I guess I am wrong, since you clearly know all the inside info, but from the outside, it looked like this poster (http://movieposters.ha.com/common/view_item.php?Sale_No=667&Lot_No=28859 "sold" for $47,800, and then one in better condition after that passed with a $25,000 minimum.
And if you want to have a conversation, and accuse me of smearing someone, you probably don't advance your cause by accusing me of lying. If you persist, I will let you argue this with yourself, or one of the trolls.
Bruce
Bruce,
I have never accused of you lying and am not sure what you are talking about. If you are referring to the Babe Come Home poster, I was careful to label it by saying your detractors could try to argue shenanigans with you. I have no reason to disbelieve what you originally stated and in fact was planning on bidding on it the second time around but totally forgot (In fact Rich tried to remind me the evening it closed but my wife and I were at the movies and I didn't get to bid).
As for the This Gun For Hire poster: Three more copies were offered by Heritage in auctions after the $47K copy and all of them found happy buyers in the $20-22K range. I do see that one finally passed this past summer, I am not familiar with what the reserve was but would suggest that if it was $25K, the three previous sales shows that to be too high of a number. Certainly the underbidder could have bought any of the three copies that were previously sold.
I do know that at least one of the underbidders on the $47K copy (a well known Canadian collector who also frequently bids in your auctions) did indeed purchase a copy privately, as he purchased it from me. I am not certain if he was THE underbidder, or the 3rd place bidder as I did not ask him.
Sean