How do you value your posters?

[Pancho]

Hi guys!

As I wander through thousands of online listings I see many daybills I own being offered up for a variety of prices. What I tend to do, as I imagine many of you do as well, is dismiss some as "too much" and others as "cheap" or "about right".

My basis for this is my own personal experience of what I believe are rarer titles combined with what I believe I (or another collector) would consider a 'fair price'.

Looking as objectively as I can at my own guesswork got me thinking: what makes someone think that a poster I bought for $50 (which I thought was fair) is worth $130? What method do others use for valuing a poster? I know you can look at sales evidence, but that only helps if that title has sold a few times in the last few years.

A lot of conversation tends to occur around the value of someone's collection, so I'm curious how collectors put a $ on their posters.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

when I'm collecting, presuming I have no plans to ever sell them, I don't consider they have a value except to me

[lynaron]

I double down on that Rich.  What my heirs get is what they get as I have no intension of thinning my Pile-o-Paper™.

[Simes]

I put a conservative price on my posters based on emp sales, by and large.

While there is equally no intention to thin, this is done for insurance purposes.

[Harry Caul]

While there is equally no intention to thin, this is done for insurance purposes.

Exactly.  I usually just use the lowest EMP result from the last few years (not including extreme outliers) and then remove consignment fees and a little more for postage.

[guest4185]

I was the losing bidder on a $32 poster last week...the exact same thing from the same seller sold tonight for $202

[jayn_j]

I solve the problem by only owning garbage posters.  No argument to their value

[wonka]

Has anyone recently insured their collection? Any tips or advice?

Just did our will, and I asked our lawyer about if I should do something official in that regard with my collection. He seemed to think I was joking, but when I told him my conservative estimate, he seemed to think I was honestly strange for having that much $$$ in movie paper but did say I need to get it appraised and insured, stat.

[CSM]

I value mine in pennies - makes me feel like they are more valuable by a factor of 100

[Ari]

Mine is valuable only in time. Not that my time is valuable as I'm cheap all round. But some items took me a decade or more to find so for me that's valuable. But as for resale value not a great deal. As my personal collection is exactly that I know what they generally go for and how often and I'd they seem to be slowing down etc.  so I wouldn't necessarily look at another sellers database. I have it in my gut. But it doesn't really matter anyway and I've never say down and tried to put a total value on it all. My hammer daybill collection for me is worth more than what I could sell it for I'm sure. So no need putting a price on it. I dont have insurance. I don't even have house to call my own anymore. That's why  I'm the littlest hobo

[CSM]

Mine is valuable only in time. Not that my time is valuable as I'm cheap all round. But some items took me a decade or more to find so for me that's valuable. But as for resale value not a great deal. As my personal collection is exactly that I know what they generally go for and how often and I'd they seem to be slowing down etc.  so I wouldn't necessarily look at another sellers database. I have it in my gut. But it doesn't really matter anyway and I've never say down and tried to put a total value on it all. My hammer daybill collection for me is worth more than what I could sell it for I'm sure. So no need putting a price on it. I dont have insurance. I don't even have house to call my own anymore. That's why  I'm the littlest hobo

[eatbrie]

I have no idea.  

I have kept a log of what I paid for every poster I own.  Everything is included, seller's name, date of purchase, price, any kind of defects if any, etc.  I am very thorough.  Beyond that, I don't know.

I like to check Bruce's auctions and see that a poster I bought for $10 sells for $100.  Based on what I see, I believe that my collection is worth at least 3 times what I paid for it.  But it's just wishful thinking.

I tell myself that if every poster I own is worth $1, then my collection is worth almost $10k.

T

[CSM]

Why keep track Thierry if you never plan on selling?  Do you have them insured?

[eatbrie]

Why keep track Thierry if you never plan on selling?  Do you have them insured?

Because I'm OCD and I enjoy doing it.  No other reason, really.  And no, not insured.  I pay a lot of money to insure other things, so the posters I decided to go without.

T

[Pancho]

I find I have a dash of arrogant, "I know more than you do" when it comes to some posters. Completely unfounded of course - my knowledge is actually fairly basic - but that doesn't stop me snapping up a poster because "I just KNOW that's a great deal". Such odd behaviour....Seriously, how can I be so sure a daybill I've never come across before is worth $5, $50 or $100? "Oooh...an Italian giallo daybill from 1972 - that must be a secretly expensive poster no-one else knows about! For just $35!"

This navel gazing is all too intense! 

[Harry Caul]

I find I have a dash of arrogant, "I know more than you do" when it comes to some posters. Completely unfounded of course - my knowledge is actually fairly basic - but that doesn't stop me snapping up a poster because "I just KNOW that's a great deal". Such odd behaviour....Seriously, how can I be so sure a daybill I've never come across before is worth $5, $50 or $100? "Oooh...an Italian giallo daybill from 1972 - that must be a secretly expensive poster no-one else knows about! For just $35!"

This navel gazing is all too intense! 

I think all collectors go through that at some point.  A word to the wise, try to get past it as quickly as possible and just focus on what you like. 

We all come across posters that are undervalued with the thought that maybe we could flip them for profit.  But I can speak from experience that probably 9 out of 10 times it's more trouble than it's worth.  You buy a $35 poster because Bruce sells it for $80.  You tell yourself you will sell it, along with the others like it, and put the profits towards other posters you'll keep.  A year goes by and you really need to get on this selling business -- but you are usually too busy buying   Then you finally do sell it.  Bruce gets predictable results, but after consignment fees ($24), subtracting two shipping fees (one to you, one to Bruce, $20 total maybe), etc... you've only made $1!  Meanwhile, you've tied up $80 of your dollars for a good many months/years in addition to your wasted time.  Best to just skip it from the get go. 

Now the trick is to find lots of those "10th" posters that are worth the trouble 

[archie leach]

Because I'm OCD and I enjoy doing it.  No other reason, really.  And no, not insured.  I pay a lot of money to insure other things, so the posters I decided to go without.

In the natural disaster capitol of the world? Are you crazy? (I mean more than usual...)

[Steven11788]

sometimes I go in poster frenzy buying or worrying mode. I get into nature disaster mode but it soon passes. I do think that if you have a somewhat descent amount in them, they should be insured or well kept. if your in the mind set, they aren't anything to you, why take the time to track and the money to spend for originals. IMO.... BUT why have 10k in fishing rods and reels, when a 20 dollar combo at walmart can catch a fish, lol.. well my rod collection is closer to  9k 

[eatbrie]

In the natural disaster capitol of the world? Are you crazy? (I mean more than usual...)

First of all, the natural disaster capital of the world is the BEST place to live in the world.  I have lived in many cities, and LA is the only place I ever wanted to call home. 

Next, I am sick and tired of paying insurance for everything, from me, to my car, to my house, to my dogs, to my possessions.  It is $1000s literally thrown away every year just because of what could happen.  The weather in Southern Cal is great all year long, it rains 1 or 2 weeks a year, no humidity, no tornadoes, no floods, no mud slides (at least not where I live), no source of water next to my posters, the only thing that could happen is an earthquake.  But you know what, my house was built in 1925 and is still standing.  So if there is a big earthquake and it destroys it all, I think/hope I'd have other things to worry about than my uninsured posters.

And speaking of crazy... really?  You're going to call me crazy on a forum of people who collect movie posters?   

T

[eatbrie]

I do think that if you have a somewhat descent amount in them, they should be insured or well kept.

That they are, trust me.

T

[Steven11788]

That they are, trust me.

T

  thats all that matters