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JOHN REID VINTAGE MOVIE MEMORABILIA Newsletter August 2007 

 

 

 

In recent times I have seen a great many Australian daybills that have been misdescribed or misrepresented on eBay. Whilst it is can sometimes be quite difficult to distinguish between original daybills and reissues, the end result is that buyers are often deceived. In many cases, the sellers are blissfully unaware that they are selling a reissue but I have also seen instances where it looks fairly clear that the seller is attempting to pass off a reissue as original. Some obvious examples are the James Bond early daybills which have been reissued a number of times over the years. You often see two colour reissues passed off as original by sellers.

 

Another obvious one is Mad Max. I have written a guide on how to determine the originality of these posters but the most common error is that the 1982 glossy blue daybill is regularly passed off as original.

 

The Graduate is another example where the reissue is quite similar to the original and Day the Earth Stood Still, Cat On A Hot Tin Roof, Chinatown and others are examples of where buyers have been misled into thinking that reissues are original.

 

Another issue with daybills is the fact that the original full colour version was often complimented by a one colour or sometimes two colour cheaper version. These posters can still be described as original but I think sellers should point out that an original full colour version was also printed and that the one and two colour versions might have been used when the full colour version ran out. I have seen up to four original versions of daybill printed with usually a full colour as the first printing and one and two colour versions of the same art as complimentary or later printings. Examples include Bullitt and A Clockwork Orange where the first and most desirable printing is the full colour daybill but there were also original printings in one colour in various different colours.

 

A very ordinary Endless Summer duotone daybill sold recently for an obsene amount and I’m sure that the buyer would have been under the impression that he was purchasing the original poster.

 

Sometimes it is quite easy to pick the difference between a reissue and an original daybill but there are many other occasions where it is not so easy. There are occasions also when dealers disagree on what is or is not original.

 

Just to confuse the issue further, daybills were occasionally issued in two different styles but there are also examples where full colour daybills have been used for the reissue.

 

Did you know that three different style original daybills were printed for An American in Paris?

 

Problems generally occur with part time sellers who may have come across a small collection. They might find posters for Thunderball or Goldfinger or other good titles and assume that they are original. They describe them as such and the buyer purchases them on that basis only to find out much later that they have purchased a reissue.

 

This is one of the reasons why I have written guides on Australian posters. There is precious little information out there for collectors and, even then, much of it is anecdotal and "best guesswork" based on experience of dealers and collectors. Some of the other dealers in Australia have also passed on their knowledge and experiences on their websites or in discussion boards and the more information that is out there the better.

 

 

I decided to write a guide on what to look for when purchasing original Australian Star Wars posters. There has been a little confusion over the posters which were released first and this guide provides a permanent record of what to look for.

 

 

 

I have been offering about 100 posters per week at opening bids of $5.97 or lower for a number of weeks now. There have been a great many bargains with a number of prominent dealers picking up stock to resell on their websites at much higher prices. The auctions are worth checking regularly.

 

 

and many more in my ebay store

 

Search My eBay Store for more original Movie Posters and Lobby cards   in titles & descriptions

 

I recently came across a collection of very rare long daybills. Long daybills were released prior to 1941 and they are very scarce. They often feature quite unique art and, occasionally, the signature of the artist which is unusual with Australian posters. Included in the collection were some Richardson Studio Long Daybills which I will add to the site in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

I also managed to find some choice 50s Sci Fi titles in Australian daybills and one sheets. Some have been rarely seen before and I will add these to either my eBay Store or the website in the next month or so.

 

 

I have added a Blog page to the website and I will post entries from time to time about the latest news in Movie Memorabilia. One of my recent blogs contains the story of how a collector ending up selling an important collection of memorabilia for a pittance – that is every collectors worst nightmare!

 

 

Heritage have once again conducted a successful auction with sales of over 2 million dollars. They continue to promote their auctions extremely well with excellent catalogues and a website that allows real time viewing of sales. Some of the highlights included:

 

$89,625.00 The Black Cat (Universal, 1934). Half  Sheet (22" X 28").

$77,675.00  Stagecoach (United Artists, 1939). One  Sheet (27" X 41").

$65,725.00 The Bride of Frankenstein (Universal,1935). Half Sheet (22" X 28").

$59,750.00 Werewolf of London (Universal, 1935). Insert (14" X 36").

$44,812.50  The Raven (Universal, 1935). One Sheet (27" X 41").

$38,837.50 The Eagle (United Artists, 1925). One Sheet (27" X 41").

$35,850.00 The Grapes of Wrath (20th Century Fox, 1940). Six Sheet (81" X 81").

$33,460.00 Magician Mickey (United Artists, 1937). Poster (40" X 60").

$33,460.00 Modern Times (United Artists, 1936). Six Sheet (81" X 81").

$28,680.00 The Cocoanuts (Paramount, 1929). Insert (14" X 36").

$28,680.00 Violent is the Word for Curly (Columbia, 1938). One Sheet (27" X 41")

 

An Australian Daybill for the RKO picture Quality Street sold for $597.50 although it appears that it was misdescribed as a 13" x 30" daybill when it looks as though it was a long daybill measuring 15" x 40".

 

The highlight of the Australian posters was a daybill for Out of the Past which sold for $1195.00 (inc buyers premium).

 

There was not an overly strong selection of Australian posters in the auction and it would be good to see a larger collection appearing in one of the Heritage signature auctions.

 

 

I have been getting a great response to the Movie Quiz every Monday between 12 and 3pm and if you are ever on the Gold Coast, tune in to 94.1fm for great Jazz and Swing 24 hours a day! Tomorrow’s question will be about a track from High Society.

 

Well, that’s it for this month. Let me know if you have any suggestions for future guides or Exhibitions or even potential questions for the movie quiz! They need to be based on a track from a movie that I can ask a question on.

 

Best regards to you

 

John