Unicorns

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

After scrutinising the poster I have next to Holiday's I also noticed there is another (slight) discrepancy between them. The website typography (www.whatisthematrix.com) at the bottom of Holiday's begins under the 'R' of Joel Silver and on mine it begins further right. I have manipulated both photos so the type is clearer. Notice the different places the '.com' starts under the other typography.

Good work AP.

One of you boys has the bootleg.  The question is who?  Note that yours is very clearly cropped compared to Holiday's - check the window next to Trinity's shoulder.

So three different "croppings."  The Sonis reprint shows the least cropping of the window, Holiday's less, and yours has the most cropping.

[agentprovocateur]

Cheers Mel... that's interesting about the crop on the right of Trinity's should.

Strangely tho if you have a look at the cropping in the top right hand corner you can see all the window on mine and on Holiday's the top corner's cropped... but that may be because Holiday's photo is cropped and it is actually there.

[EDIT2: I've created a new thread for this in the authentication department as I don't think all this should be in the Unicorn thread! Sorry to everyone that got bored with it.]

[Thomsen]

I finally managed to get hold of one of my unicorns: The Italian quattro-fogli (140x200cm) from one of my favorite film noir, Abraham Polonsky's FORCE OF EVIL (1948).

I have been in love with this poster ever since I first saw a picture of it in an article on the movie somewhere on the web years ago. I searched everywhere for it and it turned out none of the major auction sites had ever had it up for sale. Chisholm in New York had one that they sold about five years ago for $2000. Then I found a linen-backed copy at Posteritati in New York. Unfortunately their asking price was $1200 - somewhat over my budget as I am an adult student at the moment and I would also have to add shipping to Denmark (expensive for a linen-backed poster) and 25% import taxes to the asking price. I also heard about an Italian dealer who possibly had a copy in stock. I wrote him and he confirmed, but he wanted €750 for the poster, roughly the same as the poster from Posteritati at that time.

In the summer of 2009, Posteritati then had a 25% sale, the Dollar was cheap and I had some extra cash to spare, so I was seriously considering taking the plunge and ordering it. However, I decided to wait till after our annual family vacation, and of course, by the time I returned to Denmark someone else had bought the thing. That was definitely a low point in my time as a poster collector.

Since then I have been waiting for it to pop up again somewhere. Last week I took a chance and searched out that Italian dealer again (who now apparently is an ex-dealer as his website has not been up in 2-3 years). He wrote me back a couple of days ago and confirmed that he still has it and the asking price was now only €450 which included UPS delivery to Denmark. That offer was too good to refuse, so now it's currently in transit to my place. Years of longing are about to be fulfilled. 

Another dealer's picture of the poster as it looks when backed:




Some pictures of the poster I am getting:





As you can see, the two parts are in pretty good shape for their age. There a two small holes in cross folds in the upper part, one with a tiny bit of paper-loss (see close-up). Fortunately the paper-loss is in the black area and I seem to recall from talking with restorers before that this should be quite easy to repair?

[brude]

That is a stunning poster, Thomsen.
One of the finest two-color pieces I think I have ever seen.
I have added it to my wish list.
Congratulations! 

[CSM]

Force of Evil 

[erik1925]

Congrats on snagging your unicorn!!   

Jeff

[Thomsen]

Thanks, guys!

I am actually waiting for the courier to deliver it at the moment. It's on a truck somewhere in Copenhagen.

Now I just need the girlfriend to get out of the apartment first, so there will be no awkward questions à la "I thought you had no money left this month to buy me that thing"... 

[holiday]

no awkward questions à la "I thought you had no money left this month to buy me that thing"... 

We are all ho's.

[CJ138]

We are all ho's.

We are all ho's. That is my new motto.

[Dr Hackenbush]

We are all ho's. That is my new motto.

It's gonna be my new sig line

[oldposterho]

***ahem***

This is my streetcorner.  Don't make me cut you...

[Chop-Top]

I just picked this up, did I get a good price for the conditon? I had never seen one before this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170612591646&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

[guest8]

I have no info .. but that is actually a Flash Gordon poster that I like ! Good Score CT! (hopefully)

[AdamCarterJones]

I just picked this up, did I get a good price for the conditon? I had never seen one before this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170612591646&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

This is very nice in my opinion.
Good buy!

[kovacs01]

That is a good price, that guy has been trying to sell it for a while and I want to say he started at around $249.  They come up for sale sometimes, but not all that often.  There is also a landscape version of the same artwork.

[Chop-Top]

The landscape version doesn't have the art-deco theater at the top. At least I think it's a theater.

[dhart3]

For those interested in Ape posters, here's one I've been hunting for a long time and finally snagged.  The rare style A of COTPOTA.

[brude]

For those interested in Ape posters, here's one I've been hunting for a long time and finally snagged.  The rare style A of COTPOTA.

Nice poster, Danny.  I haven't seen that style in ages.   

[brude]

I just picked this up, did I get a good price for the conditon? I had never seen one before this auction:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=170612591646&ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT

Great poster. I also prefer it to the horizontal.
Price-wise, I got you beat. I won this poster about two years ago when the seller mistakenly listed it as FALSH GORDON.
I mis-typed and came across it and he never made the correction.
Voila, she became mine for $19.99 opening bid. 

Now, I often intentionally mis-type in the hopes of finding other goodies.
A poor poster hoarder has to do what he's got to do... 

[AdamCarterJones]

 

I have to say, personally, WHAT A BUY FOR $19.99 !!!!!

[Chop-Top]

Great poster. I also prefer it to the horizontal.
Price-wise, I got you beat. I won this poster about two years ago when the seller mistakenly listed it as FALSH GORDON.
I mis-typed and came across it and he never made the correction.
Voila, she became mine for $19.99 opening bid. 

Now, I often intentionally mis-type in the hopes of finding other goodies.
A poor poster hoarder has to do what he's got to do... 

Ted, what was the condition of yours? I don't mind paying what I did for mine, but I want to make sure I didn't overpay for the edge wear it has. I took a gamble based on 5 minutes of research telling me it was a rare poster.

[brude]

Ted, what was the condition of yours? I don't mind paying what I did for mine, but I want to make sure I didn't overpay for the edge wear it has. I took a gamble based on 5 minutes of research telling me it was a rare poster.

Mine is rolled, near mint, with a tiny bit of edge wear on upper left corner.
As far as rarity?  They seem to be pretty easy to find, yet expensive.  I believe you got a good price. 

[Harry Caul]

So you are now dropping $125 with 5 minutes of 'research'?  Mel, you are so fucked. Believe me, I know all the signs

[brude]

So you are now dropping $125 with 5 minutes of 'research'?  Mel, you are so fucked. Believe me, I know all the signs

That wasn't Mel...that was Chop-Top, you silly.... 

[Harry Caul]

Sorry. My head hasn't been on right since before my daughter was born. Chop-top, I don't recall what or how often you buy, but you could very well be as fucked as Mel and me!

Sorry Mel, I'm not letting you off the hook.