** A factual error has been pointed out to me by a fellow MoPo member that I wish to correct. ** The record price for the "camel style" poster to "Lawrence of Arabia" is held by Heritage. On March 11, 2008, it hammered for $12,000 ($14,340 with a 19.5% buyer's premium). On December 11, 2008, Bruce Hershenson sold the same style poster for $11,111 without a premium. ** I chose "Lawrence" as a big-picture way to refute what to me was a negative connotation of Bruce selling quantity over quality. I was wrong to state the price of the camel poster sold by Bruce was "a record," and I should have chosen a Jean Harlow poster or anything else Bruce sold for above $10K in 2008-2009 -- to illustrate the same point, e.g., his sale of a 1934 one-sheet from "The Girl from Missouri," which sold for $18,200 w/o a premium on August 19, 2008. -d. ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] To: [email protected] Sent: Saturday, March 20, 2010 6:21 PM Subject: Re [MOPO] Any bets on METROPOLIS? ** Speaking ONLY for myself, a contemplative confessional from Bruce about the shifts in his selling ideologies over the span of 20 years would only matter to dealers who compete against Bruce -- and would be of little interest to us collectors. It appears like an attempt to catch him in a contradiction when in fact we all undergo transformations and re-tooling to ensure self-preservation. I've written thousands of words about Bruce and his consignment model -- and each transformation or attempt at self-re-invention has been a success. The quantity vs. quality question seems a back-handed way of saying Bruce no longer sells quality and only sells mid-range-to-cruddy stuff at high volumes. This is not true from where I sit as a consumer. No, he might not have a Frankenstein one-sheet come his way very soon -- nor would he care to go back to the "showroom" model with high overheads -- but he has sold things like the "camel" poster from "Lawrence of Arabia" for more than $11K during the nadir of the recession, still a record for that title. There is no venue or business model he has not tried before settling into his current model, hence to me he speaks with experience and some authority. Of course he's not the FINAL authority, but he's credible. Bruce's churning methods and fast pace have conditioned thousands of collectors AND dealers throughout this small hobby -- many who continue to both BUY and CONSIGN to him -- to reflexively check his listings anyway, as regularly as one would brush their teeth. Any collector or dealer who chooses to ignore his listings makes a conscious choice to pass up a potential bargain. ** The most important issue to most of us is still full disclosure and quality service -- and not questions about why competing dealer "x" thought one way in 1990 and became "y" in 2000 and is now "z" in 2010, e.g., which to me, as it pertains to Bruce -- is an efficiently run factory operation moving a wide swath of material that's honestly graded for thousands of customers. If I ever want something akin to the Hope Diamond, I can always consult the Greys, the Seans, the Todds, the Freemans and the Walters and Kirbys and Sams, -- and even the Bruces, etc., etc., of the world. (Sorry if I left anyone out, I've bought from most everyone so it's hard to remember.) If I was a dealer, I wouldn't be surprised if all of the aforementioned names -- have shifted their ideologies about poster selling in conjunction with the universal acceptance of the Internet, and have subsequently found their niches or comfort zones -- and adjusted accordingly. Some of us still know where to go for certain things. -d. ===================== From: Sean Linkenback To: [email protected] Re: [MOPO] Any bets on METROPOLIS? Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:22:52 -0700 Bruce, Could you share the story with us that led to your decision to change directions as it were in your poster selling philosophy? Certainly in the early days of your business you concentrated on catering to "investors" and/or "advanced collectors". Yes, you published your sales list, but your convention appearances and focus of course was on quality over quantity and in getting those high-dollar pieces for the early Christie's auctions and working to attract high-end collectors. I even remember reading a profile on poster investing with you in a Delta Skymiles Magazine, and you related a story where you met with Jose and wanted to buy all 3 copies of the one-sheet he had on "This Gun For Hire". What happened that made you do a change and decide to focus on quantity instead? 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.
