To buy or Not to Buy (from a dealer)

[Mirosae]

Gents & Ladies

Would appreciate views from my fellow APF colleagues. i found an incredible poster, really one of the best posters I've seen. And now available from a dealer.

It was auctioned  at EMP - 11 years ago. It is the same poster,  sold for $ Z00 and now  on the market available for $Y000 (this figure is 7 times over its original price). No one else has seen another copy...

Price aside, the poster is LBd and apparently the job was done poorly and it would probably need rework. The resto might be really expensive - and yes, everyone agreed that if I buy it I would have to work on it. PM said that it could be "beyond" repair , but they would need to see it in person. Other resto experts have expressed similar views about a potntial restoration and its complexity. Everyone agrees it is an exquisite poster but a pain in the Royal back side (and expensive)

But...but....my heart must have it...so I need your heads to help me out please...


Shall I give in

Or shall I give it ip..

Thank you for reading...

 

[Harry Caul]

Do you feel it's a fair-ish price at $Y000?  I ask as I was looking through the EMP archives and lamenting that I didn't buy up every single Aussie 1-sheet for Halloween that sold pre-2009.  That poster has easily moved 7x, although admittedly you can see a clear pattern even with only a handful of examples.  For your poster it sounds like there isn't much sales history to comfort you....

Aussie Halloween 1-sheet sales history at EMP

[Harry Caul]

Bottom line, I need more info before voting 

[jayn_j]

Bottom line, I need more info before voting 

I agree.  I understand your desire to no out the poster, but we really have little to go on except your general tastes.

Most anything can be fixed.  I would think repacking is not too bad.  Was the poster plastered with paint, destroying the intent?  Kind of like that ET one?  What besides the backing was "fixed"?

[Crazy Vick]

Rosa did you check with Dan at Backing to the Future? 

[Ari]

tough one, without restoration is it presentable enough to put on your wall?

[Mirosae]

Rosa did you check with Dan at Backing to the Future? 

Good thought Vick. No, I  didn't..I went to my usual suspects...will check it out. Thanks for helping!

[Mirosae]

tough one, without restoration is it presentable enough to put on your wall?

Yes..I guess it comes down to that question. I think it is...

But not sure if I can resist temptation and end up expending a fortune.....

[50s]

I reckon it will look worse when you see it in person and if many say it is beyond repair that doesn't sound great. If only you could see it in person. Not repairable could also be flaking to pieces, so if you sneeze on it half might blow away. Maybe ask for a high res image of it and print it blown up... It will probly look better in the long run!  If it is flaking or rapidly aging, I vote buy a dress

[Chris9000]

I have been in a similar position before.. thinking I'd never see one of my 'must haves' again.

My type-A ruled out though, and the condition it was in just wasn't up to par for what I thought the poster's place in my collection deserved. It was sad to let it go, but as it always goes, another 'must have' came along eventually and became a more appropriate investment than the beat down one.

For my few cents, I say pass.

[eatbrie]

"Beyond repair" is a definite no for me.  It could be the rarest poster on the planet, or the one that I want most, at the end of the day what you're going to end up with is a mess.  Not the original poster that you want, but something that has been so worked on you might as well buy one of those ridiculous reprints that sell for so much money.  So I'd pass and concentrate my efforts on the next best thing.

T

[ladeda]

If cost isn't an issue and if you do have it restored, would you be okay with that? How do you feel about heavily restored posters to begin with?

If cost is an issue, then stuff it. Pouring money and effort into something you're not sure about to begin with will only make you

[rumble]

"No one else has seen another copy..."


There's your answer, right there. If you really want that poster, there is little chance it will come up again in another 11 years. Go for it. Maybe you can negotiate with the dealer - my experience is that there is always some wiggle room in dealer prices. And maybe you have something nice to throw in as a trade. Good luck!

[DekeThornton]

Given that most of us have limited funds for poster buying, I would  look at it this way:

Is this single poster the highest best use of your $Y000 (in terms of the satisfaction it brings to you)?

Maybe there are multiple other must-have posters you could get for the same amount.

I will share my story of chasing one of my unicorns. I had been on the lookout for Dona Diabla for over 5 years and never saw one come up for sale at any price. When Bruce auctioned Dwight Cleveland's copy, it went for over $3800. I was sorely tempted to stay in the bidding, but thought of the other unicorns I could get for the same amount. And then one came up on eBay a few short months later for next to nothing.

Closing thoughts: there are more rare and beautiful posters out there than one person could ever hope to own. You may kick yourself if you miss out on one, but you just move on to the next.