Author Topic: Good Finds  (Read 3936 times)

Offline redman

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Good Finds
« on: April 14, 2019, 05:44:30 PM »
Judith Miller, author and an expert on UK Antiques Roadshow tv show was asked:

What the most thrilling item you have seen on the Antiques Roadshow?

A man came to the Roadshow with a great story and a great find. When he was 11 in the 1970s he’d gone with his mother to a house sale and was extremely bored until he found over a hundred posters in a brown paper bag. They were of trains, planes and liners – classic Art Deco. He asked if they could buy them but they were part of a job lot of an artist’s studio and his mother said “no”. At the auction a 
lady bought the lot for £13.

The young boy offered her 50p for the posters and she accepted. He brought in four by the French artist Jean Dupas and I valued them at £10,000 each.


google says this episode was shown in 2009 - i have long since forgot if i saw it  ;D





Offline okiehawker

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Re: Good Finds
« Reply #1 on: April 14, 2019, 07:03:21 PM »
Judith Miller, author and an expert on UK Antiques Roadshow tv show was asked:

What the most thrilling item you have seen on the Antiques Roadshow?

A man came to the Roadshow with a great story and a great find. When he was 11 in the 1970s he’d gone with his mother to a house sale and was extremely bored until he found over a hundred posters in a brown paper bag. They were of trains, planes and liners – classic Art Deco. He asked if they could buy them but they were part of a job lot of an artist’s studio and his mother said “no”. At the auction a 
lady bought the lot for £13.

The young boy offered her 50p for the posters and she accepted. He brought in four by the French artist Jean Dupas and I valued them at £10,000 each.


google says this episode was shown in 2009 - i have long since forgot if i saw it  ;D

Great hunting story, Redman!  I wish I could go back to flea market hunting when I was 11 years old.  Okie

Offline cabmangray

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Re: Good Finds
« Reply #2 on: April 14, 2019, 08:18:31 PM »
When I was a senior in high school, I made the wonderful discovery that movie posters were distributed by an outfit called National Screen Service. That name rang a bell because I vaguely remember seeing a sign many times when driving past it with something Screen Service on it, so I pulled out our local telephone book (remember those?) looked them up and lo and behold they were located on Midland Avenue in Paramus New Jersey, an easy 20 minute drive from where I lived. So summoning up all the sand I could, called them and asked the secretary if I could buy posters from them. She put me through to the head manager of the branch who said yes. I told him I wanted to buy a poster from DIRTY HARRY and DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER. He said to come by after 4:30 (after everyone had left), which I did. We went to his office and on his desk was a mint folded 1-sheet for each. I think the price was $4.00 each which I gladly paid. I made several other after hours visits for several months to buy more until one day the branch manager was gone and someone new was in charge who quickly slammed the door on my arrangement. Seems I wasn't the only one who was having clandestine dealings with this man and he got a little greedy with pulling posters out of the warehouse and lining his pockets with the proceeds. He got canned.

Knowing what I know now I would love to jump into Welles Time Machine and go back to that time with $1000 in my pocket and load up. Lord knows what was in the warehouse (this was 1974) but I'm certain it must have been fairly packed with goodies.

Offline okiehawker

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Re: Good Finds
« Reply #3 on: April 14, 2019, 08:58:51 PM »
Hi. Cabman, In 1974, I would bet some Golden Age posters may have been there as well.  Good times!  Okie

Offline cabmangray

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Re: Good Finds
« Reply #4 on: April 14, 2019, 10:46:00 PM »
Hi, Okie. I have no way of knowing for sure but what I think may have led to the dismissal of my connection might partly be my fault. Being young, stupid, and not knowing enough to keep my mouth shut I mentioned my arrangement to someone who I thought was my friend who wanted to know all the details like who to ask for, what time to call, prices, etc. Like a dunce I told him everything. Fucking stupid naïve me figured "he's my friend, why not share this with him. He's a good guy" Because my financial resources were limited I only bought a couple of posters at a time. When I visited my "friends" house I saw a big pile of 1-sheets on the coffee table. When I saw what was there I started to burn. Pristine mint 1-sheets for all the Connery Bonds original and reissue, CHARADE, style A & B to THE DESPERATE HOURS, both advances for A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, many lobby card sets, a R-56 CASABLANCA 1-sheet and R-56 rolled insert. I admit I was green with envy and hoped I didn't make a mistake telling this prick about this connection. Sure enough, the next week when I called NSS to place an order, my man was gone. When I asked his replacement what happened he told me "people" noticed some vintage paper had gone missing and specifically mentioned CASABLANCA. Who knows how long my connection was ripping off material from the warehouse but it must have been a long time, since "people" were watching and noticing.

I guess I really should thank my "friend" for teaching me a stone hard lesson which I carried all the years I was a dealer - don't tell anybody anything! Zip! Nothing! When I discovered a good source I kept it to myself. Ain't nobody's business but mine anyhow. And believe me, other collectors would ask "where do you get your stuff?" The answer would be "Oh, I found it in a box on the street" or "I just printed them up!"

Offline DekeThornton

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Re: Good Finds
« Reply #5 on: April 15, 2019, 12:29:38 AM »
Hi, Okie. I have no way of knowing for sure but what I think may have led to the dismissal of my connection might partly be my fault. Being young, stupid, and not knowing enough to keep my mouth shut I mentioned my arrangement to someone who I thought was my friend who wanted to know all the details like who to ask for, what time to call, prices, etc. Like a dunce I told him everything. Fucking stupid naïve me figured "he's my friend, why not share this with him. He's a good guy" Because my financial resources were limited I only bought a couple of posters at a time. When I visited my "friends" house I saw a big pile of 1-sheets on the coffee table. When I saw what was there I started to burn. Pristine mint 1-sheets for all the Connery Bonds original and reissue, CHARADE, style A & B to THE DESPERATE HOURS, both advances for A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS, many lobby card sets, a R-56 CASABLANCA 1-sheet and R-56 rolled insert. I admit I was green with envy and hoped I didn't make a mistake telling this prick about this connection. Sure enough, the next week when I called NSS to place an order, my man was gone. When I asked his replacement what happened he told me "people" noticed some vintage paper had gone missing and specifically mentioned CASABLANCA. Who knows how long my connection was ripping off material from the warehouse but it must have been a long time, since "people" were watching and noticing.

I guess I really should thank my "friend" for teaching me a stone hard lesson which I carried all the years I was a dealer - don't tell anybody anything! Zip! Nothing! When I discovered a good source I kept it to myself. Ain't nobody's business but mine anyhow. And believe me, other collectors would ask "where do you get your stuff?" The answer would be "Oh, I found it in a box on the street" or "I just printed them up!"

Great story. Thanks for sharing. I really feel for teenaged you and all the great acquisitions that might have been.

You learned a painful lesson:

Offline cabmangray

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Re: Good Finds
« Reply #6 on: April 15, 2019, 04:32:12 PM »
 ;D happy1