Author Topic: Berwick Discovery: The Biggest find of early movie posters in recent history  (Read 285889 times)

Offline Harry Caul

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Some of those seem low... Cimarron at $12-18K and Maltese Falcon at $10-20K in particular.  Regardless, if you total up all the estimates you get:

LOW = ~$300,000
HIGH = ~$575,000

Poop.




Online paul waines

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Harry, are you going to bid on any?  
« Last Edit: March 01, 2012, 12:55:54 PM by paul waines »
It's more than a Hobby...

Offline Harry Caul

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I wish. Everything I would want is (well) north of $10k. The only way I'll ever own anything like that is to get rich working, piece together enough sweet deals over a very long period of time, or to find them in the first place.

Maybe I should combine 1 and 3 and start an insulation removal company with Ted.  ;D

Online paul waines

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I was tempted with the Criminal Code, being a Karloff film. Especially being the one where Whale first saw Karloff....
It's more than a Hobby...

Offline CSM

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Some of those seem low... Cimarron at $12-18K and Maltese Falcon at $10-20K in particular.  Regardless, if you total up all the estimates you get:

LOW = ~$300,000
HIGH = ~$575,000

Poop.


Either artificially low to increase interest/bids or a sign of the economy.

I still think it is a mistake to sell all these at once - although I suppose there are (lesser?) others forthcoming for future auctions...
Chris

Offline erik1925

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I dont recall seeing a specific number mentioned in the various posts in the thread here and wanted to ask.

How many posters, in total, (aside from any that may have been a total loss, due to damage etc) comprise the Berwick Discovery?

Have they all been listed in the upcoming HA auction this month? Or will others make there way into future auctions as well?

Jeff





-Jeff

Offline CSM

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I dont recall seeing a specific number mentioned in the various posts in the thread here and wanted to ask.

How many posters, in total, (aside from any that may have been a total loss, due to damage etc) comprise the Berwick Discovery?

Have they all been listed in the upcoming HA auction this month? Or will others make there way into future auctions as well?

Jeff





I don't think anyone knows the final, exact number Jeff (well except for Heritage/Grey that is) because they were all stuck together.
Chris

Offline Harry Caul

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I dont recall seeing a specific number mentioned in the various posts in the thread here and wanted to ask.

How many posters, in total, (aside from any that may have been a total loss, due to damage etc) comprise the Berwick Discovery?

Have they all been listed in the upcoming HA auction this month? Or will others make there way into future auctions as well?

Jeff

From my first post, there were assumed to be about 30-50 posters... but that was just an estimate. 

I'm guessing this is it.  HA has 33 listed right now.  There very well could be more (Dracula #2. Sigh.), but given how rough the 2nd Public Enemy was, a portion of the posters presumably were too far gone to restore and they only made the effort for ones that might command a premium. 

I see your point Chris, but maybe having them all in one go might attract more bidders than usual for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Offline erik1925

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From my first post, there were assumed to be about 30-50 posters... but that was just an estimate. 

I'm guessing this is it.  HA has 33 listed right now.  There very well could be more (Dracula #2. Sigh.), but given how rough the 2nd Public Enemy was, a portion of the posters presumably were too far gone to restore and they only made the effort for ones that might command a premium. 

I see your point Chris, but maybe having them all in one go might attract more bidders than usual for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Thanks, Mr. Caul.  ;)

Jeff



-Jeff

Offline MoviePosterBid.com

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Either artificially low to increase interest/bids or a sign of the economy.

I still think it is a mistake to sell all these at once - although I suppose there are (lesser?) others forthcoming for future auctions...

Chris
Heritage has one of the very best customer lists there are
at the same time, those collectors interested in these posters are not constrained by financial issues
so I am absolutely certain the results on these posters will be fantastic, due to these issues

Movieposterbid.com is the FIRST All-Movie Poster Auction Site. We're not #1, but we try harder
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Offline CSM

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Chris
Heritage has one of the very best customer lists there are
at the same time, those collectors interested in these posters are not constrained by financial issues
so I am absolutely certain the results on these posters will be fantastic, due to these issues

I too expect these posters to do well despite being all grouped together.

Personally, I just believe that it would have benefited Heritage/the consignor in the long run to have spread them out a bit.

How many "Signature Auctions" do they have a year - 4?  Is there going to be another, similar find before the next high profile auction?  ;)
« Last Edit: March 01, 2012, 04:42:57 PM by CSM »
Chris

Offline MoviePosterBid.com

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I don't think Heritage has had any problems finding marquee items for each and every auction Chris.. There can be no doubt that they have an incredible catalog time after time after time every 3 months that anyone in the business would love to be compiling

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Offline stewart boyle

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I need to set me up an auction house...MPB,EMP,Heritage all performing well last year,this is the place i WOULD LOVE TO BE...
To think i was gutted at taking a $50 dollar loss on a poster last year..well done to all for keeping the hobby alive and kicking..

Stew

Offline brude

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I think this batch of lovelies will approach (or top) $1 million.

And, I also think there's a FRANKENSTEIN coming.


Offline CSM

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I think we established these posters date from the wrong part of 1931 for Franky?
Chris

Offline erik1925

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I think this batch of lovelies will approach (or top) $1 million.

And, I also think there's a FRANKENSTEIN coming.



If so, waiting with baited breath.  cool1


-Jeff

Offline brude

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I think we established these posters date from the wrong part of 1931 for Franky?

Maybe a teaser.

Offline Harry Caul

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Maybe a teaser.

We are officially no longer friends.

Offline brude

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We are officially no longer friends.

Oops.  Sorry Matt, I thought you stopped reading this thread.  Too painful and all...  wynk

Offline MoviePosterBid.com

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Personally, I just believe that it would have benefited Heritage/the consignor in the long run to have spread them out a bit.

found out why all of these posters are being sold at the same time (well one reason at least)

would you believe that Grey had Heritage print a separate catalog just for the Berwick posters!!!

that's being top notch!!!

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Dread_Pirate_Mel

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Adrian Curry's "Movie Poster of the Week" blog on Mubi.com has a long article on these posters. Excerpts:

They had survived in such good condition for a number of reasons. First of all, a movie theater in the early 1930s would have used a water-soluble wallpaper paste to put up the posters, so it was possible, even eight decades later, to steam them apart with no damage to the paper. And Smith thinks that the cool climate of Pennsylvania may have helped, as well as the temperature in the attic itself. According to Smith, the colors on the posters are “astoundingly bright.”

Also interesting is that there are a number of doubles in the Berwick collection: two distinct poster designs for the same film. The fact that A and B styles for the same film showed up in the same batch of posters proves that they must have been exhibited side-by-side.

Offline CSM

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found out why all of these posters are being sold at the same time (well one reason at least)

would you believe that Grey had Heritage print a separate catalog just for the Berwick posters!!!

that's being top notch!!!

Well Rich you also have to remember Heritage certainly isn't printing a separate catalogue for altruistic reasons!
Chris

Offline MoviePosterBid.com

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business is not an altruistic endeavor, not that altruism can't live hand-in-hand with business

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Offline archie leach

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Adrian Curry's "Movie Poster of the Week" blog on Mubi.com has a long article on these posters. Excerpts:

They had survived in such good condition for a number of reasons. First of all, a movie theater in the early 1930s would have used a water-soluble wallpaper paste to put up the posters, so it was possible, even eight decades later, to steam them apart with no damage to the paper. And Smith thinks that the cool climate of Pennsylvania may have helped, as well as the temperature in the attic itself. According to Smith, the colors on the posters are “astoundingly bright.”

Also interesting is that there are a number of doubles in the Berwick collection: two distinct poster designs for the same film. The fact that A and B styles for the same film showed up in the same batch of posters proves that they must have been exhibited side-by-side.

Why?  Couldn't they just have been stored side by side?  'Proved' seems to be an overly strong term...

Dread_Pirate_Mel

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So a few weeks ago I posted a story on the "Berwick Discovery" on Moviepostercollectors.com in a new "Stories" section. (I'm going to add the Royal Theatre story, the Frankenstein six sheet story (which may be bogus), in the future).

A reporter from Press Enterprise, the newspaper that covers Berwick, Pennsylvania, found the article (presumably through Google) and sent me an email.  She is writing a story on the "Berwick Discovery" for the local paper and is looking for more details, including the identity of the original owner of the stacks.  I talked to her for a bit, told her that I was a secondary source, and referred her to this thread and some other references (you can guess who but I can't confirm).  She had previously talked to Grey Smith.  The only new tidbit I learned is that forty posters were in the stacks and seven were unsalvageable (wonder which posters were unsalvageable?).  Not sure if/when the newspaper article will be published but will pass along when I get it. (Apparently the story could be picked up by the national press (AP) but no guarantee.)
« Last Edit: March 09, 2012, 09:33:10 PM by Dread_Pirate_Mel »