Interesting that you are talking about this poster. There was a find of these in New England, in the rafters of an old movie theatre there. There were a bunch of other posters there, all from 1914 to 1916,
From a history standpoint, it was a much more significant find than Berwick, or even Royal Theater, but alas, there is not much big money in history.
There is an interesting story connected with this. A collector called me up and told me about the find, and he said he did not have enough money to buy it, so he offered to let me have it all, for a hefty finder's fee. I agreed, and wired him the amount needed for the purchase, even though I did not know him from Adam.
He got the deal, sent it all to me, and I paid the finder's fee.
A couple of months later, a few people told me that they had bought similar posters from him. I called him and asked him if he had held some out on me, and he confessed that he had "taken a couple" and had sold them.
A few years later, he called me up and told me he had actually taken around 50 of the posters, but that he had been scared after I called him and had not sold any more. He said he felt really terrible about it, especially since I had trusted him (a total stranger) with all that money.
He then said something that really floored me. He said he wanted to consign the remaining posters to me! He said that he didn't have to confess, and that he COULD have simply kept them, and that he thought this was fair!
I had never had a contract with him, or anything in writing, so I had no legal basis to get them back, so I just said OK, and I auctioned them for him!
There were around 20 of the Paramount one-sheets in all, and I am down to the last two. Most of these had been tri-folded together, and they almost all had damage on the top fold. Most of the other posters in the find were in unbelievably great condition.
Another funny postscript. A couple of years ago, the fellow died, and his daughter called me up, and said her dad said that I was the only person in the hobby he trusted, and to call me if anything happened to him! I auctioned his collection the last two years, and of course I never told his daughter the above story, and in fact this is the first time I am telling ANYONE the entire story!
Bruce
