Are there really "speculators" a la comeeks? That's a serious question, as I
honestly don't know and am curious. I do know that a lot of the high prices
paid for UniHo and other rare posters ("Baby Face", "Citizen Kane" style B,
etc.) seem to go to folks that genuinely love the movies and seem ready
to acknowledge the rarity of the items with hefty prices, (curse their
well-to-do hides).
Are there really Wall Street @-holes out there buying posters as "investments"?
--Peter
--- On Sun, 9/27/09, James Richard <[email protected]> wrote:
From: James Richard <[email protected]>
Subject: Re: [MOPO] Subject: Re:THE SLOW DESTRUCTION OF OUR HOBBY and OUR PART
IN IT
To: [email protected]
Date: Sunday, September 27, 2009, 1:44 PM
Rick,
"Otherwise, we ourselves will be an INTREGAL PART of turning Movie Poster
Collecting EVEN ON IT'S HIGHEST LEVEL into a BUYER's MARKET. If the day comes
when you can buy an authentic, original CASABLANCA US 1-Sheet for $7500 or an
original FRANKENSTEIN US 1-Sheet for $75,000, our hobby will truly be in
desperate straits."
Spoken like a true seller. I think there are a whole lot of collectors out
there who would totally disagree that a "buyer's market" in movie posters would
be a bad thing.
For starters, any such "fear deflation" would not spread to the whole business,
not without very good reason (like a bunch of convincing fakes turning up in
the $4,000 to $8,000 range). It would start at the very top, where prices are
already absurd even compared to 10 years ago and now limited to purchase by the
very wealthy. I don't consider that situation "good for the hobby" at all.
Quite the opposite: Look at what happened to comic book collecting when that
happened. But anyway, it would be the very high end that was most affected by
Fear and Loathing in Posterville and I'm not going to weep for speculators if
the posters they paid too much for is suddenly worth a bit less than they were
4 years ago. They have to take their lumps in the speculative marketplace just
like they do in the stock market or the real estate market. As for genuine
collectors who have owned their rare Universal Horror Stuff for a decade or
more... well, they paid a lot less
for those posters than current prices so if the market price drops some they
are still ahead of the game.
Now if convincing fakes are discovered in the under-$10,000 range then, yes,
there would be some deflation there as well, but there should be if such
convincing fakes are discovered. Why should buyers continue to spend large sums
of money without some believable assurance that they aren't being had -- either
knowingly or unknowingly by the seller?
The selling and restoration communities (who are the "industry" part of this
hobby-industry) are now going to circle the wagons and try to convince all of
us circling buyer-Indians that there is no real cause for alarm and that we
should all continue to go on paying ever-increasing prices for the desirable
pieces year after year.
Phooey. As sellers were so fond of saying during the Big Price Run Up, "it's
the market that sets the price". OK, so let's go with that -- or is does that
maxim only apply when the market is constantly rising?
If Greed is Good, then logically Deflation is Good as well -- because it allows
people to indulge their greed by getting more for their money.
I think it is very inaccurate to describe concerned collectors who are trying
to get to the bottom of this problem -- and then actually *do something* about
it (which never was done in the past when fakes were discovered) -- as people
pouring gasoline on the flames. Knowledge is not gasoline and Truth is not
flames.
-- JR
[email protected] wrote:
I think that any collector or dealing who's looking to buy or bid on a high-end
poster or lobby card should be CAUTIOUSLY CONCERNED before proceeding with his
possible acquisition, but I can see the lever of PARANOIA and FEAR reaching
some kind of a fever pitch soon...and I this 99% of it is UNWARRANTED.
This Universal Horror forgery situation was like the PERFECT STORM...you bring
together one collector fairly new to the hobby (since 2001, I think the article
said). who allegedly joins forces with one of the most brilliant restorers in
the hobby---the specter of GREED enters into the equation and...PRESTO...a few
months or a couple years later you have a two million dollar forgery plan that
ultimately FAILED. But in order for it to ever happen, the linchpin in this
whole scenario (or any scenario like it) is THE RESTORER.
The fact of the matter is that there are VERY FEW restorers out there who can
do the INCREDIBLE things that our Alleged Universal Horror Forgery Restorer can
do.
Hey, these guys have been virtually PAINTING IN GREAT BIG MISSING PIECES of
movie posters for 15 years or more...this practice is NOTHING NEW. On the
other hand, creating an ENTIRE poster IS something new. But I don't think
there are THAT MANY RESORERS out there who are CAPABLE of pulling something
like this off.
Sure, I think we should have some entity in the hobby who examines high end
pieces and certifies that they're authentic. But with all this FEAR and
PARANOIA out there, if I had the funds available, I'd have my sights on that
CREATURE 1-Sheet that's presently only at $3300. Hell, the way I see it this
is the PERFECT TIME for some 50's Sci-Fi collector out there to get an
original Creature From The Black Lagoon
US 1-Sheet for, who knows...maybe UNDER $10,000!!
I think we as seasoned collectors and dealers have a RESPONSIBILITY not to
EMPTY A CAN OF GASOLINE on the gathering flames of FEAR and PARANOIA.
Otherwise, we ourselves will be an INTREGAL PART of turning Movie Poster
Collecting EVEN ON IT'S HIGHEST LEVEL into a BUYER's MARKET. If the day comes
when you can buy an authentic, original CASABLANCA US 1-Sheet for $7500 or an
original FRANKENSTEIN US 1-Sheet for $75,000, our hobby will truly be in
desperate straits.
This kind of Buyer's Market, might be "good" for the Collector, but it's
definitely BAD FOR THE HOBBY and the HOBBY'S FUTURE. I think whether it's
GLENN BECK or a member poster on MoPo---spewing out utterances of FEAR and
PARANOIA are an effective way to make people TOTALLY SCARED SHITLESS
when maybe they should be CAUTIOUS + CONCERNED---wanting to EXAMINE ALL OF THE
FACTS instead of frantically clutching on to the terrifying SOUND BITES. Hey, I
thin we SHOULD be concerned about what's going on...VERY CONCERNED. But I also
think that if I had a few extra bucks, I'd email the seller who has the
CREATURE 1Sheet up on eBay...ask some questions, perform as thorough
investigation as I could---and WIN THAT $20,000 one sheet for 1/2 WHAT IT'S
WORTH!
The point I'm trying to make is that we need to be a part of the SOLUTION,
not a part of the PROBLEM.
If we all join in and take the TERROR LEVEL up to RED when maybe it should be
on YELLOW---we're consciously or unconsciously throwing fuel on the fire that
eventually could lead to "THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR HOBBY"....
Rick Ryan
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
Send a message addressed to: [email protected]
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
Send a message addressed to: [email protected]
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
