Here is an email we received recently. Have fun reading this delusional mess
Subject: Very rare PROMOTIONAL folded 1982 poster
DO NOT JUST SCAN FOR BRIEF DETAILS LIKE IMAGE/SIZE TO QUICKLY ASSESS. THIS IS NOT A COMMERCIAL PRINT!
Hello!
I have not put any serious thought into selling this poster, especially since I just found this thing in my closet today, and for all I know, it's totally worthless (but I seriously DOUBT THAT as the more I research what I'm actually holding on to, the more I realize it's so rare folks aren't even going to realize what they're looking at)... In fact, an auction house got back to me as I was still typing up this email with a quick 2-line sentence reply, saying it was "commercial and worthless." Which, I absolutely find to be interesting, considering that I didn't purchase this in the store - nor was it even a gift from a relative or friend from the store - NOR is it even from the same batch stores received for OBVIOUS reasons... It was given to me at the theater by people promoting the movie. It was folded (see 2nd to last picture). And I'll tell you this much: out of everybody who has one of these #3 posters online, like on eBay? I am the ONLY one that seems to have a folded promotional poster. There is literally a possibility that I have the only surviving original promotional/folded version of this poster in the whole world. All the others I found online were newer, and literally rolled versions. Commercial wouldn't have sold posters with creases in them - when folks spent money, they expected crisp, clean, smooth copies ...not something that looked like it just came out of a magazine fold. And as you can tell, by the condition of those FEW rolled posters others advertise online (theirs are extremely smooth, and the color seems more vibrant, and the image is clearer on their "worthless" posters) mine is NOT the same (even if mine was in excellent condition without the wear, mine would still prove to not be from the same commercial prints - I will also add that even though it had minimal protection, the poster has always been in a dry dark place). And yet, I'm seeing these sellers seek anywhere from 20 to 120 bucks for commercial-rolled (which were store bought AFTER the movie released) one person is selling a 3-pack of rolled posters (each with a different image) for $200 - and I actually have confidence that these people are going to get what they ask for (even if it requires a little time and patience) for their "worthless" posters. The irony in all of this, is that, I find it's even harder to find THIS (my) poster online, than even the ones claiming to be rare, like the ones used inside theater. My poster IS actually rare, compared to the hundreds of actual movie posters out there claiming to be rare... it just doesn't make sense. Lots of folks were given a folded poster by the movie theater, before the movie came out, to advertise and make people wonder what this weird-looking creature was all about with very little information at the time. At least at that San Diego theater this is true...And, after the movie came out, fans wanted a nice clean crisp poster, and so they ran out and bought the commercial one to replace it and tossed the folded one away. Fortunately for me, my parents were cheap as hell LOL. So I was stuck with the folded one. So, I know that really, it WILL BE a matter of what a buyer wants, and not what an auction house wants (besides, houses are just scammers for their fee anyways). That auction house that dismissed me WAY to quickly is either incompetent or lazy... That is, unless, the auction house just wants me to give up, and put it up for sale online for five bucks, and keep an eye out, so they can snag it, and make a TON of money. I'm no dummy. I know exactly where I got this poster from. I know exactly how rare mine is.
But, I'm definitely seeking multiple professional opinions regarding the piece, and will go from there. There has to be some kind of history or examination that can prove that what I'm saying is true. You may tell me it's worthless, too, but I'll tell you, I know darn well I didn't get this in the store. And even if everybody that I contact comes back at me with the same story, I will still try to sell it for what I want on my own - I guarantee there is a buyer out there who is going to know what I know about my poster, and they are going to want it, and know it's true worth. There are folks out there who have money to spend on their fancies, who are fully aware that NOT all posters had to be displayed inside the theater in order for the poster to be an original (see last image attached). In my posters case, they are generalizing way too much and not actually paying attention to what's in front of them. Many of them are just dismissing me by briefly scanning key words or the image itself, and actually ignoring their own guidelines to what makes this the kind of poster I say it is; because they have not yet come across one yet - IT'S THAT RARE... Fair condition, or not, it WILL sell, because, unless there are collectors out there who are holding onto one quietly, refusing to let it go, I very well may have the only one in existence.... But, in any event, the poster has me intrigued, and I feel like I'm on a little treasure hunt - even though I'm not holding my breath, because this is so rare, I don't think folks are understanding what they're really looking at here. I got time. They see the image only, and are VERY quick to throw it into the pile of "commercial posters." Their mistake.
So, with that say:
Orig. Promotional Movie Poster - NOT COMMERCIAL
E.T. #3 90603
23x34 - folded
Copyright 1982 Universal Studios and distributed by C/C Sales in Chicago.
History of how I acquired the poster:
I was given the poster (not bought) as a child - and I actually received the poster at the mall outside of the theater that I eventually saw the movie at (before the movie came out). I remember I didn't like the poster - LOL - because of two things (keeping in mind I was THIS picky at 6 years old): the poster was folded, and I thought no good poster with any value would have creases (I remember that I literally likened it to nothing more worthy than a magazine advertisement haha; you know, like those posters we could pull out of National Geographic, that were stapled in the center as kids? - and, of course, at 6 years old, what I considered to be "value" is not the same as now - I'm looking back at it now - that's kind of exactly what it was... An advertisement to promote the movie that was coming... get people wondering who this alien is)... so I didn't care about whoever this creature in the poster was - being 6 years old, I had no idea it was promoting a movie - the poster was so mysterious... It didn't even say it was a movie so there I was staring at some ugly alien and had no idea why they handed me it. I literally just folded it back up and stuck it back in the bag and continued to walk around the mall with my mother, who ended up, not long after, taking us back to the theater to see this movie... it was just some random poster of an alien and I was too young to even know what Universal Studios was (as if I bothered to read it). Which was my second reason for hating the poster... What six-year-old would find value in a "nobody?" E.T. was a nobody to me. I thought E.T. was ugly. In fact, it took me till after I saw the movie to actually display the poster on my closet door. There actually was a third reason I wasn't impressed, as well... It wasn't candy! It was a freaking poster and I was 6 years old LOL... Fast forward to my preteen years... ET was just too immature for me, and I tore him down and replaced him with posters of my favorite bands. The poster was heavily abused because it was always being moved around, and then, eventually it got rolled up and thrown into the top of the back of my closet. Where I literally had forgotten about the image, until today, when I was doing some heavy cleaning. So, the poster has literally just been stored unsealed, rolled up, through decades of being knocked around in my closet for just over 20 years. It is because of this, the poster has taken on some good battle scars. These scars (to the best of my awareness) are as follows:
Paper stained with "age" that appears to mostly brownish yellow, only around the borders and on the back.
There is tape in some of the corners on the border and on the back. There is no tape on the image.
There are, of course, the original fold lines: which, I believe are three horizontal and one vertical. And they are very present. And, the majority of fold lines do have whitening. In addition to the whitening, if I hold the poster to the light with the back of the poster facing me, I am able to see light come through in little tiny pinholes (of actual image) in some areas, where the crease was heavy, with only a few actually being very small rips along seams. On top of the original fold lines (3 horizontal, 1 vertical), at one point, I had carelessly folded the poster up, paying absolutely no attention to the original fold pattern, so there are other fold lines as well (kids really have no clue, do they? HaHa). You can tell these were fold lines I carelessly made, because they are random and not straight, unlike the original fold lines which are very uniform holding 90° angles (and I wouldn't be surprised, if an expert really looked into it, that they'll probably be able to prove that they were the original fold lines from when the poster was originally sent out - however they prove it - I'm sure they can do it).
Along the entire border there are a lot of tears that range from a fraction to an inch, or so, in length, with of course battered edges and knicks. I have not really studied this thing in detail, because it's been rolled up for so long, and it's so old, that I don't want to keep pulling it open to examine it.
In addition to the white lines along the seams in the picture area, there are also a ton of white squiggly lines caused by wrinkles and creases, due to 20 years of being knocked around in the back of my closet, forgetting it was even there. To be honest, I can't believe I never just threw the thing away LOL. Nostalgia, I guess... After all it was my first movie and I did cry for E.T.. So, while the image is definitely visible, and you can tell this is ET, no questions asked, the picture itself is disturbed quite a bit. I have been reading up on the grading system from several different buyers and auctioneers and it appears that my posters condition (as far as rating goes) seems to vary anywhere from Fair to even Very Good (which actually shocked me because I thought for sure it was poor... fair at best); with buyers being way more lenient on grading.
Outside of the few extremely minor tears in the image, that I couldn't see just glancing at the poster, and only found when I let light come through, and the nicks and tears on the complete border, the poster is in one full piece and is not falling apart. I cannot speak on whether or not this poster has any stains, like watermarks? Could very well have some tiny watermarks that look the same color as the aging process? I really can't get this poster open enough to really study it due to how strongly it wants to stay curled. And I know that me fighting with it is just going to risk tearing, etc.
If the information is needed: I do know that the poster was given to me (free) prior to the movie running, as a publicity stunt; and that I received the poster at the same mall I saw the movie at, which was what is now the AMC theater in Mission Valley, San Diego, California (which is now a Westfield Mall - and I can't say with certainty that that theater has always been AMC? I actually think it used to be called something else before?). I still live in San Diego, so the poster has been here in our somewhat-dry climate the whole time. As of right now, I intend to just wrap the poster in some cellophane and tape a seal, because I do not have a poster container at this time.
This is about all I know. For all I know, I just totally wasted my time, and yours, as well... but this darn thing has me so intrigued now! Thank you so much for any feedback you can give me about this piece... And I pray that you have a blessed day.
Sincerely,