Excellent observations and conclusions.
If you were to list separately on an online auction site, I'm pretty sure the 
bottom line (i.e. ... gross receipts less your original acquisition costs / 
shipping costs / selling commissions): does not include: time spent on listing 
/ packaging / shipping, shipping costs, packaging supplies, and of course, the 
headache/heartache of dealing with ne'er-do-wells.
ad
--- On Sat, 3/20/10, Glenn Taranto <[email protected]> wrote:

From: Glenn Taranto <[email protected]>
Subject: [MOPO] The real value of posters...
To: [email protected]
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2010, 11:31 AM



 
 


 
This is an interesting topic to me. Poster value has been a 
big subject in the last few days. New poster prices vs. older poster prices and 
now this Metropolis conversation.  
 
I've been making a study of something I was 
personally involved with and had planned to report back to the 
group a little later but now seems like a good time to offer my 
preliminary findings.
 
I consigned to Bruce a lot of 70 vintage, lesser 
title, lesser condition, posters. This was the same lot I 
offered to MOPO members less than a year ago.
 
No one was interested at 750. I don't recall anyone even 
making an offer.  In fact, one of our more 
esteemed members emailed me privately to say there 
wasn't one poster on the list worth ten dollars and I 
should break them up sell them in smaller lots. 
 
In Bruce's auctions 2 of these posters sold for 112.00 
and 124.00. Several sold in the 50 - 60 dollar range and again many sold in the 
30 - 40 range. One title, the one in the worst possible condition sold for 
45.00! Individually these posters sold for over double what I offered them for. 
No one is more surprised than me since I was convinced, by 
MOPO standards, I bought a pig in poke.
 
What I realized from all this is no one in the hobby really 
knows anything, people are willing to spend good money on precisely 
what they want and no poster is worth the price when either buying or 
selling.
 
Bottom line of the study...
 
It's all a crap shoot so you better collect what you like 
and consider yourself lucky if you sell it for more than you paid.
 
GT

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: 
  Bruce Hershenson 
  To: [email protected] 
  
  Sent: Saturday, March 20, 2010 5:56 
  AM
  Subject: Re: [MOPO] Any bets on 
  METROPOLIS?
  
Here's the thing about expensive movie posters. It doesn't 
  amount to a hill of beans what all the "rooters" think a poster SHOULD 
  sell for. All that matters is what the few well-heeled bidders think, and 
when 
  one of the major players (Kirk Hammett) switches from buyer to seller, that 
is 
  a HUGE reversal in the tiny high end part of the hobby.

The 
  entire hobby is a pyramid. I have sold to 31,000 movie paper fans, and maybe 
  20,000 of those would never spend even $100 on a single item. Probably 
another 
  8,000 would never spend $500, and probably another 2,000 would never spend 
  $1,000. That last 1,000 or so HAVE spent $1,000 or more on a single 
  poster.

How many have spent $40,000 or more? A couple of dozen or so. 
  And it is what THEY think of the Metropolis insert that matters, not 
  what anyone else thinks.

I am content to keep mostly selling to those 
  20,000 who like posters between $1 and $100. THAT part of the hobby is doing 
  quite well!

Bruce

P.S. My estimates are wild guesses, although I 
  could, if I wanted, analyze my sales and see the actual numbers.  The 
  true numbers might be off, but the basis concept is 100% sound. The top of 
the 
  pyramid is incredibly tiny, just as it is in comic books, or baseball cards, 
  or Van Gogh paintings.


  On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 11:00 PM, Richard Halegua Comic 
  Art <[email protected]> 
wrote:

  
    first time I said $75-125k
then I said $100-125k

I still 
    think at $100k, I was closest.. LOLOLOL
    
    
    


At 08:41 PM 3/19/2010, Bruce Hershenson wrote:

    So who was closest?

On Fri, Mar 19, 2010 at 
      5:26 AM, allen day <[email protected]> wrote:

      
        I'll take some of that action.


        $168k  (includes BP)


        ad


        --- On Fri, 3/19/10, Brek Anderson < 
        [email protected]> wrote:

        

          From: Brek Anderson < [email protected]>


          Subject: Re: [MOPO] Any bets on METROPOLIS?

          To: [email protected]

          Date: Friday, March 19, 2010, 12:45 AM



          $268,361   Bet 25 cents.



          ----- Original Message -----

          From: "Richard Halegua Comic Art" <[email protected]>

          To: [email protected]

          Sent: Thursday, March 18, 2010 12:24:36 PM GMT -07:00 US/Canada 
          Mountain

          Subject: Re: [MOPO] Any bets on METROPOLIS?


          much less than that I think.. $100-125k



          At 11:13 AM 3/18/2010, James Richard wrote:

          
            Is there a betting pool going on what the METROPOLIS poster will 
            go for this weekend at Heritage?


            I'm thinking around $200,000 (since it is "only an insert" and 
            doesn't actually have the image of the robot-Maria on it).


            
http://movieposters.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=7019&Lot_No=85446 
            


            This Friday, March 19th the 
            'Rarest Of The Rare' 1927 Metropolis Movie Poster is up for 
            Auction

            
            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.


    
    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.


    

    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.
   
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.

Reply via email to