How many posters do you buy?

[Charlie]

So much fun to read posts from 10 years back! I went from plenty of want with not a lot of funds to decent funds and not a lot of want. I am 10+ years behind in cataloguing my collection and with the engineering business time drain, barely get more than a few hour block of time. I have no idea how many I have. I don’t even post most of my new acquisitions. The private commissions get a lot of my attention these days. Plus, I am running out of room. I guess I’m averaging 5-10 a month now. I don’t buy them unless they are new or to fill holes. I attempt not to buy anything of little value and lots.  I also can’t stand paying more for a poster than I thinks it’s worth, which seems to be the case at every auction these days. Plus Bruce messing with the weekly T TH S schedule makes me work too hard. I never know when they end or start. Sure he runs a great auction and his customer service is unmatched. Also what is up with these super major auctions with 40 pages. Have they always been 39 pages?  It took me probably two hours just to scan through them the other day. Then the ultimate let down that some wahoo will pay 30% more than a poster has ever sold for before makes the chase sour quickly. And I still don’t buy posters from Heritage - photography department is awesome. So yeah 5-10 probably…

[ealingmovieposters]

Sometime back I changed my strategic goals regarding my collection, given the sky rocketing prices of the 40's and 50's vintage posters I used to buy and the fact that none of my family have any interest in the posters themselves or seeing my collection grow. I have been selling some lessor value UK quads, although still hundreds of dollars worth and buying Mexican, Argentinian, Italian and French posters. It is interesting and challenging to find UK/US classic movie posters from the 40's and 50's from these countries and the prices are a fraction of the UK/US equivalent. I buy about 15 posters a month on average although this includes some really cheap low quality Mexican posters that I am trying to preserve (an extension to the hobby) by paper backing them using archival wheat paste - I am experimenting with various backing paper and card (all archival). Anyway in this way I keep my interest in the hobby which is now more time consuming than money consuming.

[okiehawker]

T: you are the quantity with high quality master! How does he do it folks???  With style, of course!

Antoine: I know we like some of the same posters.  I'm glad we don't compete too much!

Charlie: I for one sure wish you could take some quick pictures and post your new acquisitions from time to time!  I bet there are some nice ones in there.  I hear you, I like feeling I'm getting a poster I like for a good price/deal.  Patience is a good thing sometimes, eh?!

Ealing MP: Very cool that you are yourself conserving rare posters.  What a valiant effort!  That work seems to deserve a gallery showing we could all attend. I promise to bring something better than American individually wrapped cheese slices!

Who else can tell us about their poster buying habit?  Okie

[eatbrie]

T: you are the quantity with high quality master! How does he do it folks???  With style, of course!

Hahah I never thought about it as quantity v quality.  This is totally irrelevant to me, bc quality is so subjective.  What someone thinks is amazing can very well be crap to someone else.  No, I just collect what I like, period, regardless of said quantity or quality and regardless of investment value since I'm not collecting to sell.  If my collection is worth nothing, so be it.

T

[okiehawker]

T, I should have said "high quality condition" when describing your collection!  Okie.

Hahah I never thought about it as quantity v quality.  This is totally irrelevant to me, bc quality is so subjective.  What someone thinks is amazing can very well be crap to someone else.  No, I just collect what I like, period, regardless of said quantity or quality and regardless of investment value since I'm not collecting to sell.  If my collection is worth nothing, so be it.

T

[Zorba]

So much fun to read posts from 10 years back! I went from plenty of want with not a lot of funds to decent funds and not a lot of want. I am 10+ years behind in cataloguing my collection

Yes, partly yes and yes.

I also enjoy reading the old happy positive posts. Where has the last decade gone? 

For various reasons I went from at one point buying roughly 3-5 a week to 2-3 a year. One reason being most of the list that I could afford has been crossed off. Most of what is left on my want list is out of my reach. Nowadays most of my disposable addictive personality collecting money goes towards blu rays and 4ks.

I also have no idea how many I have as I also got distracted by real life and its problems. I have tubes from 8 9 years ago I have not opened yet and no idea what is in them.  .  Since they only have value to me Im in no rush but one day I will have a tube and flat pack opening party.

Where did I put the three sheets?

[eatbrie]

I don't know how you guys do it.  I would stop collecting immediately if my collection was not perfectly organized and filed away.  I went away on vacation and made sure that the packages I received the day before were emptied and in the trash.  It was about 15 posters and they were immediately filed away.  It would drive me nuts to have tubes laying around.

T

[crowzilla]

I don't know how you guys do it.  I would stop collecting immediately if my collection was not perfectly organized and filed away.  I went away on vacation and made sure that the packages I received the day before were emptied and in the trash.  It was about 15 posters and they were immediately filed away.  It would drive me nuts to have tubes laying around.

T

Rich sent me a package with 3 or 4 (not even sure how many now) rolled Star Wars A-Style 1st prints, and every month or so he asks me if I've opened them yet. My answer is always the same: "Soon, when I have time"

[Tob]

I’m buying about 10 - 15 a month (including prints). I normally open tubes within 3-4 days, then put the posters away into sleeves to flatten. I then take photographs of the new ones every few months, but I’m about a year behind at the moment (mainly due to life being busy, but also because I’ve had to redo the gallery bit of my website which is taking ages).

[Charlie]

I don't know how you guys do it.  I would stop collecting immediately if my collection was not perfectly organized and filed away.  I went away on vacation and made sure that the packages I received the day before were emptied and in the trash.  It was about 15 posters and they were immediately filed away.  It would drive me nuts to have tubes laying around.

T

For me I just don’t have time. I want to organize but I’ll work from 9-6/7 or so most days or here during the summer I’ll be playing golf with my daughter from 5-8/9… Priorities. Plus it’s fun to rediscover stuff!

[Charlie]

Rich sent me a package with 3 or 4 (not even sure how many now) rolled Star Wars A-Style 1st prints, and every month or so he asks me if I've opened them yet. My answer is always the same: "Soon, when I have time"

I bought a Jedi 3SHT from a guy I really trust and I don’t think I unwrapped it for 6-8 months. Finally, I said “Well maybe we ought to see if it is still in there!”…

[eatbrie]

For me I just don’t have time. I want to organize but I’ll work from 9-6/7 or so most days or here during the summer I’ll be playing golf with my daughter from 5-8/9… Priorities. Plus it’s fun to rediscover stuff!

Don't take me wrong, family is #1, posters are probably #5.  But it only takes 5mn to open a package and put a poster away, so I always do it.  I buy something, I enter it in the spreadsheet so I know exactly where it will end up, I receive it, check the spreadsheet, file it, done.  On the next one.

T

[okiehawker]

Zorba: I looked up 4ks and I found forklift training and small cigars.  I'll bite: what is your 4ks? Also, 8-9 year unopened, forgotten content tubes? Can we have the all APF Post Covid poster treasure hunt at your place?  Okie

Charlie: Nice patience on waiting to see your Jedi 3 sht!  You must be a cool cucumber at golf.

Tob: I bet you may have mentioned it before, though where do you get your poster sleeves? What sleeve material do you use?

Crow: I don't remember how many Star Wars A first prints Richie sent me?  Life is good, eh?!

T: I think you deserve an honorary doctorate in the Rapid Organizational Sciences!

Man, this is a fun thread!  Okie

[Zorba]

Zorba: I looked up 4ks and I found forklift training and small cigars.  I'll bite: what is your 4ks? Also, 8-9 year unopened, forgotten content tubes? Can we have the all APF Post Covid poster treasure hunt at your place?  Okie

Sorry I wrote that poorly. 4K UHD discs.

The tubes are partially a storage problem.

[eatbrie]

Rich sent me a package with 3 or 4 (not even sure how many now) rolled Star Wars A-Style 1st prints, and every month or so he asks me if I've opened them yet. My answer is always the same: "Soon, when I have time"

It sounds a bit like me leaving my stuff at HA for months, or some sellers who take months to ship my goodies.  I can deal with that.  I know it will be coming.  But when it gets here, it must be filed.  I just hate clutter and shipping tubes.

T

[CSM]

I am so far behind on opening packages!  I used to be so diligent in opening, assessing, photographing and filing away but this pandemic has really sapped my diligence ugh.  I suppose it will be exciting when I finally get to them (one day...)

[eatbrie]

Well, the pandemic is nowhere from being done with all these unvaccinated morons, so be ready to postpone opening stuff for a few more years.

T

[CSM]

Well, the pandemic is nowhere from being done with all these unvaccinated morons, so be ready to postpone opening stuff for a few more years.

T

Thankfully the relative fully vaccinated rates are a quite high here in Ontario - but of course it's the last 20% that may never be convinced.  Maybe "By Christmas" is an attainable packaging opening goal 

[eatbrie]

Yeah, Canada for sure has more responsible humans than the US.  All things considered, I still think you might be a little too optimistic about Christmas.

T

[okiehawker]

I think Zorba's place is where we should gather for Christmas unopened poster tube re-gifting!!!  Okie

[Monster_A_GoGo]

I am 10+ years behind in cataloguing my collection

Thanks for reviving this thread. I don't think I'd seen it before. And I can identify with being 10+ years behind in cataloguing. I'm more like 20+ years behind. Several moves and excessive buying just had me putting off dealing with my posters. Now I'm in a world of hurt as I get ready for yet ANOTHER move. This time, I hope to catalogue my posters as I put them away in drawers (instead of leaving them in tubes as I had for so long) or frame/hang them. There are so many I am discovering as I go through them that I can NOT wait to see hanging on the walls.

[AnthonyFR]

Before the pandemic, I bought about 20 posters a year, no more.
As well as specific objects (like film magazines, publicity manuals, pressbooks, ... mainly Hammer studios).

This year was not very prolific for me...   
Only two medium French posters at the beginning of the year, and 3 new posters recently. On all the famous auction websites, prices were exponential and I lost all my bids.

[okiehawker]

How did your. "specific objects" hunting go this year, Anthony?  I bought a few objects like poster reference books, props, 1960s pop culture memorabilia...  Okie

Before the pandemic, I bought about 20 posters a year, no more.
As well as specific objects (like film magazines, publicity manuals, pressbooks, ... mainly Hammer studios).

This year was not very prolific for me...   
Only two medium French posters at the beginning of the year, and 3 new posters recently. On all the famous auction websites, prices were exponential and I lost all my bids.

[AnthonyFR]

This year is not the best for specific objects hunting, I miss some objects a little more complicated to find (some Hammer publicity manuals or pressbooks), and I admit being lazy to look for them.
This year I mostly picked up UK 'ABC Film Review' magazines with articles on Hammer movies.


I also like the Hammer publicity manuals, they have pretty cool covers, a lot of info (it's often a big block of reading ...) and actors photos.


Some pressbooks are also interesting with a lot of information or small 'games'.
And other objects, which I admit not knowing much about them, and if they are official objects or not (like invitation cards or this napkin for example).


It's hard to find Hammer items (and find relevant info), I'm not British ... 

[okiehawker]

Very cool Hammer "specific objects", Anthony!  I bet they are great fun to read.  You have a nice looking Hammer library it sounds like.  Okie