Andy I played poker for a living for 10 years, with no other income, and I assure you I know far more on this subject than you do!
Way way more money has been won cheating at poker than has been won honestly, and many of the world's most famous poker players were major cheats, starting with Nick the Greek. Someday I might write a book on it. Bruce On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 8:23 AM, Andy Neal <[email protected]> wrote: > Hmmm interesting to hear lots of mention about poker, bad analogy really > brucie, to win the most at poker or be excellent at poker you have to know > probabilities and be able to work them out in a heartbeat and you need to > understand what outs you have as your going along, also bluffing and knowing > when to bluff is adventageous. > > Just my opinion on the poker comment, the other stuff I couldn't care less > about, mopo is getting FAR too egotistical these days, I can't wait for the > recession to end. > > Andy > > ________________________ > > On 2010-03-21 13:07:01 +0000 Bruce Hershenson <[email protected]> > wrote: > > > > > Thanks much David. You wrote an eloquent and spirited reply! > > > > Here's a further reply. I used to think great movie posters were vastly > > undervalued, and I bought lots of them at then current prices. As prices > > rose, many of them no longer seemed undervalued to me, and I sold most of > > what I had bought, hanging onto my very favorites. Those three "This Gun > For > > Hires" were $2500 each, so my assessment was good on that example. > > > > Does a Metropolis insert seem undervalued to me at $47,000? No, but there > > are likely many who feel otherwise, and I am happy they got a bargain, > and I > > hope for their sake these kinds of posters go the way of million dollar > > comics, which I am sorry to say feels totally insane to me, a classic > > "bubble".. > > > > *WHY* I shifted my business model is the same reason i quit playing > poker. > > To win the most at poker, you must find the absolute worst players you > can, > > and cheaters are rewarded (and the house often looks the other way on > > cheating, because the cheaters "take care" of those running the game). I > was > > unwilling to continue playing on those terms, so I stopped playing > entirely. > > > > When I first started high dollar auctions, I was "the only game in town". > As > > many others came along, and when I slowly saw that the majority of high > > dollar auctions were much like high stakes poker (you do the best when > you > > find the absolute most uninformed buyers, and you use "clever" tricks to > get > > them to pay more, as with the 2001 re-release half-sheet), and cheaters > are > > rewarded (and I believe I have it made clear how this is) and since I > knew I > > was not willing to compete for consignments or bidders on those terms, I > > quit high dollar auctions and shifted to my present model. > > > > The result is that, in addition to my earning a living and providing a > > living for 25 employees, I feel that most of my 31,000 customers > certainly > > feel I have provided them with a very useful service, and I bet all of > them > > would say I treated them in an open and honest way, unusual for > collectible > > auctions. Most or all of my 500+ consignors would likely say I provided > them > > with a useful and valuable service, just as David did. > > > > There *ARE *those who keep stretching to find bad things to say about me, > > but oddly they neither buy from me or sell through me, and many people > have > > privately guessed at their motivation, which seems painfully obvious. > > > > I have nothing against high dollar auctions or high stakes poker, when > they > > are 100% honestly run, and there is no deception involved. If I felt I > could > > successfully run such an auction today, I would be willing to try, but I > > doubt I could get enough consignments on those terms, and I truly am > happier > > with my current business model. > > > > But as David said, I have "reinvented" myself several times over the > years, > > and there is no saying I won't do so one more time! > > > > Bruce > > > > On Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 5:21 PM, David Kusumoto > > <[email protected]>wrote: > > > >> ** 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. > >> > >> > > > > 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.
