Berwick Discovery: The Biggest find of early movie posters in recent history

[Charlie]

Been there done that...  that is our chum bucket.  The fish head was tied to the float next to it.  It was like bobber-fishing only for great whites with a thick rope and 20 lb. piece of bait!

[erik1925]

And the previously sold DRAC, also given some added "boostage":


     

Saturating the image more creates more vibrancy. The previous DRAC sold by Heritage is on the left-- the same image is on the right, as well, with just a bit more "oomph." Have to say, the crimson in the poster does has have that chum bucket red look to it...

Jeff

[Louie D.]

So it turns out all the Heritage trash-talking was nonsense.  "The colors on the poster are as vibrant as the day it was printed and have not been altered at all."

Maybe Kerry Haggard had a fire sale!

[Bruce]

This bickering is all so silly. All will be clear once they publish the "before" photos.

Bruce

[Harry Caul]

Do you think they will show before pictures Bruce? 



By the way, do you all think the reason the colors are so vibrant (and that the posters survived in an attice oscillating between bitter cold, dry winters and hot, humid summers in central Pennsylvania) is because they were wheat pasted up?  I was trying to reason this out...  If movies were really rotated that often back then (ever few days tops), that means they were probably only exposed to the sun for like 24 total.  And even then it was encapsulated in paste.  Then each day or two or three, another poster was wheat pasted on top of the last.  Could that 'encapsulation' be the reason they not only surivived, but also why they look so good (tears, missing borders, etc... not withstanding)? 

[Bruce]

Based on this experience, I think this will be the new way to store your collection, because they have said they are in better condition than say the other Dracula one-sheet, which I know for certain sat folded in a trunk for 80 years. That seems impossible to me, but what do I know?

Posting pre-restoration photos will end all speculation. Will that occur? I don't know.

Bruce

[Der Januskopf]

This bickering is all so silly. All will be clear once they publish the "before" photos.

Bruce

There have been points raised about saturation, lighting, type of camera used, boosting an image before it is posted online etc. All valid issues and, sometimes, opposing thoughts or views presented. But there has been nothing that (I have read) that even borders on bickering. The one comment made about "Heritage trash talking" was completely out of left field, as nothing of the sort has occurred (unless members commenting that, oftentimes, HA images appear to be overly vibrant and saturated is considered "trash talking" - which it isn't).

Will "before" photos be uploaded? Hard to know. Now that the question has been raised, maybe they will. But it remains to be seen if Dracula or any of the other "find" 'before' images will ever be published (aside from the few 'raw' photos that were posted to this thread earlier by  APF members).

Kerry

[brude]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to start taking a hard look at some of these old abandoned homes here in upstate New York.
An earlier post made mention of how many 'finds' were found being used as insulation.
Maybe there's more out there?
Just call me "Treasure Hunter Ted." 

[Harry Caul]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to start taking a hard look at some of these old abandoned homes here in upstate New York.
An earlier post made mention of how many 'finds' were found being used as insulation.
Maybe there's more out there?
Just call me "Treasure Hunter Ted." 

Wear a mask.  Otherwise we'll be calling you "Asbestos-Poisoned Ted"!

[CSM]

There have been points raised about saturation, lighting, type of camera used, boosting an image before it is posted online etc. All valid issues and, sometimes, opposing thoughts or views presented. But there has been nothing that (I have read) that even borders on bickering. The one comment made about "Heritage trash talking" was completely out of left field, as nothing of the sort has occurred (unless members commenting that, oftentimes, HA images appear to be overly vibrant and saturated is considered "trash talking" - which it isn't).

Will "before" photos be uploaded? Hard to know. Now that the question has been raised, maybe they will. But it remains to be seen if Dracula or any of the other "find" 'before' images will ever be published (aside from the few 'raw' photos that were posted to this thread earlier by  APF members).

Kerry

Not trash-talking certainly.  It's the level of naivety that some collectors/buyers have that irks me!

[erik1925]

I don't know about you guys, but I'm going to start taking a hard look at some of these old abandoned homes here in upstate New York.
An earlier post made mention of how many 'finds' were found being used as insulation.
Maybe there's more out there?
Just call me "Treasure Hunter Ted." 

If you need help digging through attics-- give me a holler, Ted! 

[Zorba]

Posting pre-restoration photos will end all speculation. Will that occur? I don't know.

Bruce

Is that common? Posting pics of the poster before its fixed up?

Doesnt seem like it would help the sale much unless it didnt need much fixing.

[brude]

Wear a mask.  Otherwise we'll be calling you "Asbestos-Poisoned Ted"!

Good point, Harry.
I don't be needing no mesothelioma, eh? 

[brude]

If you need help digging through attics-- give me a holler, Ted! 

Who knows, maybe we'll find some LONDON AFTER MIDNIGHT reels, too. 

[Bruce]

"Doesnt seem like it would help the sale much unless it didnt need much fixing."

The written condition description describes a pre-restoration poster with only a few minor defects. Surely posting a pre-restoration image that 100% backs that up would settle any doubts prospective bidders might have.

Bruce

[stewart boyle]

I agree with Bruce,
 A  before and after from Heritage is the only way we might find a solution,all the points made regard various ways to pop (i hate that term) the color is distracting.

Stew

[MoviePosterBid.com]

anyone serious enough about bidding on such an item will either personally examine the poster or have someone else do same.

a buyer on a $200k poster doesn't just "wing it"

[oldposterho]

anyone serious enough about bidding on such an item will either personally examine the poster or have someone else do same.

a buyer on a $200k poster doesn't just "wing it"

Beat me to it.  Exactly right.

[brude]

...ways to pop (i hate that term) the color...

Stew

I thought "Makes the colors pop" had been banned with other lines like, "I don't think we're in Kansas anymore" and "I'm not really that into him."

Pop goes the weasel 'cause the weasel goes pop.
 

[Zorba]

Ya ya ...Thanks. 

I am wondering if we the public will ever see the poster pre restoration.

maybe?

[Der Januskopf]

anyone serious enough about bidding on such an item will either personally examine the poster or have someone else do same.

a buyer on a $200k poster doesn't just "wing it"

One would think that for this (or any other very high end poster), that had undergone ANY kind of restoration, however minor, a high resolution "before" image would be required to be made available to any and all prospective buyers. Looking at a something in person, post restoration, is all well and good, but to be able to see a side by side comparison, both lit identically, of a before and after, seems to make solid sense. We're not talking about revealing the contents of a Classified Gov't document, after all, just a movie poster. 

Something about an image being worth a thousand words, and all that.   

[Dread_Pirate_Mel]

OK, I've gone through the next Heritage sig auction.  The first two screenshots below show posters that are definitely from the "Berwick discovery" and the next two screenshots are posters I believe are from it also because they are from 1930/1931 and have long discussions about restoration, although the BD is not expressly mentioned.  (Most likely, of course, a couple of these are not associated with the BD.)

[greysm]

To answer the question of how bright was and were the posters once unmounted, here are a few photos for your viewing pleasure.

Dracula completely untouched and just removed.

Dishonored with Public Enemy style B beneath

This will give you an idea as to the vibrant nature of the colors

Colors were just incredible!!

Concerning Maltese. It was pretty much all there. Some white paper loss on the right but for instance where his hand shows paper loss, it was on paper that had been lifted by someone who had foolishly tried to pull the posters apart.

[greysm]

Sorry, I'm new at this photo sharing!

Let me try again!

[stewart boyle]

Sorry, I'm new at this photo sharing!

Let me try again!

Please do hehe...

Stew