---Original Message---
>I notice that quite a few dealers out there are starting their auctions at
a 99 cent opening bid. I've always been apprehensive about >this,
especially when you're dealing lower or mid-range material. You're leaving
yourself open for a poster that 10 or 15 years ago >would have sold for $50
to $75 in Movie Collector's World selling for $2.50 or even less!
I think it's time to realize the stark reality is that a lot of $50 titles
of 15 years ago are no longer $50 titles.
There is simply no inherent reason that a poster that is 30, 40, or even 50
years old *has* to be worth any given amount.
The internet has given us a state that is so much closer to perfect
information than what we enjoyed when MCW was at it's bi-weekly heyday and
people would anxiously wait for a catalog from Bruce or any other dealer.
In the olden days if a dealer bought a big collection it might be a month
(for an MCW ad or a catalog) or more (debut at a show) before word got
around and people could actually see some examples or purchase items. Now
you can buy a collection and have it up on your website or eBay possibly the
same day or shortly thereafter.
And the collector has it even better. No longer is one limited by waiting
for the new MCW (or Big Reel, or Collecting Hollywood, etc) to see what they
can purchase. You can sit at your computer and look through the inventories
of literally a hundred dealers plus thousands more auctions any time you
want. So the guy actually looking for a poster from some forgettable drama
of the 60s, or a grade-z western doesn't have to buy one at the local show
for $75 anymore because only one dealer bothered to lug such a dreadful
title to the show. Now he can sit back in his chair at home and cruise
around until he finds a dealer ready, willing, and able to sell one at $10
because he's amazed that after having it for 16 years anyone has finally
shown some interest in it.
There's a reason that Breakfast at Tiffany's is in nearly every major
auction and not A Catered Affair (even if it is a good movie).
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