Mid-auction analysis - OMGs!, LOLs!, WTFs!, whatev....

[Neo]

I believe this dude recently tried to sell two Pulp Fiction Lucky Strikes posters that appear to be legit.  NeoLoco got one of them for $500.  I don't think the second one sold.

The one I got is a 100% authentic original IMO and I would bet that any of the big dogs would agree.  This is a different seller.

[erik1925]

There are currently 8 copies of the "Lucky Strike" on ebay right now.

[Neo]

There are currently 8 copies of the "Lucky Strike" on ebay right now...

...AND???

[erik1925]

So cool... but SOO huge.. a 24 sheet, from 1939. From FLYING DEUCES. And it looks pristine..  $125,000.00

http://cgi.ebay.com/GREATEST-COMEDY-MOVIE-POSTER-1939-LAUREL-HARDY-/390310932755?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5ae0583113

[erik1925]

...AND???

It's a simple statement of fact. Meant to inform, in case others were interested or curious.

[Neo]

It's a simple statement of fact. Meant to inform, in case others were interested or curious.

Okie dokie then.  I was not sure why that warranted the "..." and if uncertain what someone is saying (or possibly implying) it's generally good to ask...

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

There are eight Lucky Strikes being sold for $1900+.  I got mine for $750 a year ago from a random Ebay seller, a former theater employee.  Neo got his for $500 from a random Ebay seller, whom I also believe is a former theater employee.  Both posters pass all authentication tests with flying colors, despite the smarmy comments from certain "optimists" on this board. So if you want a better deal, monitor the Ebay auctions for one of those rare opportunities and get pics and measurements from the seller before you bid.

[Ari]

all ripped off, IMHO. boring poster, from a boring director, its "cool" I am not cool, screw it, if there is a hundred available, its not rare, want something rare? want to bu a pebble? theres only one like it.

[jayn_j]

One must also question the 'rarity' when there are always a half dozen up for sale.

I just see it as one of those situations where the community is driving a frenzy.  Kind of like the Alamos.  Eventually it will all crash and this poster will stabilize at a couple hundred.

I have one.  Paid a couple dozen bucks for it when it first came out.  If I were into selling stuff,  this would be the time to let it go for $1500.  That price would undercut the market, but be way more than its long term worth.

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

No doubt a few of these Lucky Strikes are popping out of the woodwork at the moment.  It may well be that there are more around than once believed.  We shall see.  I can tell you Rich, who bought a Miramax poster warehouse, thinks they are indeed very rare and he is almost certainly the top authority on the subject.

[archie leach]

There are eight Lucky Strikes being sold for $1900+.  I got mine for $750 a year ago from a random Ebay seller, a former theater employee.  Neo got his for $500 from a random Ebay seller, whom I also believe is a former theater employee.  Both posters pass all authentication tests with flying colors, despite the smarmy comments from certain "optimists" on this board. So if you want a better deal, monitor the Ebay auctions for one of those rare opportunities and get pics and measurements from the seller before you bid.

Neo got his from someone with a connection to the studio.   At least this optimist can get his information right, but, then again, why bother to let a little thing like the truth get in the way of 'expertise'.

One must also question the 'rarity' when there are always a half dozen up for sale.

I just see it as one of those situations where the community is driving a frenzy.  Kind of like the Alamos.  Eventually it will all crash and this poster will stabilize at a couple hundred.

I have one.  Paid a couple dozen bucks for it when it first came out.  If I were into selling stuff,  this would be the time to let it go for $1500.  That price would undercut the market, but be way more than its long term worth.

I saw this same argument when it was a $500 poster and Kirby said that he wouldn't sell his for anything less than $1000.  The availability has always ebbed and flowed over the years, depending on the usual supply and demand.  The fact that Neo and Mel found theirs for significantly less suggests that the over $2000 price point is 'advanced' for this poster, but it does nothing to suggest a change in the overall supply.  It does suggest that the dealers are not in a big hurry to get rid of them.

[Ari]

You cannot create rarity.
a few hundred? to me thats not rare. And I do not believe they printed less tan a few THOUSAND. I have worked in the industry, in as much as I know printing 1 or 1,000 costs almost the same.
 They are not rare, they might have demand higher than the supply. But thats you suckers who want a crap (yes its ugly) poster for a crap (I cant comment never seen it) movie,  and pay more for the piece of rubbish than a genuine rare item, for a genuine great film, or even a good film.
Theres a million of them, the poster is $10 and the DVD less.
Forget the COOL FOR SCHOOL.  Just watch good films and collect posters for them. If you want.

PS if you like the film and like the poster disregard my rant above

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

This situation was unusual because the studio supposedly recalled/withdrew them under threat of lawsuit from RJ Reynolds, a formidable legal adversary. Has that been confirmed? Exactly what happened? Did the studio make active efforts to ensure theaters sent them back or destroyed them? Did it destroy the posters that had not yet been sent to theaters? Obviously some theater employees kept them.

In the end relatively few have surfaced. Maybe nobody wants to sell, maybe relatively few were ever printed, maybe many of them were actually destroyed, maybe somebody is sitting on a big stack of them and slowly parceling them out. Who knows?

[Disheveledamethyst]

I don't know nothin' about anything, but it's my honest belief that the popularity of these movies are fading. I can think of four people my age (12) who liked Pulp Fiction, and if people don't like the movie people don't want the poster.

That and A) Uma Thurman does not seem to be widely considered an attractive woman, certainly not one people would hang on their wall and B) Smoking isn't cool like it was in the early 90s.

But what do I know.

[Ari]

regardless, theres HUNDREDS floating around, That to me isn't rare. Scarce maybe. I am biased, I have zero respect for the film, and the poster no matter which version, BORING. I mean really.. a picture of a average looking woman? dont get it, I see sexier females every day, cos she smokes, crap, I know a hundreds who do also. JUST DOT GET IT. gimme a nice art work or give me death OR give me a good film; or give me a bad film, dont care but 90 mins of mind numbing blah blah will do me

\\edit, Disheveledamethyst as was posting, YES, 

[Harry Caul]

I don't know nothin' about anything, but it's my honest belief that the popularity of these movies are fading. I can think of four people my age (12) who liked Pulp Fiction, and if people don't like the movie people don't want the poster.

That and A) Uma Thurman does not seem to be widely considered an attractive woman, certainly not one people would hang on their wall and B) Smoking isn't cool like it was in the early 90s.

But what do I know.

This matters to a point... There is a whole generation of people who hold this film in high regard.  It will take a while (maybe when people like Mel and I are in our 70s), but once that blip works it way through the system, it may drop in value... until then I see it holding pretty steady at $1k-2K. 

Remember, there a lot of young people who don't care about Brando, Newman, McQueen, etc... as well.  I think we are already beginning to see those posters decrease in value as well as that blip is just getting past its peak.  And don't get me started on pre-war westerns, musicals and animation... those are in a free fall for lack of buyers.

[Harry Caul]

I am biased, I have zero respect for the film...

Didn't you say that you haven't even seen this film Ari?  Everyone is of course entitled to their opinions.  But it seems a bit disingenuous to lobby against it so hard when you haven't even given it a chance...

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

regardless, theres HUNDREDS floating around, That to me isn't rare. Scarce maybe. I am biased, I have zero respect for the film, and the poster no matter which version, BORING. I mean really.. a picture of a average looking woman? dont get it, I see sexier females every day, cos she smokes, crap, I know a hundreds who do also. JUST DOT GET IT. gimme a nice art work or give me death OR give me a good film; or give me a bad film, dont care but 90 mins of mind numbing blah blah will do me

\\edit, Disheveledamethyst as was posting, YES,  

Keep in mind this point of view is from a guy who relishes posters with half-naked cannibal slave women driving dune buggies!

[stewart boyle]

Ari i think your being too conservative with your estimates..there must be Thousands of Rare Lucky Strikes out there..i`ve yet to come across a poster website that doesn`t have at least one for sale..

Stew

[Ari]

I have never seen the film - I am sure its great, a real you bueate ripper. I have no interest, there are more than thousand movies I havnt seen, Ill give them a go before Qt.

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

The Lucky Strike at Cameo sold today for 437 pounds (including 15% commission) or $700.

[CineMasterpieces]

re: pulp fiction recalled lucky strikes

it is not rare because of the number that were printed (most likely several thousand at least imo), it is rare because everyone wants it and it is THE poster to get from the 1990's. And because there are bootlegs of it out there, people are scared to buy from a source that doesn't seem reputable.

a few weeks ago someone sent us 5 of them. We bought them and now they are all listed (except for one we sold a few days ago).

the ones we have left will probably last us a couple of years, then we will be out of stock again like we were last year.


coincidentally, a few days after we bought the lucky strikes posters, someone else sent us an original distributor box of 50 of the regular ones. Its a shame though that many of them were damaged in the box.

http://cgi.ebay.com/PULP-FICTION-1SH-ORIG-MOVIE-POSTER-NM-M-1994-UNUSED-/350086596825?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5182c988d9

an interesting note.......check out the box they came in..........the nss number for pulp fiction?

[paul waines]

Keep in mind this point of view is from a guy who relishes posters with half-naked cannibal slave women driving dune buggies!

Wow... Could you post a pic of this poster Ari, Sounds great.

[Neo]

Ari, you crack me up.  It's rare to see someone with such disdain for something, especially in this case, when you haven't even watched the movie that the poster is for.  You must be on a different wavelength than most folks as Tarantino is considered by many to be one of the best, and Pulp Fiction being one of his best works.  But that is one thing that's cool about you - it seems like you don't want to jump on the gravy train of the "latest and greatest" and buy into all the hype or whatever.

Personally, I think Pulp Fiction is a masterpiece, a timeless classic that will be held in high regard for many years to come.  If the price increases, then great, if not then it really won't bother me.  I've kept an eye on Ebay auctions and this is by far the most I've ever seen at any time for sale there, and not to toot my own horn, but the price I got mine was the cheapest I've seen in over 2 years, and I feel really fortunate to have been able to "strike while the iron is hot."  The smoking thing is ironic for me, as some of the best posters (IMO) have (what I consider to be) sexy ladies smoking cigarettes and I'm not a big fan of tobacco to say the least.  Hopefully a poster I recently scored will arrive today, that is another classic (IMO), and it also has a sexy female smoking.  Pics hopefully later today.

[Disheveledamethyst]

pre-war animation... those are in a free fall for lack of buyers.

GIMME GIMME