Questions for Bruce-EMP

Rick · June 2023

if the postage costs from Australia would just come down a bit or maybe I'll need to put some more in a backpack and fly over again!

I basically haven't bought from overseas or sent anything overseas since the pandemic.

It's good to hear you're getting a better work-life balance. I'm doing the same.

Duke · June 2023

Hello Bruce
I have a rather large collection of movie memorabilia for John Wayne, is he still popular in collecting?
thank you

HONDO · June 2023

I have done some maths and worked out that within the next eighteen months you plan to auction a total of 58,441 lots . Included within these lots there will be of course bulk lots of unknown numbers.

Due to your current news do you believe this may have an effect in it creating a large increase in consignment numbers possibly to come your way. There may be some people who have been holding back their large house or warehouse collections in the past that may now decide to consign to you.

My question then is if you now receive a large increase in poster numbers forwarded to you, have you considered this possibility and how you would cope with this situation if it happened to arise?

Bruce · June 2023

Duke said:

Hello Bruce
I have a rather large collection of movie memorabilia for John Wayne, is he still popular in collecting?
thank you

The main Wayne collectors are aging, and are not being replaced by new younger collectors, who prefer zombies and the like.

But with that being said many Wayne items still do well, mostly from his best movies.

And I don't think the picture will be better ten years from now.

Bruce · June 2023

HONDO said:

I have done some maths and worked out that within the next eighteen months you plan to auction a total of 58,441 lots . Included within these lots there will be of course bulk lots of unknown numbers.

Due to your current news do you believe this may have an effect in it creating a large increase in consignment numbers possibly to come your way. There may be some people who have been holding back their large house or warehouse collections in the past that may now decide to consign to you.

My question then is if you now receive a large increase in poster numbers forwarded to you, have you considered this possibility and how you would cope with this situation if it happened to arise?

I will have to take it as it comes. And, as the saying goes, I could have much worse problems than too many consignments!

Duke · June 2023

I will have to finish linen backing the Wayne posters then probably auction off.
thank you

110x75 · June 2023

I have mixed feelings about this announcement, Bruce. I'm obviously happy for you enjoying your retirement (spending time with family, traveling and whatever you choose to do!!), but in the other hand, I imagine it will be something like the "end of an era". I really hope the company will go on (run by your stuff, or with a different owner, whatever ends up happening), but it won't be easy to keep things going exactly like they are now I imagine. I think one of the greatest achievements of emovie is being a place where you can buy with your eyes closed, knowing that everything will turn out perfectly (wich is something that can be said of VERY few companies, poster related or not) And that happens mostly because every buyer knows that you are there, backing all up and taking care of every step of the process.

Bruce · June 2023

110x75 said:

I have mixed feelings about this announcement, Bruce. I'm obviously happy for you enjoying your retirement (spending time with family, traveling and whatever you choose to do!!), but in the other hand, I imagine it will be something like the "end of an era". I really hope the company will go on (run by your stuff, or with a different owner, whatever ends up happening), but it won't be easy to keep things going exactly like they are now I imagine. I think one of the greatest achievements of emovie is being a place where you can buy with your eyes closed, knowing that everything will turn out perfectly (wich is something that can be said of VERY few companies, poster related or not) And that happens mostly because every buyer knows that you are there, backing all up and taking care of every step of the process.

Thanks for the very kind words, Mattias!

Bruce · July 2023

The very first "movie posters" appeared at the same time movies were first made, around 1896. They were small posters with a vertical format, advertising the machines and the process, rather than individual movies!

Here are more important milestones in the early history of movie posters (I am just writing these off the "top of my head", and I welcome any additions or corrections):

c.1898 - what is believed to be the first poster for a specific movie is seen, for the comedy short "Watering the Gardener"
c.1901 - the first traditional one-sheets for single movies appear
c.1909 - the first one-sheets with actors billed appear
c.1909 - the first exhibitor magazines appear
c.1910 - the first three-sheets appear (printed on 3 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1912 - the first 8x10 stills appear
c.1913 - the first six-sheets appear (printed on 6 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1913 - the first 14x22 window cards appear
c.1914 - the first souvenir program books appear
c.1915 - the first 11x14 lobby cards appear (the very first ones are vertically oriented)
c.1916 - the first pressbooks appear
c.1917 - the first 22x28 half-sheets (called "displays") appear
c.1920 - the first 14x36 inserts appear
c.1920 - the first 24-sheets appear (printed on 24 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1920 - the first studio yearbooks (also called "campaign books") appear

ATTENTION ALL YOU POSTER HISTORY BUFFS! As I said above, the above chart was created in minutes, and I welcome any additions or corrections. I would LOVE to greatly expand it, and I would especially like to add similar dates for every movie poster producing country! Please email us if you have information to help make this a reality!

HONDO · July 2023

Regarding Australian film poster producing history. it is like a mission impossible task. Almost no records exist on this subject.
I have some thoughts and information at present, but i will need to research into the subject some more before i will comment here.

Bruce · July 2023

HONDO said:

Regarding Australian film poster producing history. it is like a mission impossible task. Almost no records exist on this subject.
I have some thoughts and information at present, but i will need to research into the subject some more before i will comment here.

As long as you don't mind guessing, it is not so impossible. Just write down the date of the very earliest daybill, Aussie one-sheet, three-sheet, etc you have ever seen, and then post that and if anyone has anything older, they are sure to comment.

I can't imagine ANYONE better for this on Australian poster sizes than YOU! And I am sure everyone here agrees with me on that.

HONDO · July 2023

Bruce said:

HONDO said:

Regarding Australian film poster producing history. it is like a mission impossible task. Almost no records exist on this subject.
I have some thoughts and information at present, but i will need to research into the subject some more before i will comment here.

As long as you don't mind guessing, it is not so impossible. Just write down the date of the very earliest daybill, Aussie one-sheet, three-sheet, etc you have ever seen, and then post that and if anyone has anything older, they are sure to comment.

I can't imagine ANYONE better for this on Australian poster sizes than YOU! And I am sure everyone here agrees with me on that.

Your thoughts on how to tackle the task is actually what I had in mind to do.

You are too kind with your compliments. I just do what I love to do and hope others can benefit from the information I provide and like to share with others.

It also gives me great pleasure to run my quizzes, and hopefully they give others some enjoyment, whether one participates in them or not.

Lex · August 2023

How do you filter which are under $30 of value? Is there a way to know before sending stuff in? For example if I send you foreign stuff that hasn't ever been sold there, how can I/you tell how much they fetch? Or if the final price is below 30, do you still sell it or what happens? Do I send you a list beforehand so you can tell what is okay?

HONDO · August 2023

A question I have is for titles that fall into the sub-$30 ( later maybe sub-$50 value ), cannot these items then be sold in bulk lots of unlimited numbers? If all members would be on board with this. would you continue then to accept most items from sellers?

Question number two is do you have a percentage of how many items have sold in recent times for unfer $30?

Bruce · August 2023

I ask people to "play fair' when it comes to the $30 minimum value. I am getting people sending posters that likely will be $10 or $20, or WOULD be $30+ if they did not have a big stain, etc. If people DO try to be fair, I am putting their items in.

I DON'T want items "just because" we never had them before. If you can't tell whether something figures to sell for over $30, send me an image and the measurements and I will tell you.

Bruce · August 2023

I want to eliminate bulk lots entirely, Lawrence. I am sure there are others who can take this over, IF they can figure out a way to make them profitable. So I DON'T want ten $5 posters as one bulk lot. No bulk lots at all, once I have auctioned all the sub-$30 items here.

HONDO · August 2023

HONDO said:

Regarding Australian film poster producing history. it is like a mission impossible task. Almost no records exist on this subject.
I have some thoughts and information at present, but i will need to research into the subject some more before i will comment here.

I have been slowly following up looking into this topic recently. and sometime soon I will reveal all the information that I have at hand.

As previously mentioned a very difficult subject to comment on, as scant information on this subject exists today

HONDO · August 2023

Bruce said:

The very first "movie posters" appeared at the same time movies were first made, around 1896. They were small posters with a vertical format, advertising the machines and the process, rather than individual movies!

Here are more important milestones in the early history of movie posters (I am just writing these off the "top of my head", and I welcome any additions or corrections):

c.1898 - what is believed to be the first poster for a specific movie is seen, for the comedy short "Watering the Gardener"
c.1901 - the first traditional one-sheets for single movies appear
c.1909 - the first one-sheets with actors billed appear
c.1909 - the first exhibitor magazines appear
c.1910 - the first three-sheets appear (printed on 3 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1912 - the first 8x10 stills appear
c.1913 - the first six-sheets appear (printed on 6 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1913 - the first 14x22 window cards appear
c.1914 - the first souvenir program books appear
c.1915 - the first 11x14 lobby cards appear (the very first ones are vertically oriented)
c.1916 - the first pressbooks appear
c.1917 - the first 22x28 half-sheets (called "displays") appear
c.1920 - the first 14x36 inserts appear
c.1920 - the first 24-sheets appear (printed on 24 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1920 - the first studio yearbooks (also called "campaign books") appear

ATTENTION ALL YOU POSTER HISTORY BUFFS! As I said above, the above chart was created in minutes, and I welcome any additions or corrections. I would LOVE to greatly expand it, and I would especially like to add similar dates for every movie poster producing country! Please email us if you have information to help make this a reality!

O.K. the following is what I have at the present rime on Australian original film poster printing.

1923 - the first one sheet known to me is for the Australian made Prehistoric Hayseeds released in 1923. The only other example located is for the U.S.A. Four Hearts ( 1922 ) that was released in Australian in the following year 1924. Nothing else in the 1920's located after this.

1906 for daybills with the Australian made film The Story Of The Kelly Gang.

1921 for glass lantern slides with the Australia made film A Girl In The Bush.

1908 for 3 sheets with the Australian made film For The Term Of His Natural Life.

Other poster sizes I am still looking into.

What I need to point out is that foreign made films ( the majority ) that were imported and screened in Australia, up until the early 1930's when full on poster production occurred here, imported posters were displayed here in Australia.

Bruce · October 2023

Did you know that there are some basic items that EVERY movie memorabilia collector should consider owning?

We are often contacted by collectors with various concerns or requests that pertain to collecting movie paper such as "how can I protect the tear in my poster without restoration", "how can I safely remove this piece of tape", "how can I more easily open packages", etc.

So we thought it would be helpful to make a list of some of the items we think ALL movie paper collectors should strongly consider owning:

*Lineco Document Repair Tape and Lineco Transparent Mending Tissue - This is tape that is safe for use on movie paper. You can use it on the back of items to secure tears.

*Bestine (or "Un-du") - This is a solvent that can dissolve the sticky part of tape making the tape easily removed without damage to movie paper and is therefore super useful in removing tape from older posters, and also can "save the day" if you accidentally get tape stuck to a poster when removing it from a package.

NOTE: This is a highly flammable and dangerous substance and should only be used in a well ventilated area, and ONLY if you are at least somewhat "handy" and will be EXTREMELY careful using it. Be sure to read ALL of the manufacture's warnings before use.

*A utility knife, Xacto knife, or similar - This is wonderful for opening well packed packages (such as those eMoviePoster.com uses). NOTE: You should always cut with care as these knives are extremely sharp and WILL cut through several pieces of cardboard with ease, and can also cut into YOU with even greater ease. You definitely do NOT want to accidentally cut your movie paper (or yourself)!

*A REALLY strong light (like 400 watts or stronger) - This is wonderful if you own or are considering buying restored items. When you hold those items up before a light source like this, you will likely be able to practically "see" right through the linen or paper backing, and you can likely see the extent of the restoration.

You will need some practice to know how to interpret what you see in some cases, but in many cases it will be very obvious (like where a large hole was recreated by being painted over). But be prepared to be shocked in some cases, because some auctions describe some items as having "minor fold and border restoration", when the actual restoration is far greater, because they are counting on the buyers not being knowledgeable to know the difference.

And also, know that if an item (usually a window card, half-sheet or insert) is backed onto a heavy board backing, you likely can't get a light bright enough to shine through it, but just the fact that this kind of restoration was performed is almost a guarantee that the restoration was extensive. And also, when acrylic paint is used, you also may have trouble seeing "through it", but again, just the fact that this kind of restoration was performed is almost a guarantee that the restoration was extensive.

And it is not that you shouldn't buy restored items, just that you should be accurately informed as to how much restoration the item has had, either by the seller, or by you, examining the item in the way described above. Once you know the truth, you can better decide how much to pay.

*A map file or other storage equipment - As we all know, movie paper can be very valuable, so why not store it in a way that best protects your investment? A map file is a great way to do this if you have space because it allows you to store one-sheet-size and smaller posters unfolded and flat. Boxes or tubes are also acceptable if you don't have the space (or funds) for a large map file.

--for more information about storage, please go the following link: "Did you know... that many people have different views on how to best store their movie paper collection?" at https://www.emovieposter.com/tips_archive.php?id=409&searchterms=best store

*A digital camera or phone with an excellent built-in camera - Either is an invaluable tool for when you want to get advice from someone online about your posters or share images of your favorite posters with the world OR if you want to offer items for sale

*Spreadsheet or database software - A great tool for cataloging one's collection (and there are free ones such as LibreOffice or GoogleDocs). You will have to have a little higher level of computer expertise to easily use such software (although, we hear GoogleDocs makes things fairly easy), but enlisting the help of a "computer nerd" family member can get you on the path to using this software. You may also be able to find commercial "collection" software to aid you in cataloging your collection, but we don't know of any good software that is specifically dedicated to movie paper.

NOTE: Copies of the last two items above (digital photos of your collection AND your collection list in your online software) need to be stored somewhere completely separate from your collection! Otherwise in the event of a disaster, you will not have proof of what you owned, but if you DO have both of these, you will have an excellent chance of filing (and collecting) on an insurance claim.

THIS HAS BEEN A PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM EMOVIEPOSTER.COM!

Bruce · November 2023

An email we received from one of our 68,157 past buyers and active registered users:

"I haven't really purchased many items from you over the years. But I just want you to know I just LOVE your posters and other items. It is just thoroughly fun to peruse them. Thanks for providing that entertainment!"

We get variations on this email ALL the time, and we just want to make sure everyone is aware of what a fun 100% free resource our website, eMoviePoster.com is!

Whether you are perusing all our current "live" auctions at https://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/all.html or whether you are looking at the 1,999,491 VERIFIED results (with images) in our Auction History at https://www.emovieposter.com/agallery/archive.html you can easily spend hours before you know it!

And we also have a complete archive of our 1,030 past "Email Club" messages (it started in 1998!) and the early ones are packed with very helpful information about the hobby, and it is completely searchable at https://www.emovieposter.com/club/archive.php

Plus there is much more! It is all free, but you must be a registered user to access some of the features, including past prices and larger images. Register at https://auctions.emovieposter.com/Registration.taf

But be warned! Perusing the site can become addictive, and you may find it becomes a great way to unwind and spend a spare hour or two!

Bruce · December 2023

A question at the end of the year. It seems like many of you have mostly quit collecting, as I rarely see anyone posting new purchases.

Is that a misconception on my part? I love looking at images of newly purchased stuff, and I don't much care if it is rare and/or valuable, because just seeing the posts helps show the hobby is alive and well!

Anyone?

darolo · December 2023

Bruce - I've bought some things, mainly from you, so you've seen those - ha ha. Most of my purchases of the last few years are lobby cards and probably of much less interest to collectors here.

Wil · December 2023

I'm certainly still collecting Bruce (the last two from you). In fact my pre-war collection has grown more in the last 12 months than years prior.

Perhaps the influx of collectors offloading in recent months is enabling this (one mans loss is another mans gain or something like that).

Charlie · December 2023

Thai bootlegs have killed modern posters for me. I am only buying Bus Shelters and prints these days. The prints I have to flatten. I’ve probably got a hundred posters I need to photograph. Else, my want list keeps getting smaller. Mostly expensive and rare stuff. I mean how hard is it for you to find someone to consign a Fistful of Dollars insert or Cat and Canary one sheet. 😀

I’ll pull the trigger on Rear Window and other Hitchcock films eventually. I also think the natural progression of seasoning as a collector is patience.

Bruce · December 2023

collectahollic said:

I'm certainly still collecting Bruce (the last two from you). In fact my pre-war collection has grown more in the last 12 months than years prior.

Perhaps the influx of collectors offloading in recent months is enabling this (one mans loss is another mans gain or something like that).

Definitely this past year saw several VERY long time collectors decide the time had come to divest their large collections (one after his passing) and that DID result in an amazing amount of VERY rare material all hitting the market at one time. And of course there is no predicting whether the same thing will happen in 2024.

Bruce · December 2023

darolo said:

Bruce - I've bought some things, mainly from you, so you've seen those - ha ha. Most of my purchases of the last few years are lobby cards and probably of much less interest to collectors here.

Two super long time collectors of lobby cards consigned their entire collections this year, and that resulted in so many great and rare ones surfacing. And that brought out some buyers who had not bought much for quite a while.

Bruce · December 2023

Charlie said:

Thai bootlegs have killed modern posters for me. I am only buying Bus Shelters and prints these days. The prints I have to flatten. I’ve probably got a hundred posters I need to photograph. Else, my want list keeps getting smaller. Mostly expensive and rare stuff. I mean how hard is it for you to find someone to consign a Fistful of Dollars insert or Cat and Canary one sheet. 😀

I’ll pull the trigger on Rear Window and other Hitchcock films eventually. I also think the natural progression of seasoning as a collector is patience.

An awful lot of collectors start out buying anything and everything and then eventually start refining what they buy until finally they only want a very few specific items, like you, apparently!

HONDO · December 2023

Bruce said:

The very first "movie posters" appeared at the same time movies were first made, around 1896. They were small posters with a vertical format, advertising the machines and the process, rather than individual movies!

Here are more important milestones in the early history of movie posters (I am just writing these off the "top of my head", and I welcome any additions or corrections):

c.1898 - what is believed to be the first poster for a specific movie is seen, for the comedy short "Watering the Gardener"
c.1901 - the first traditional one-sheets for single movies appear
c.1909 - the first one-sheets with actors billed appear
c.1909 - the first exhibitor magazines appear
c.1910 - the first three-sheets appear (printed on 3 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1912 - the first 8x10 stills appear
c.1913 - the first six-sheets appear (printed on 6 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1913 - the first 14x22 window cards appear
c.1914 - the first souvenir program books appear
c.1915 - the first 11x14 lobby cards appear (the very first ones are vertically oriented)
c.1916 - the first pressbooks appear
c.1917 - the first 22x28 half-sheets (called "displays") appear
c.1920 - the first 14x36 inserts appear
c.1920 - the first 24-sheets appear (printed on 24 one-sheet sized pieces, hence the name)
c.1920 - the first studio yearbooks (also called "campaign books") appear

ATTENTION ALL YOU POSTER HISTORY BUFFS! As I said above, the above chart was created in minutes, and I welcome any additions or corrections. I would LOVE to greatly expand it, and I would especially like to add similar dates for every movie poster producing country! Please email us if you have information to help make this a reality!

I thought you may like to know that on the Conway's Vintage Treasures U.S.A. website they state that U.S. lobby cards were first introduced around 1913.

Bruce · December 2023

HONDO said:
I thought you may like to know that on the Conway's Vintage Treasures U.S.A. website they state that U.S. lobby cards were first introduced around 1913.

If they mean 8x10 lobby cards, they are right. If they mean 11x14, I would love to see an example!

Bruce · December 2023

After 34 years of auctioning "anything" and "everything", we at eMoviePoster.com made the decision to STOP auctioning low value items, and to ONLY auction items that realistically sell for $30 or more!

But we first had a warehouse of old consignments to deal with (truckloads brought to us from dealers closing down) that we had been working on auctioning for many years).

But we are steadily working through all those old consignments, and we make it very clear to all new consignors to only send $30+ items, and the day is looming when we WILL only auction $30+ items (but they will still start at $1 with no reserves or buyers premiums).

Look at this chart at https://www.emovieposter.com/images/announcements/2023_yearly_sales.jpg From 2002 to 2007 we WERE much more selective in what we auctioned, and our average auction price was mostly around $60.

But then, in 2008 we added a third set of auctions, our Sunday auctions, and the only way to fill so many auctions was to start including MUCH lower value items, and our average auction price plunged to around $35 to $40 for the next 13 years.

But then in 2020 we started our "new" $30+ minimum policy, and our average auction price jumped up to $79, and has continued to increase, hitting $125 this year.

While this may SEEM to be a new policy, actually it is just us returning to the policy we originally had from 2002 to 2007. And when you consider inflation, $125 per auction in 2023 is actually LESS than $64 was in 2005.

And there are two giant side benefits to this shift in policy. The first is that being far more selective in what we accept has allowed us to completely catch up on old single sale consignments, so new consignments sent to us go to auction VERY quickly.

And the second is that the bidders LOVE this "new" eMoviePoster.com because with so much better quality overall, they now look over ALL the auctions each time, because so much of it is of interest.

If YOU have $30+ items you would like to consign, why not head over to https://www.emovieposter.com/learnmore/?page=consign and read our "no fine print" terms, and learn how you can join the 3,213 others who have consigned $115 million of items to us!

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