Jon Englund
Downsizing? Determined to get rid of stuff you no longer need? Cleaning out a home or an estate? Stop! Know Before You Throw.
So, who watched the Oscars on Feb. 26? Did your favorite film or actor win the big award?
Motion pictures have held our fascination since the advent of film in the 1890s. Those early films were very short and without sound due to the limits of technology. By 1927, sound was introduced to film.
Now, the advances in technology are staggering. The modern film industry, worldwide, currently is estimated to be $38.3 billion (U.S.). And this reflects just box office receipts.
Last month, I talked a bit about the merchandising of films, like Star Wars figurines. There are other things people collect, however, aside from figurines, which sometimes show up in one’s closet.
Printed items, such as movie posters and lobby cards, are part of a class of collectibles called ephemera. I’ve written about ephemera in the past in relationship to vintage travel brochures. Ephemera, by definition, is an item of collectible memorabilia, which typically is written or printed, and was originally not expected to be long lived. In other words, it was destined for the trash as soon as the event concluded.
So, movie posters and lobby cards seldom survived back in the day. Those still around can have significant value. For example, the advertising poster from the classic 1932 movie The Mummy, starring Boris Karloff, sold for a whopping $435,000 in 1997.
And the top award? The poster for the groundbreaking 1927 film Metropolis, which sold for $690,000 in 2005. The buyer was believed to be the winner of the 2016 Academy Award for best actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
Go check your closets.
Jon Englund has more than 25 years of experience in appraising and liquidating personal property, jewelry, art, collectibles, antiques, furniture, printed items and more. A Midwest transplant, Jon trained at New York University in appraisal studies.
For more information, call (480) 699-1567. You also can send an email to Jon@KnowBeforeYouThrow.INFO.