Mexican "The Mummy's Curse" 1944

[guest4943]

So I'm trying to get some more information on this particular poster.  The info I have on it is from eMovie: a 1944 theatrical Mexican export.  It was produced in Mexico for use in Spanish speaking countries. 

1.  Has anyone here ever seen another copy like this one?  I cannot even find another image online besides from eMovie!

2.  With that in mind, how does one value something that is potentially one-of-a-kind or at least very, very rare?  What is it worth as-is vs. restored?

[erik1925]

If none have been sold before, aside from the copy on emp, for $71.00 USD, then that value is a good starting point, as the collectors themselves kind of set that value. And since it's also described as an export poster, that might also have some affect on the final bid price (similar to those that were printed in the US but meant for the Spanish speaking markets).

Remember, too, that rare doesnt always translate into expensive.

This poster needs a little TLC but Id be tempted to keep it as is, tho, in there was a way to repair the couple larger holes that are in the title, I'd look into that (if there was a way to "spot repair", that is).

Were you the winner of this poster? If so, congrats.

It's rather cool looking, I gotta say. Since this is called an export poster, I wonder if there was another style that was designed & used specifically for Mexico? It would be cool to locate an image for that, too.

[guest4943]

I did win this poster I fell in love with the image so I had to get it with all intentions of keeping it for myself (just curious as to how it would translate down the road in value).

Is there a reason you would not restore this poster in its entirety? 

Yeah, I was also confused as to the "export poster" line as well... I contacted eMovie and they said unfortunately it came from an estate so they don't have any other information on it.  I've been trying to dig up any additional info on it but can't even find another picture of it online anywhere!  So I'm also wondering how eMovie got the information they did to begin with?

[erik1925]

Have you received it yet? If the folds are weak, and the paper looks and feels more brittle, then having it backed might be the way to go.

Some people like to keep posters unbacked, others do it for conservation & preservation, and still others do it to flatten fold lines and make a poster look pristine.

I'm in the "less is more" camp.

Maybe further digging will reveal more. If I find any other related imagery, while hunting around, I'll post it here. Though with this poster not seen before, that can make it more tricky.

One thing I see is that it is missing the Universal International logo. As a comparison, here's a Mexican poster for A&C Meet Frankenstein (1948). Its has the UI logo on the lower left.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

I very much doubt that Mummy's Curse is an original release poster and it would be my estimate that it is a late-1950s poster or early 60s

the Universal-International credit is one tip. The style of the poster is another

[guest4943]

Interesting, does anyone else have anymore examples from that time period released by Universal International? 

Why would the logo removed be a tip that it's potentially from the 50's/60's?  To me it looks to be the same type of style (font, credits, etc.)... was there a time when Universal International did not actually use a logo?

erik1925, I looked up that poster from emovie after you linked it and actually found that there was another copy of A&C Meet Frankenstein that sold a few years ago.  There seemed to be some confusion as to the country of origin.  Here's what the description said: "Note that we are not sure what country this poster is from! In the past, we have had a few similar posters (in layout and size), and we have called them "Spanish" meaning they are from Spain, but Spanish collectors have e-mailed us that they are definitely NOT from Spain, and some have suggested they might be Brazilian. We have also labeled some of these unknown Spanish language posters as being "South American", and no one has ever been able to zero in on a specific country. We think it is unlikely this poster is from Spain, or for that matter, unlikely that it is from Argentina, Venezuela, or Colombia."  This poster sold in 2014, so perhaps they still aren't sure of the country of origin for mine (Mexico).

http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/archiveitem/10821924.html



 

[erik1925]

Here's a Mexican lobby card that emp sold, for House of Frankenstein (1944).

http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/archiveitem/5447943.html

It also has the UI logo, bottom center.




And a 1950s RR Mexican LC for Son of Dracula (1943), also with the UI logo:

http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/archiveitem/16193855.html

[guest4943]

Hmm, so perhaps it's an older "knock-off" poster? That would explain the lack of other images online and lack of logo.  Although, if someone was going through the trouble of producing their own movie poster, why not include a logo?  Maybe it was just a Mexican movie theater playing "The Mummy's Curse" at their place and one of the guys working there printed a few of these out to advertise? haha 

This only opened up more questions from me now instead of answering them!!! 

[erik1925]

That's a big part of the fun of this hobby (to me, anyhow).. the sherlocking and trying to find more info. 

I noticed that it has no printer's info on the border, but then again, neither does the A&C/Frank poster.

Bottom line.. it's still a cool poster for one of the Uni horror flicks with Lon Jr, so that's not a bad thing at all. 

[guest4943]

Yeah, honestly I'm not that upset by this!  It definitely is fun trying to track down as much info on it as possible.

It's a cool, historic art piece that I'm definitely going to display in the future!

Edit: yeah, I did notice both lacked the printer info... which seems kind of odd and adds to this mystery.

[guest4943]

Plus, I can perhaps more confidently say it truly is "one-of-a-kind" 

[erik1925]

And with Mexican paper not being some of the best (ie, more acidic), that might explain, too, why others have yet to be seen (or not).

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Hmm, so perhaps it's an older "knock-off" poster? That would explain the lack of other images online and lack of logo.  Although, if someone was going through the trouble of producing their own movie poster, why not include a logo?  Maybe it was just a Mexican movie theater playing "The Mummy's Curse" at their place and one of the guys working there printed a few of these out to advertise? haha 

This only opened up more questions from me now instead of answering them!!! 

re-issue

[guest4943]

re-issue

Wouldn't a re-issue still have a Universal-International logo?

[crowzilla]

I have a Rodan that is very similar in style to the ones posted here. (Emovie has also sold a copy - http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/archiveitem/5161152.html).  When I was doing research, I believe I found it was a Mexican distributor who printed these for use in South America.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Wouldn't a re-issue still have a Universal-International logo?

Mexican printed posters are such a hodge podge you never know why they did or did not do something.
I can't see your poster in this thread, but the other image says Universal-International at the top, so a logo is redundant.
Sean thinks it was for SA distribution. I could easily believe that

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Interesting, does anyone else have anymore examples from that time period released by Universal International? 

Why would the logo removed be a tip that it's potentially from the 50's/60's?

re-reading your comment, I wanted to clarify, my original comment made no mention of the logo. Universal-International however is generally a 1950s-60s credit, though Argentinian posters of the 1930s do use the moniker.also, for those of us who have bought & sold lots of posters with teh style like these, they always fall into the same period of mid-late 50s to 1960s

another indication that educated collectors know what these are is the price. $71.00
if people actually thought this poster was a 1944 first release, it would go for several hundred.
these are all clues to it's origin.

and value.. well figure it out - you bought it in a high profile auction, where most people who would be interested would at least know of it's listing... and it sells for $71.00.. last week. What would make you think it actually was worth more?

[guest4943]

I mean, not every poster sells for top dollar in online auctions, right?  And this was the only instance of this particular poster I've seen online, so I figured I'd get some additional opinions to see if anyone has ever seen this specific poster sold before.

I did reload the image, is it showing now?

Thanks everyone for the insight

[110x75]

Congrats on getting the poster! I did bid a bit on that one... 
Mexico had an shitload of theaters in their golden age (more than 500 just in the capital city) Generally in south america, movies hit the theaters of the big cities first and if they do well there, are moved to theaters in smaller towns and rural areas (even today). Mexican posters are fragile and I assume lots of them didn't survive the time the movie played in bigger cities, so second prints of posters were made (some silkscreened) for the showings in smaller towns. There's also the possibility that mexican silkscreened poster were made for later rerelases, or to be used in other latin american countries

[erik1925]

I mean, not every poster sells for top dollar in online auctions, right?  And this was the only instance of this particular poster I've seen online, so I figured I'd get some additional opinions to see if anyone has ever seen this specific poster sold before.

I did reload the image, is it showing now?

Thanks everyone for the insight

Wavy, do you think you will have this poster linen backed and restored at some point?

[guest4943]

Yes, it was my original intention to at least get it linenbacked and restored.