Hi Pov
I asked the question about the difference in definition between "Vintage"
and "Original" after I had ordered a bunch of slabbed stills so that I could
have a look at them first hand. The definition of "Vintage" is listed in the
guarantee on the back of the card:
"A vintage photograph is considered "authentic" if it was printed from the
original negative on or near the time that the photograph was taken".
That's fine but there was no definition of "original" on the website to
compare "Vintage" to "Original" so thats why I was curious. From your email
and according to CGC, it is better to have a "Vintage" still than an
"Original" still. This might confuse many collectors who attach a different
meaning to the word "original".
According to CGC a still can only fall into three categories. However, Bruce
currently has a load of stills on auction and he is obviously an
acknowledged and well respected expert in grading stills probably with many
more years of experience than CGC. He is referring to many of the stills in
his auction as "Vintage Original" which seems quite a reasonable description
for many of the stills he has. However, if you go by CGC categories that is
a contradiction in terms as they say that an "original" is a lesser still
than a "vintage" still.
No wonder collectors get confused with different description levels from
different dealers and, now, authentication services. And this doesnt even
consider the grading levels with the various interpretations of "fine" etc.
The stills I received all look quite good in their "slabs" but they were all
quite low value items and the cost of getting them appraised and slabbed
would have been far more than the items actually sold for. That indicates
that an effort is being made to get slabbed lobby cards and stills out into
the market so that they will be come an accepted form of authentication.
I know that many people collect stills so hopefully all of this discussion
will be of interest to them.
Regards
John
Website: www.moviemem.com
JOHN REID VINTAGE MOVIE MEMORABILIA
PO Box 92
Palm Beach
Qld 4221
Australia
----- Original Message -----
From: "Michael Spampinato" <[email protected]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Friday, July 23, 2010 6:50 AM
Subject: [MOPO] Lobby Card "Slabs" - my chat with CGC
I just got off the phone with CGC and asked them several questions about
"slabbing" lobby cards, which they were quite happy to answer.
The Plastic Case Itself
First, the "case" is nothing like a baseball card's or comic book's thick,
hard
case.
It is essentially encapsulation. The lobby card is sealed between two
sheets of
archival Barex plastic. It is not laminated and is free within the sealed
Barex.
The plastic sheets are about 10-12mil thick each and fairly stiff. They
measure
12.5" x 16".
There is a 3 hole punch on the top end if you want to put them in a
binder. On
the right short end is the label itself. They can be framed as is and will
fit
fine behind a matte board in a frame.
The card can be removed by cutting the case open.
The Label
The label contains the following info:
Grade
Title
Date
Studio
Distributor number (such as the NGC 54-127 for example)
Major performers
In the case of a re-release, that is notated and the date is listed as
R-19XX,
with a notation to the re-releasing company and also a notation of the
original
release date.
Other notations may include some factual info such as the film won an
Academy
Award
Restoration
Restored cards get a purple color label.
Restoration is noted as Amateur (A) or Professional (P)
Extent of restoration is designated Slight, Moderate or Extensive
So a card with Slight Professional restoration would get a "Slight (P)"
designation
Graders Notes
Generally graders notes are not generally made. Some notes are used to
record an
unusual defect.
So that is some basic information.
I DO understand the negative reactions going around. But some of this
seems to
be based on misunderstanding, disinformation or kneejerk reactions.
There IS one thing I really cannot understand though: the popularity of
linen
and paper-backed pieces in a hobby where so many people are saying they
would
miss the feel of the paper if it were encapsulated. I have to ask if these
folk
have any linen/paper backed pieces? If so, do they actually "feel" like a
poster
to you? To me they don't feel at all like posters, or even "paper". The
paper
backed ones feels like, well, cardboard and linen backed feels actually
rather
"icky" to me and far from movie paper. :)
Pov
May the holes in your collection be filled.
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
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