The intent is clear. They wanted to give the poster collecting community a thrill in many years to come. Experts will say it was a cheap way to further insulate floors and walls but I disagree. I'm currently lining my floors with chuck norris daybills so that a die hard fan gets their thrill in 80 years time
The intent is clear. They wanted to give the poster collecting community a thrill in many years to come. Experts will say it was a cheap way to further insulate floors and walls but I disagree. I'm currently lining my floors with chuck norris daybills so that a die hard fan gets their thrill in 80 years time
Thin paper hasn't got the greatest insulation properties. Maybe the wife wanted to throw the posters out and the husband wanted to keep them or visa versa.
I think it would depend what the occupant had readily available to them at the time.
Who is to say the persons living in the house at the time weren't in some way connected to the local theatre???
This would be true, the two Under the Floorboard and one Behind the Wall all worked at (or owned) the local theatre. I have no doubt newspapers were used, and over at the Vintage Newspaper Forum they get really excited with these sorts of find.
I have been in on dozens of "Hole in the Wall" and "Under the Floor" or "Found in the Ceiling" finds over the years (all in the U.S. or Canada), and in all but one case, the posters found were either thick window cards, or kraft-backed posters, and of course those DID have the thickness one would expect (to make it work as insulation). Those were all regular houses or buildings, not theaters, and I suspect the builders found a nearby theater that had lots of these posters they were about to throw away.
The one exception was from a theater from 1915, and there were several hundred unbacked one-sheets and three-sheets all tightly packed in a small add on ceiling, so I guess David's theory was right, and that this theater had these posters handy, and just used them instead of finding something more thick and thus more suitable.
Incidentally that last theater is where all those 1915 Paramount Pictures stock posters came from (a poster I really love!). There were around 20 of those in the find, and because there were so many (and they were all in lesser condition), they sold for really low prices (the last one sold for a criminally low $155!).
HAS lifetime guarantees on every item - IS eMoviePoster.com HAS unrestored and unenhanced images - IS eMoviePoster.com HAS 100% honest condition descriptions - IS eMoviePoster.com HAS auctions where the winner is the higher of two real bidders - IS eMoviePoster.com HAS up to SIXTEEN weeks of "Pay and Hold" to save a fortune on shipping - IS eMoviePoster.com HAS real customer service before, during and after EVERY auction, and answers all questions - IS eMoviePoster.com
HAS 25% or 26% "buyers premiums" of any kind (but especially the dreadful "$29 or $49 minimum" ones) - NOT eMoviePoster.com HAS "reserves or starts over $1 - NOT eMoviePoster.com HAS hidden bidder IDs - NOT eMoviePoster.com HAS "nosebleed" shipping charges - NOT eMoviePoster.com HAS inadequate packaging - NOT eMoviePoster.com HAS no customer service to speak of, before, during and after any auction, and answers almost no questions - NOT eMoviePoster.com
Incidentally that last theater is where all those 1915 Paramount Pictures stock posters came from (a poster I really love!). There were around 20 of those in the find,
Last update for a while, too tired to keep doing this!
This (Under the Carpet find) was found in country Victoria. The home's previous owner's mother had purchased it in the '70s but the home had been left vacant by the daughter for the past 25 years and it had been recently purchased by a spec renovator.
In the process of renovating they lifted the carpet to find the underlay (no surprises there), they lifted the underlay to find another layer of carpet (surprise!) and underneath these were the posters (woohoo!).
Again condition varies, the water damage this time is minimal, a couple of them are a little fragile but overall fairly similar condition to the first Under the Floorboard find - many feel quite 'compressed' but not brittle as you might expect. With a few the colours are as vibrant as they day they went down, others are a bath away from their former glory, and others due to their rarity I couldn't bring myself to dump, despite their condition. Many were covered in dust or more to the point, a fine dirt from slowly seeping through all the carpet and underlay these past 75 years... *cough*
I've added them to the previous recent photography shoot of other 'finds' (there's over 100 images). Enjoy.
Some rare posters for Australian films were donated to National Film and Sound Archive, some were sold during the aforementioned auction, some have been restored (which you have seen), some have yet to be restored (or won't be) and remain in my private collection.
I have shared some images from some of the collections, but not all, time being the issue...but as I am getting many of them them ready to sell I took some photos, I thought I would share here, I know some people are keen to see them. I've only done the 1 sheets at the moment, I've got a lot of posters to get through.
I will likely keep them (unless I get an offer I can't refuse), only the ones where none (or very few) exist of the full poster poster (eg Rimfire is common, so will probably bin that).
The others where there is simply incomplete posters due to age I'll sell I guess, someone will want them.
Comments
Why would people line the floorboards with paper and then put lino or carpet over the top?
Bloody comedians. Lol.
I agree on the insulation theiry...sorry theory. But I still think we are missing something.
I think you will find paper was a great barrier back then, mainly used as a thermal insulation (to keep the heat in).
I think it would depend what the occupant had readily available to them at the time.
Who is to say the persons living in the house at the time weren't in some way connected to the local theatre???
The one exception was from a theater from 1915, and there were several hundred unbacked one-sheets and three-sheets all tightly packed in a small add on ceiling, so I guess David's theory was right, and that this theater had these posters handy, and just used them instead of finding something more thick and thus more suitable.
Incidentally that last theater is where all those 1915 Paramount Pictures stock posters came from (a poster I really love!). There were around 20 of those in the find, and because there were so many (and they were all in lesser condition), they sold for really low prices (the last one sold for a criminally low $155!).
HAS unrestored and unenhanced images - IS eMoviePoster.com
HAS 100% honest condition descriptions - IS eMoviePoster.com
HAS auctions where the winner is the higher of two real bidders - IS eMoviePoster.com
HAS up to SIXTEEN weeks of "Pay and Hold" to save a fortune on shipping - IS eMoviePoster.com
HAS real customer service before, during and after EVERY auction, and answers all questions - IS eMoviePoster.com
HAS 25% or 26% "buyers premiums" of any kind (but especially the dreadful "$29 or $49 minimum" ones) - NOT eMoviePoster.com
HAS "reserves or starts over $1 - NOT eMoviePoster.com
HAS hidden bidder IDs - NOT eMoviePoster.com
HAS "nosebleed" shipping charges - NOT eMoviePoster.com
HAS inadequate packaging - NOT eMoviePoster.com
HAS no customer service to speak of, before, during and after any auction, and answers almost no questions - NOT eMoviePoster.com
Insolation is one thing, proof of a point is another.
Is still don't see any proof either way.
This (Under the Carpet find) was found in country Victoria. The home's previous owner's mother had purchased it in the '70s but the home had been left vacant by the daughter for the past 25 years and it had been recently purchased by a spec renovator.
In the process of renovating they lifted the carpet to find the underlay (no surprises there), they lifted the underlay to find another layer of carpet (surprise!) and underneath these were the posters (woohoo!).
Again condition varies, the water damage this time is minimal, a couple of them are a little fragile but overall fairly similar condition to the first Under the Floorboard find - many feel quite 'compressed' but not brittle as you might expect. With a few the colours are as vibrant as they day they went down, others are a bath away from their former glory, and others due to their rarity I couldn't bring myself to dump, despite their condition. Many were covered in dust or more to the point, a fine dirt from slowly seeping through all the carpet and underlay these past 75 years... *cough*
I've added them to the previous recent photography shoot of other 'finds' (there's over 100 images). Enjoy.
View as a slide show (hands free)
http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/SilhouetteNSW/slideshow/Under Floorboards Behind Wall
View in story form (not as good, seems slow loading all images)
http://s1219.photobucket.com/user/SilhouetteNSW/Under Floorboards Behind Wall/story
Yes, loverly. Thanks for sharing.
Question...what are you going to do with all the bits of posters?
The others where there is simply incomplete posters due to age I'll sell I guess, someone will want them.