Best purchases of 2020

[eatbrie]

Someone mentioned this yearly thread, so I'll give it a go.

2020 has truly been a pathetic year.  I was trying to come up with my 10 favorite purchases, and only 7 made the cut.  Only 7 posters I am truly happy with.  I usually have at least 20.



Unfortunately, I don't expect 2021 to be much better.

What about you guys?

T

[ddilts399]

Unfortunately spending more on inventory and less on keepers this year. I cant touch any of this stuff. I dont think i kept any posters that cost me over a $50 bill this year   (of course I am a tightwad when it comes to my own collection).  Tight margins in my wheel house this year, but I love the game, so it keeps me going even if a break even.

[Antoine1973]

I agree that this year was a bit lackluster, so with that in mind, here are my top 10 for 2020:

[Monster_A_GoGo]

Thank you, Thierry, for starting this thread this year. So far, there have been some nice purchases from the last year shared. Zowie!

T: They're all nice. I totally dig your FORBIDDEN PLANET and LAURA, but am especially drawn to your 2001. WOWZER!

Dale: You may not have gotten yourself anything for your collection this year, but I've added to mine thanks to you. THANK YOU!

Antoine1973: Your choices call to me the most---as I am a sucker for horror stuff and the foreign art is sometimes (usually) far superior than the US stuff. I have the one sheet for HOUSE OF HORRORS (which is  a bit different than your 3-sheet) and that same Italian MATANGO. But of the stuff I don't have---I really like those first two...especially the Jean Rollin one. Nifty!

Looking at my choices (I've been working on my list all year--adding and subtracting things as I've gone along), while I have things I am very happy with (or should be happy with), the year overall seemed disappointing, poster-wise. I have ten selected. There's also a "runner up" because, even though I feel I should like No. 10, I'm still not convinced I am....so I've listed what would have been No. 10 otherwise.


RUNNER UP:  VIY (Russian 80's re-release):

10:  BEGINNING OF THE END:

9:  DEAD ALIVE:

8: EYEBALL (bikini version):

7:  SATAN'S CHEERLEADERS:

6:  ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS:

5:  VAMPYRES (Spanish):

4:  NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD (1978 re-release British quad):

3:  THE HOUSE ON TELEGRAPH HILL:

2:  THE WOLF MAN (1962 military re-release):

1:  A VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD (Large French):

Here's to a better 2021...

CHEERS!

[eatbrie]

So that's it?  Only 3 people have something to show?

I was hesitating opening this thread, because I know it's been bad for all of us, and it looks like it really has been bad.

T

[okiehawker]

I'll be #4, T.  It's Christmas time and I was missing you guys! Back in August good ole Chris wrote to me about some goodies that had shown up on eBay. Could it be real, I thought? Oh boy, you better believe it was! One piece was another top sheet to the Son of Dracula three sheet and I quickly bought it. I looked through the seller's other offerings and holy Chaney Jr. double-chin there it was: most of the Son of Dracula six sheet with all the best parts. Just needs the bottom credits with supporting cast. I haven't put it on linen so far just in case the credits show up. I don't believe another six sheet is known to exist at this time. Here it is guys covering most of our king size bed. Okie

[Undead]

I've bought a good bit this year but very little that was high up on my want list, had more misses than hits really being outbid a lot. The only two that are high on my list is the Jaws B0 and Army of Darkness B1.

[Antoine1973]

Okie, I love that Son of Dracula 6-sheet, in spite of its missing bottom half.  I hope you find it some day (and please do not linenback it, lol!).

Monsters-a-Gogo, I always liked that Virgin Among the Living Dead poster (a great image for a less-than-stellar movie).  I also have the House of Horror one-sheet, besides the 3-sheet I bought this year.  It's a fun title.  Funny that you included your 1980s re-release poster of Viy, I recently watched that movie for the first time after hearing it being described as "the first Russian horror movie" for years.  Glad I finally saw it. 

[sederic68]

[martinc]

Haven't posted since sometime before the last ice age but recently bought this:



Couldn't find an image anywhere else and original material for this film is generally hard to find, to say the least. It's a pre-war Belgian release and is in really good condition for its age, a few pinholes and some fold separation but the colours are still bright and the images of Carroll and Lorre are a bit livelier than, for instance, the US half sheet.

[Hicks77]

I posted this when I got it this year.... but it is the. best. purchase. since. I. started. this. insane. hobby. 5. years. ago!!!

[skyjackers]

[okiehawker]

Antoine: Thanks and good thing is it's only the bottom 1/3 needed. I like the nice big image of Rondo on your 3 sheet.

T: The Japanese Bardot image has to be one of her best on a poster, right?

Monster:  Your military Wolf Man is still my favorite.  Hard to beat diaphanously dressed lady vampires, though!

Undead: That B1 Army of Darkness is wonderfully silly!  It has the best quote too in the movie that made me surprise laugh out loud the first time I watched it!

Sederic68: A classic!

Martinc: Whoa! What a great prewar Belgian! Fantastic image and what a cast.

Hicks77: Here she comes, eh?!

Skyjackers: Some beautiful photography for sure!  Nice to see.

Okie

[eatbrie]

Is your Burton collection complete? 

I love your completism.  I recently got a Fandango poster (movie produced by Spielberg in 1985) that I had never seen before and it made me really happy, on the same level than posters that cost thousands of dollars.  It's not worth posting on here because no one would understand or value such a purchase, but it is what makes collecting so interesting to me.  Those elusive pieces that only belong in 1 (ONE) collection, like those Burtons in yours.

T

[eatbrie]

I posted this when I got it this year.... but it is the. best. purchase. since. I. started. this. insane. hobby. 5. years. ago!!!

Essential poster!

T

[eatbrie]

Dead Dude, that Jaws poster looks in mint condition.  Hard to get in such a great condition.

And DAMN, I thought I owned an Army of Darkness B1, but I can't find it anywhere in my spreadsheet, so I guess I don't.  So now I have to find one.  Thanks.

T

[eatbrie]

T: The Japanese Bardot image has to be one of her best on a poster, right?

No, not even close, but I appreciate the sentiment

T

[DekeThornton]

Haven't posted since sometime before the last ice age but recently bought this:



Couldn't find an image anywhere else and original material for this film is generally hard to find, to say the least. It's a pre-war Belgian release and is in really good condition for its age, a few pinholes and some fold separation but the colours are still bright and the images of Carroll and Lorre are a bit livelier than, for instance, the US half sheet.

Cool poster. I would venture that is indeed as rare as hen's teeth.

The bloody text makes me think of posters for '70s or '80s slasher pics. But they were doing it all the way back in the '30s.

[DekeThornton]

Here are some of my favorite 2020 poster purchases (some are stock photos b/c I haven't gotten around to taking my own photos yet).

Brief Encounter Italian (also posted in November 2020 thread)



Moby Dick pictorial map / poster
This is IMO just an amazing visual representation of the plot of Moby Dick.  It is from 1956, so was presumably timed to cash in on interest from the film version of Moby Dick with Gregory Peck that same year. The artist, Everett Henry, also made several other pictorial maps for famous works of literature.



London Pan Am poster by Aaron Fine ('50s)



Braniff Texas poster



IV Carrera Panamericana Poster (1953)
This is a poster for the legendary (and deadly!) sports car racing event in Mexico (from 1950-1954).

[50s]

^ Awesome Deke, the 1 sheet size Pan-Am is pretty much at the top of my travel poster want list, along with a few Braniff posters, plus very nice pick-up on the car racing poster. I guess advertising posters for car racing from the 50's are not so easy to come by especially that size, you must be chuffed 

[okiehawker]

Deke,  I sure agree with Steve on your airline posters and Panamericana race poster!  I really like a nice car racing poster and your '53 sure is pretty. I come from good hillbilly stock and like hard to find early 70s and late 60s Nascar/stock car racing posters. My aunt and uncle owned the local drag strip in town when we were growing up and I spent many hours there. I'll post a couple Nascar posters I got recently. I tinker on cars a bit myself as well. That sure is a lovely Brief Encounter, too. Okie

[DekeThornton]

^ Awesome Deke, the 1 sheet size Pan-Am is pretty much at the top of my travel poster want list, along with a few Braniff posters, plus very nice pick-up on the car racing poster. I guess advertising posters for car racing from the 50's are not so easy to come by especially that size, you must be chuffed 

Thanks for the kind words. I am a big fan of that Pan Am London poster. I saw some of the other Pan Am posters by the same artist (Aaron Fine) on eBay around the same time (for Paris, Rome, Madrid, etc), but the London one is the only one that I just felt compelled to buy.

I will likely frame it and put it in my 4yo kid's room. He knows I lived in London myself as a child and has something of an obsession with the city (despite never having been there). He likes to look at maps, learn about the landmarks, etc.

[DekeThornton]

Deke,  I sure agree with Steve on your airline posters and Panamericana race poster!  I really like a nice car racing poster and your '53 sure is pretty. I come from good hillbilly stock and like hard to find early 70s and late 60s Nascar/stock car racing posters. My aunt and uncle owned the local drag strip in town when we were growing up and I spent many hours there. I'll post a couple Nascar posters I got recently. I tinker on cars a bit myself as well. That sure is a lovely Brief Encounter, too. Okie

Thanks, Okie. I'd be interested to see those Nascar posters!

I am not especially knowledgable about auto racing, but there is a certain romance and danger associated with the Carrera Panamericana that give the posters an extra appeal to me (though the deaths every year were certainly tragic -- no wonder the Mexican government cancelled it!)

I believe I have a poster representing every year of the race (some years have multiple designs).

A couple are not so attractive, but these are two others that I have where I also really like the design (these are images found online, not photos of my own copies).

[okiehawker]

Deke, The 1951 and 1954 Panamericanas are great, too!  I've got two new additions coming to my collection shortly: the 1971 and 1972 Yankee 400 NASCAR race posters.  I'll take photos when I receive them.  Okie

[Monster_A_GoGo]

Oh, hooray! I am so delighted to see others have added to this list. T's earlier concern about people having a bad poster year and not wanting to bother participating echoed my thoughts as well. I'm so glad more of you stepped it up and posted. And there are some great things...

Okie:  am so glad to see you back on APF and I love, love, LOVE the SON OF DRACULA poster....How will you ever display it? Jinkies! But it is MARVELOUS!!!!

Undead: Oooooo nice JAWS...but that ARMY OF DARKNESS is really something. I may need to put that on my list and try and track one down... Wowzer!


And...

Antoine1973: I'm glad you like the VIRGIN AMONG THE LIVING DEAD. (You are right. It's far from a great movie...) What did you think of VIY? (I found it slow, dated, but fascinating...Not sure i liked it though.)

sederic68: Zowie! What is that? It that a one sheet? I've never seen a one sheet for that flick that looked like that. Is it a video poster? I could kick myself for not getting a video poster at the time (or since), as the standard one sheet I have for THE FINAL CHAPTER is sooooo DULL. More information, please. I am super curious.

martinc: Ooooo very nice (and colorful) Belgium. Ding! Ding! Ding! That is definitely a winner!

Hicks77: Golly. I've not seen that KILL BILL 2 before. Another winner!

skyjackers: BIG FISH?  Is that what those are from? They must be super rare. I've not seen those before either. Bravo!

Deke: The LONDON Pan Am poster is certainly cool and worthy of the buzz it has gotten on here. But I am digging the Italian BRIEF ENCOUNTER poster a lot as well.

Despite 2020 being utterly spec-CRAP-ular, I am pleased to see such fine additions to some of our collections were made. Bravo! I'm guessing others got some goodies as well. Post 'em if you got 'em. I wanna see!

CHEERS!