Mid-auction analysis - OMGs!, LOLs!, WTFs!, whatev....

[paul waines]

Yikes...   Thanks for the info Rosa, but it's not just Abbott & Costello thats expensive there. Some of those prices are eye-watering !!

Then again it is Chelsea...

[Harry Caul]

Some of those prices are eye-watering !!

Or brain-melting!

http://www.limelightmovieart.com/detail.php?movie=3542

[paul waines]

I wonder how they stay in business...

[erik1925]

Or mind blowing!

[Mirosae]

Ah, and the owner has just "lovely" manners, lovely lady  
But....going to Galleries it is the only way I have_  oh poor mortal to see some real pieces ...and compare....

[brude]

When I was a kid -- and an avid A&C fan -- my Dad read in the paper that Bud was in a nursing home.  We sent him a card and the home sent us a 'thank you' allegedly autographed by Mr. Abbott himself.  He died shortly thereafter.

[marklawd]

I wonder how they stay in business...

Punters may perceive they are getting a bargain at Limelight in comparison with the prices Christies (who are just down the road) regularly achieve for not uncommon posters. They may also have picked up former customers of other, now defunct, galleries. If you are just looking Rosa, I think Christies and Bonhams are probably better places to view posters at close hand. The downside is that auctions are only held every six months.

Mark

[Mirosae]

Spot on Mark. I just go there just to look and compare. It is convenient because it is in my area. I too go to Christies,  I confess that I never went to Bonhams. I will give it a try. Thanks!

[erik1925]

The best yet-- and ending in about 30 min.

This seller is offering this new REPRINT of a REAR WINDOW belgian poster for $900.00!!!   
Opening bid is 10 bucks.. but with a reserve.



http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hitchcocks-Rear-Window-mint-rolled-full-sized-reprint-of-the-Belgian-poster-/111009260860?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item19d8aae53c

[50s]

The best yet-- and ending in about 30 min.

This seller is offering this new REPRINT of a REAR WINDOW belgian poster for $900.00!!!   
Opening bid is 10 bucks.. but with a reserve.

I wonder what makes it a reprint? Maybe he printed it from an original. Belgians would be an easy size to do copies of. He has numerous other reprints.

[erik1925]

Right, Steve. Let's say he did reprint it himself, how does he come up with a $900 price tag? That is crazy!

He might be lucky to get 10.00 on a good day.   

[50s]

But I wonder how we will spot these as fakes?

[MoviePosterBid.com]

But I wonder how we will spot these as fakes?

should be easy enough to tell for an experienced collector.
of course, it's also why you should buy from accredited sources

[erik1925]

But I wonder how we will spot these as fakes?

Steve, the kind (newness) of the paper is probably one giveaway, as well.

I see that Bruce auctioned one "lot" of Belgian posters in 2010. Included in the lot was a copy of this poster, which Bruce described as being printed in the 1990s and often sold (or tried to be sold) as the real thing. The one Bruce had, still had the top imprint area, as well:

http://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/archiveitem/5561138.html

[CSM]

Just buy Belgians that are (or were) folded, 'Imprime en Belgique' and with tax stamps.  The originals are pretty easy to spot really... 

[ATLfun]

When I was a kid -- and an avid A&C fan -- my Dad read in the paper that Bud was in a nursing home.  We sent him a card and the home sent us a 'thank you' allegedly autographed by Mr. Abbott himself.  He died shortly thereafter.

 Now we know where your save Buddy the cat feelings derive from.  If Abbot got your card, I bet that put a smile on his face knowing that he was still remembered.  Depression in a nursing home is far to common.

[mahmudf]

Yikes...   Thanks for the info Rosa, but it's not just Abbott & Costello thats expensive there. Some of those prices are eye-watering !!

Then again it is Chelsea...

you need to also check out the crazy prices at the Harrods poster dept , I was in there one day and I overheard the salesman trying to convince someone over the phone to splash out £6k on a From Russia With Love 1 sheet   

[paul waines]

Dam, you Southerners have money to burn, A shop selling a £500 Quad for over £2600 wouldn't last 5 minuets up here.

And Mark, just because Christies are over the top price-wise doesn't mean that's the norm. Over paying for anything is still over paying, I'm sure collectors can acquire better deals if they use the internet to shop around. It's the people who aren't collectors, who pay crazy prices. People who just want that "talking point' or feature for their room, and have no interest in film or paper as such.

This is why I tell people time and again, Christies is no yard stick for true market value... E.G. they sold a Dr No for 10k, if anyone wants a Dr No they can have mine now for 10k and no buyers premium, in fact I'll drop it off anywhere in the U.K. free of charge this weekend. Any takers??  Thought not...     

[marklawd]

Dam, you Southerners have money to burn, A shop selling a £500 Quad for over £2600 wouldn't last 5 minuets up here.

And Mark, just because Christies are over the top price-wise doesn't mean that's the norm. Over paying for anything is still over paying, I'm sure collectors can acquire better deals if they use the internet to shop around. It's the people who aren't collectors, who pay crazy prices. People who just want that "talking point' or feature for their room, and have no interest in film or paper as such.

This is why I tell people time and again, Christies is no yard stick for true market value... E.G. they sold a Dr No for 10k, if anyone wants a Dr No they can have mine now for 10k and no buyers premium, in fact I'll drop it off anywhere in the U.K. free of charge this weekend. Any takers??  Thought not...    

It's not the norm for me and you Paul but it is the norm for some. Wealthy people get to choose how they spend their time and money and if they choose instant gratification for a price that is easily affordable to them why should they waste their time shopping around. They trust Christes, which has been around for 250 years, and would rather buy that Dr No for £10,000 from them than risk being stitched up by an unknown and potentially dishonest (in reality, an honest and exceptionally knowledgeable) individual like you. They and the auction houses/galleries who sell to them set the prices in this niche market place.

Mark

[paul waines]

Couldn't agree more Mark, but I'm thinking that "niche" market may well be bigger than first thought. Well by me at least.  Is there really enough people buying in that market to keep these shops going?  I know of several good shops that have closed in the last few years, and they had reasonable retail prices on their posters...

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Paul, as Mark says, the "Rodeo Drive" type store sells to people who don't shop at Macy's, not just because they have the big bucks, but also because Rodeo Drive is the place to be seen.
A Hershey bar that costs $1 at Wal Mart can cost $3-$4 on Rodeo Drive, and Paris Hilton probably has never complained one bit.

Money has a certain emotional contact: spend it and you will have fun.

whether you're being cheated is a matter of perspective

[paul waines]

It's more the turn-over Rich, it must cost a fortune to run a shop around that area alone, so how much can they make in a year selling at these prices...

[Mirosae]

I'd say that most people buying in those galleries, or at Harrods have little knowledge of what they buy or any pricing reference. At the Gallery I went on Sun Beatles LC were sold at huge prices. I saw three couples buying hese LC. But Beatles, they always sell .  Christies is well over the top, but it helps when you want to see a piece "live" !

[mahmudf]

Couldn't agree more Mark, but I'm thinking that "niche" market may well be bigger than first thought. Well by me at least.  Is there really enough people buying in that market to keep these shops going?  I know of several good shops that have closed in the last few years, and they had reasonable retail prices on their posters...

With their already inflated prices they probably only need to sell a few pieces a month to keep afloat

[MoviePosterBid.com]

It's more the turn-over Rich, it must cost a fortune to run a shop around that area alone, so how much can they make in a year selling at these prices...

Paul, did you ever hear the "dress for success" line? People who wear suits are more likely to deal with people who wear suits. the "suit" is like entre nous to the private club of theirs.
In this case, that seller "wears a suit" and so other suit wearers trust them to do business honestly. They pays their monies and they gets their stuff. At the same time, to these people, their time is worth alot of money, not necessarily because they spend their time working to make money, but because their portfolio pay them a huge dividend that equals X dollars per second. So even if they never work (because someone else really manages the money), they consider theior time worth $xxxx.xx per hour. Spending an hour looking for a better price on a FRWL poster = may as well just pay the price here. The final factor is this: "if I have 20million, who cares if I waste 20,000?"

these aren't collectors like you and I