest you, and see if their defects are the sort you can
"live with" (and since these are lots of 2 or more cards, in some cases
some of the cards will be in great shape but some are in lesser condition,
which lowers the entire lot to a lesser grade). Many of the titles in
"lesser" condition are ones you probably won't see anytime soon, so keep
that in mind when considering whether to bid (especially since you may get
them for bargain prices!).
Here is a chart of the lobby cards that we have on eBay this week (along
with our item numbers, to better help you find what interests you):
P001-p048 single horror/sci-fi lobby cards
P049-p055 single detective lobby cards
P056-p063 Breakfast at Tiffany's lobby cards
P064-p067 lobby card sets of 10+
P068-p076 lobby card sets of 9
P077-p483 lobby card sets of 8
P484-p609 lobby card sets of 7
P610-p718 lobby card sets of 6
P719-p816 lobby card sets of 5
P817-p904 lobby card sets of 4
P905-p955 lobby card sets of 3
P956-s058 lobby card sets of 2
BECAUSE THIS IS A REALLY "SPECIAL" WEEK OF LOBBY CARDS, I DECIDED TO GIVE
ONE OF MY VERY BEST FULL-COLOR BOOKS AS A BONUS TO EVERY BUYER! The book
is "One Hundred Years of the Cinema" and it is the auction catalog from
probably the best movie poster auction ever held, of a remarkable single
owner collection! The owner of the collection was attempting to get an
extra-special poster from each of the 100 years films had been made, and
remarkably he had 72 years covered. Many of these posters are the only copy
known. This is a lavish 108 page full-color catalog with 45 full page
images. It had the highest per poster average selling price ($4500) of any
auction ever held. You also get the prices everything sold for. The catalog
originally sold for $30(!), but you get one as a bonus with ANY purchase
this week, even if it of one 99 cent item, which may be an entire SET of
lobby cards! If you don't already own this great book (or maybe even if you
do!), you should surely find one or more items to buy this week, just to
get this great book. The book may be the item you like most of what you win
this week! I don't think I have ever given it out as a bonus before, and I
don't intend to give it again!
EVEN THOUGH THERE ARE LOTS OF GREAT LOBBY CARDS THIS WEEK (both singles and
sets), every single one of these items started at just 99 cents with no
reserve (per LOT, and not per CARD!) so there will be surely many real
bargains and quite likely some outright "steals"! As of this writing
(Sunday morning), over 265 of these 1,057 items are still at their starting
price of 99 cents(!), around 420 are still under $3, around 510 are under
$6, around 605 are under $10, and around 780 are under $20! And most of
the 180 or so items that are over $20 are FAR under their "regular" retail
price (the ones you could find anywhere else). And there are a HUGE
percentage of items that "retail" for $25 or $50 or more which are still at
just a few bucks each, AND THAT INCLUDES SOME COMPLETE SETS OF 8 CARDS!
Obviously, many of these items will get one or more additional
bids, but given the very large number of such items I am selling, it is a
virtually certainty that a fair number will "fall between the cracks" and
go for low prices (and some for "joke" prices!).
But YOU can't get those great deals if you aren't bidding! AND
YOU HAVE NOTHING TO LOSE! If you place a bunch of fairly low bids but only
get one or two items, then you are sure to be happy, for you will have
gotten some really good deals, and paid a very reasonable shipping cost (we
only charge you the actual cost of getting the items to you, plus $2 for
the packaging materials). Even if get nothing at all, you will only be out
a little of your time, and no more (since this is one substantial auction
of movie posters you don't need to travel to, or even leave your computer
for!).
REMEMBER THAT IN THESE AUCTIONS (as in all my online auctions), THERE ARE
NO OUTRAGEOUS BUYER PREMIUMS! Other auctions charge around 20% EXTRA, for
no other reason than to line their pockets with your money, and some even
have a $9 minimum buyer premium, so that a $1 purchase carries a NINE
HUNDRED PER CENT buyer premium!. In these auctions, what you bid is what
you pay, plus a very reasonable sliding U.S. shipping chart that is based
on the value of your items (almost always less than out cost to send the
items to you. If you have ever bought from any other "major" auction
company, you are probably still stunned by their buyer premiums and by how
much "handling" fees they packed onto their shipping charges, but we never
do that!
I know it can be difficult to look over this many items in just a day, but
remember you can use our exclusive Current Auction Image Gallery (which is
located at http://www.emovieposter.com/gallery/currentauctions.php ) which
has large thumbnails of all our eBay items, and links from each item to the
actual eBay auction. Best of all, this gallery is searchable! You will
really find this a great benefit if you want to look at all of our items
this week! You can simply browse all of our current items by viewing the
images in this gallery (40 to a page, but you can set it to display 20
items to a page or up to 100 items a page, depending on the speed of your
Internet connection) in our number order, or you can use our search to only
see thumbnails of your specific search terms! NOTE THAT EACH ITEM IN THIS
GALLERY HAS A RECENT BID PRICE LISTED, AND THE PRICES ARE UPDATED AT LEAST
ONCE A DAY! THIS GALLERY CAN BE SORTED BY PRICE (high to low or low to
high), WHICH IS A GREAT HELP TO THOSE OF YOU WANTING TO JUST FOCUS ON THE
BEST (or least expensive) ITEMS! I urge all of you to go to our gallery
this week and at least glance over all the large thumbnails, EVEN IF YOU
THINK YOU HAVE NO INTEREST IN BIDDING ON THESE ITEMS! Why do I say
this? Because it is fun to "window shop" when you are looking at this
well-organized gallery, especially given all the many wonderful items we
are selling this week (it is likely many of them will have images you have
never seen before)!
Be sure to check out these 1,057 window cards, pressbooks & other oversized
items) sometime before they end Tuesday night, June 6th, starting at
around 7 PM CST (either by going to
http://www.emovieposter.com/gallery/currentauctions.php or by using the
link from my HOME page, http://www.emovieposter.com or by finding me by my
eBay user ID, emovieposter.com).
Good luck on whatever you may bid on!
I AM GOING TO MAKE A SPECIAL BONUS OFFER JUST FOR MEMBERS OF MY E-MAIL CLUB
(just under 3,400 members!) WHO PURCHASE AT LEAST A SET NUMBER OF THIS
WEEK'S ITEMS! So if there is ANY chance at all that you might end up
buying a number of items this week then you have a LOT of incentive to join
the club (if you are not already a member) because I will be giving away
excellent prizes to those members of the club who buy a to-be-determined
number of multiple items.
Why not join the club today (if you are not already a
member)? You'll at most receive ONE e-mail a week, and your e-mail address
is NEVER given out to anyone, and you have a great chance to win great
prizes, and you can quit anytime! Just send an e-mail with "Sign me up in
the club" in the subject line to "[EMAIL PROTECTED]", and you will be a
member!
BRUCE HERSHENSON P.O. Box 874 West Plains, MO 65775 phone 417 256 9616, fax
417 257 6948, e-mail [EMAIL PROTECTED], website
http://www.emovieposter.com eBay user ID emovieposter.com
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