Christie’s will be holding an exclusive sale of Elizabeth Taylor’s jewelry from Dec. 3 to Dec. 17. Some 950 pieces will be available for bidding on its online gallery.

A selection of 2,000 items from what some call “The Crown Jewels of Hollywood,” Elizabeth Taylor’s incredible collection, will hit the Christie’s auction block this December. A special, online-only component of the sale includes more than 500 pieces of fine and costume jewelry for the online-only sale, including exceptional Art Deco-era jewelry and an array of signed jewels by Cartier, Chanel, Christian Dior, and Ruser, among others.

The sale will run from Dec. 3 to Dec. 17. While Christie’s has offered bidding online since 2006, this is the first time the auction house will host an exclusive online addition to a private collection sale.

The entire Collection of Elizabeth Taylor sale mirrors the incredible offering of top designer gowns, coats, capes, handbags and designer goods that will be featured in the live auction.

The 33.19-carat Krupp Diamond set in a ring.

The pear-shaped, 69.41-carat Taylor-Burton Diamond.

I met Elizabeth Taylor twice, once at an event in Roanoke, Va., where she spoke about her film, the children’s fantasy, “The Blue Bird,” from 1971. The second time was when she spoke at a Belk’s store in Charlotte, N.C., which still sells an Elizabeth Taylor “White Diamonds” line of cosmetics.

Both times she was impeccably dressed, although not quite so lavishly at the Virginia event, which she attended with then-husband and U.S. Senator from Virginia, John Warner.

She traveled to the Belk promotions with her small white dog, which she petted while responding with quick wit to audience questions. She wore a necklace with a diamond big enough to sink a canoe.

The 50-carat La Peregrina Pearl had once been owned by Queen Mary I of England.

Richard Burton—her fourth and fifth husband—said when he met her in 1952, “She was unquestionably gorgeous. I can think of no other word to describe a combination of plentitude, frugality, abundance, tightness. She was lavish. She was a dark unyielding largesse.”

Taylor loved jewelry passionately. At her death, her jewelry collection was estimated to be worth $150 million. Burton gave her three of her most famous jewels, including the 33.19-carat Krupp Diamond, which she wore every day as a ring. He also gave her the pear-shaped Taylor-Burton Diamond, a whopping 69.41-carat gem.

Burton presented her with the 50-carat La Peregrina Pearl as a Valentine’s gift in 1969. The pearl had once been owned by Queen Mary I of England, who ruled from 1553-1558.

Taylor wrote a book about her jewelry collection, “My Love Affair with Jewelry,” published in 2002

The Elizabeth Taylor diamond (33.19 carats, D color, potentially internally flawless) has an estimated value of $2,500,000-$3,500,000.

Taylor wrote a book about her jewelry collection, “My Love Affair with Jewelry,” published in 2002 with photographs by John Bigelow Taylor (no relation to Elizabeth, but a specialist in jewelry photography).

In addition to jewelry, Taylor’s gowns and accessories always commanded attention. She gave some of the gowns and costumes from her film career to Debbie Reynolds, and some were sold during the recent auction of items from Reynold’s extensive collection.

Items up for bid in the online-only collection that starts Dec. 3, include:

• A gold, sapphire and Mississippi pearl hummingbird brooch by Ruser, valued at between $2,000 and $3,000.
• A multi-gem ring by Chaumet valued at up to $500.
• A coral and tigers eye fish bracelet by Van Cleef & Arpels valued at from $1,000 to $1,500.

Costume jewelry up for sale includes:

• A Navajo silver and turquoise squash blossom necklace valued at $400 to $600.
• An Art Deco Bracelet by Jac expected to bring from $100 to $200.

Considering the way prices have exceeded estimates at auctions of celebrity related items in the last few years, some of these prices are sure to be exceeded.

On the other hand, the really expensive jewels up for sale offline include The Elizabeth Taylor diamond, rectangular-cut diamond ring of 33.19 carats, D color, potentially internally flawless, with an estimated value of $2,500,000-$3,500,000.

Allan Maurer is a Worthologist who specializes in Hollywood and movie memorabilia and the publisher of the web site BestFilmFests.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Marilyn Monroe's iconic subway grate scene from “the Seven Year Itch” that made this dress a must-have item, as an unidentified phone bidder won the prized piece of Hollywood memorabilia at $4.5 million.

The dress was one of several hundred lots from longtime actress Debbie Reynolds’ collection. The pre-sale estimate for the dress was $2-$3 million.

An unidentified person bidding by phone snatched up the iconic “subway grate” dress worn by Marilyn Monroe in “The Seven Year Itch,” paying $4.5 million—more than double the amount expected—proving that movie collectibles are right up there with classic art and other collectibles in terms of their increasing value.

Several of the lots in the June 18 auction of one-of-a-kind cinema costumes and props from the Debbie Reynolds collection soared past pre-sale estimates (the auction catalog can be viewed here). The sale was held at the Le Meridien Hotel in Beverly Hills.

• Charlie Chaplin’s bowler hat, an iconic part of his “Little Tramp” costume, went to a bidder for $135,300.

Previously, the highest amount paid for a Monroe garment was the $1.26 million a collector paid for the sheer dress she wore (after they sewed her into it) to sing “Happy Birthday” to President John F. Kennedy in 1962. The auction house handling the Reynolds sale, Profiles in History, will add a $1-million commission to the sale, which is a fund-raiser for the planned Hollywood Motion Picture Museum.

Three other Monroe-worn dresses in the Reynolds auction went for pretty prices: the red sequined dress and feathered headdress she sported in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” went for $1.47 million; her saloon girl costume from “River of No Return” brought $510,000; and the dress Monroe wore while singing “Heat Wave” in “There’s no Business Like Show Business” made $500,000.

Just for comparison: A one-sheet movie poster showing that famous white dress from “The Seven Year Itch,” flying up around her waist, sold for $1,688 in an auction on June 12, 2011, compared with $1,405.99 for a similar one-sheet from the film bought in 2004.

Other Auction Highlights

Monroe's red sequined dress and feathered headdress that she sported in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” went for $1.47 million.

Audrey Hepburn’s “My Fair Lady” Ascot dress and hat brought in $3.7 million.

Elizabeth Taylor’s racing costume from “National Velvet” garnered for $73,000.

The jumper Julie Andrews wore in “The Sound of Music” strummed someone’s chords to the tune of $550,000.

Among the other items bringing some of the highest prices at the auction were:

• Charlie Chaplin’s bowler hat, an iconic part of his “Little Tramp” costume, went to a bidder for $135,300.
• The pointy-toed ruby slippers Judy Garland wore during early shots in “The Wizard of Oz” were eventually replaced with less flamboyant red shoes, so they never appeared on screen in the actual film. They sold, along with one of her costumes from the film, for $1.75 million.
• Audrey Hepburn’s “My Fair Lady” Ascot dress and hat, which Cecil Beaton designed, rivaled Monroe’s costumes, bringing in $3,700,000.
• Elizabeth Taylor’s racing costume from “National Velvet” sold for $73,000. A number of the costumes were given to Reynolds by Taylor, who died earlier this year. The women were close friends in the 1950s until Reynolds’ then-husband Eddie Fischer left her for Taylor. Looks like they got over it.
• Grace Kelly’s two-piece rose and ivory costume from Hitchcock’s “To Catch a Thief” sold at $450,000.
• The jumper Julie Andrews wore in “The Sound of Music” strummed someone’s chords to the tune of $550,000.

CNN reported that Reynolds, 79, was in tears during the auction. But the mounting expenses of caring for the collection of 3,500 items she had collected since 1970 had grown overwhelming.

By selling them, she said, “I won’t have quite so much responsibility and I can rest a little more.”

Allan Maurer is a Worthologist who specializes in Hollywood and movie memorabilia and the publisher of the web site BestFilmFests.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

Monroe’s “Seven Year Itch” dress is expected to rake in between $1 million and $2 million.

Actress and longtime movie memorabilia collector Debbie Reynolds is selling more than 300 costumes and props in the largest such auction in 30 years, beginning June 18, to raise money for the planned Hollywood Motion Picture Museum.

“My lifetime dream has been to assemble and preserve the history of the Hollywood film industry,” Reynolds said. “Hollywood has been an enormous part of my life, as I know it has been for countless fans all over the world.

“This collection represents a lifetime of collecting Hollywood artifacts and this is a rare opportunity to own a piece of Hollywood History for those who love the movies as much as I do.”

Reynolds acquired many of the items after MGM consigned them to an auction house decades ago, sorting through 300,000 costumes and props.

Marilyn Monroe’s white dress from the subway grate scene in “The Seven Year Itch” is expected to bring between $2 and $3 million.

The iconic scene that makes this dress a must-have item for serious collectors of Hollywood memorabilia.

Reynolds labored for years trying to establish a museum to house her extensive collection, but debts mounted, forcing her to sell the collection. She has said “it is the hardest thing I’ve ever done,” but expressed the hope that some who purchase movie treasures will loan them to the museum for display afterward.

If you’re in Beverly Hills, you have until June 17 to see most of the costumes for free at the Paley Center for Media on the corner of North Beverly Drive and Santa Monica Boulevard in Beverly Hills.

Reynold’s Handpicked Collection:

Richard Burton's costume from "Cleopatra."

Charleton Heston's costume from "Ben Hur."

Claude Raines' costume from "Casablanca."

Among the items that will be crossing the block are from some of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history, including a pair of Judy Garland’s red slippers and cotton dress from “The Wizard of Oz,” Charlie Chaplin’s bowler, the hat that matched the gown Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) made from green draperies in “Gone With the Wind,” Richard Burton’s costume from “Cleopatra,” Marilyn Monroe costumes from “River of No Return” and “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” Charlton Heston’s costume from “Ben-Hur,” Marlon Brando’s costume from “Desiree,” not to mention Monroe’s famed “subway grate” dress from “The Seven Year Itch.”

Judy Garland's costume from "The Wizard of Oz."

Julie Andrews costume from "The Sound of Music."

Elizabeth Taylor's costume from "National Velvet."

Other costumes and props in the auction were used by:

• Julie Andrews in “Star”;
• Fred Astaire “Belle of New York”;
• James Cagney in”Yankee Doodle Dandy” and “Strawberry Blonde”;
• Judy Garland in”Ziegfeld Follies” and “Presenting Lilly Mars”;
• Rita Hayworth in “Loves of Carmen”;
• Katherine Hepburn in”Little Minister”;
• Marilyn Monroe in”Gentlemen Prefer Blondes,” “Don’t Bother to Knock,” and “Ticket to Tomahawk”;
• Mary Pickford in”Rosita” and “Secrets”;
• Ginger Rogers in “Roxie Hart” and “Black Widow”;
• Jane Russell in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes”;
• Lana Turner in “Weekend at the Waldorf”;
• Mae West in “Every Day’s a Holiday”

The auction will also include arm chairs and a hardware store display form “Gone with the Wind,” paintings of Garbo and Marion Davies, and more. Historical memorabilia dealer Profiles in History will auction items starting June 18, with two more auctions to follow on Dec. 6, and next spring. The December sale, “Selections from the Collection of the Debbie Reynolds Hollywood Motion Picture Museum,” will be conducted at the Le Meridien Hotel, 465 S La Cienega Blvd., Beverly Hills, Ca. Reynolds will attend an auction preview, from 6 to 9 p.m., Friday, Dec. 5, at the Le Meridien Hotel.

Online bidding for these auctions also will be conducted through Julian Entertainment. Printed catalogs are available for $15 each through Autrographs.com. Free digital catalogs are also available by calling 800.996.3977.

Allan Maurer is a Worthologist who specializes in Hollywood and movie memorabilia and is the publisher of the web site BestFilmFests.

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WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

— Billy Hill, 1933

Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

The last roundup is fast approaching for the B-movie, black-and-white western and early television cowboy stars. Gene, Hoppy and Roy—the Big Three—are distant memories. Those who remember Orvon Eugene Autry (Sept. 2, 1907 to Oct. 2, 1998), William Lawrence Boyd, a.k.a. Hopalong Cassidy (June 5, 1895 to Sept. 12, 1972) and Leonard Franklin Slye, a.k.a Roy (Nov. 5, 191l to July 6, 1998) are reaching or well past their 60s. Although Gene, Hoppy and Roy and their B-movie counterparts still appear on late night or weekend television, their frequency continues to lessen. The 100th anniversary of Boyd’s and Autry’s birth passed without fanfare. The same will be true for Roy.

Roy “Dusty” Rogers, Jr., and the family moved the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum from Victorville, Ca., to Branson, Mo., in 2003. Declining attendance, a result of the Great Recession and an aging fan base, resulted in the museum’s closing on Dec. 12, 2009. Roy instructed Dusty to close the museum if it reached a point where it failed to maintain itself. Following Roy’s instructions, the family sent the museum contents to auction.

The Rogers’ heirs were singing “Happy Sales” instead of “Happy Trails” when the Christie’s July 14-15, 2010, auction of a portion of the museum’s holdings fetched $2.98 million. The prices paid had more to do with hero worship than collector value or common sense. Nostalgia, and emotions, ran high.

Roy and Dale, aware of the need to preserve their legacy, systematically saved items associated with their movies, music and other business dealings. During a visit to the Will Rogers Museum in the late 1930s, Roy was surprised to see how few pieces belonging to Will Rogers were part of the museum’s collection. Roy had no intention of making the same mistake.

I visited the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum when it was housed in its pseudo-palisade structure in Victorville. I have vivid memories of walking down the gallery that featured stuffed mounts of Trigger, Bullet, Buttermilk and Trigger, Jr. While they retained their fresh look, I could not help thinking: “What will they look like a 100 years from now with a century’s worth of dust?” I had dust on my mind, but not from the trail. As a former museum director, I am aware of the difficulties involved in maintaining exhibits. The Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum’s maintenance left much to be desired. Many of the exhibits were dusty and dirty. Further, inappropriate lighting was discoloring and destroying several displays. Clearly, the family members in charge had no museum/curatorial training.

Trigger sold for $266,500.

The sale of Trigger, Bullet, Buttermilk and Trigger, Jr. made news. Trigger sold for $266,500, Bullet for $35,000, Buttermilk for $25,000, and Trigger, Jr. for $18,750. While the museum was named the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans museum, the sale focused on Roy. Dale was nothing more than a sidekick, a second banana, in show biz parlance.

Who bought the items provides insight into some of the key players in today’s auction marketplace. Patrick Gottsch, owner of RFD-TV, a rural cable network based in Omaha, Neb., bought Trigger and Bullet. Gottsch plans to display these—and other treasures from the auction—in the lobby of his office building. Dusty has been hired to introduce a series of Roy Rogers movies that Gottsch will air, beginning Nov. 6. Essentially, Trigger and Bullet are tax write-offs. Gottsch received millions of dollars worth of national and international publicity for a mere $301,000. Thousands of fans wrote to Gottsch, thanking him for preserving these critters. Gottsch is fortunate. There will be no such response for the next owner of Trigger and Bullet. The mere passage of time ensures this.

Few of the pieces were bought by collectors or museums. Do not confuse display with museum. Gottsch’s claim that he is creating a museum must be taken at face value. His purchases are momentary trophies, momentarily displayed. There is no endowment to secure the collection’s long-term future. When Trigger and Bullet have outlived their usefulness, they will be sold again. Museums, especially private ones, are fickle commodities. Several private museum collections are sold annually by regional and national auction houses.

If established museums such as the Smithsonian or Autry Museum of Western Heritage purchased items, it was a well-kept secret. Would either have accepted Trigger or Bullet if offered? I doubt it.

Pam Weidel purchased Nellybelle, a silver Jeep, for $116,500. She has fond memories of Pat Brady driving Nellybelle on “The Roy Rogers Show,” a 100-episode television production that premiered on NBC on Dec. 30, 1951 and last aired on June 19, 1957. Weidel is not a collector.

Weidel has loaned Nellybelle to the private museum of John B. Haines IV, in Pennsburg, Pa. Rinker Enterprises is located in Vera Cruz, Pa., less than 15 miles from Pennsburg. In the 20-plus years I have lived and worked in the area, I never heard of John B. Haines IV or his museum. A Google search reveals Haines is an owner of Haines & Kibblehouse, a company specializing in construction materials, site contracting and demolition services. Haines lives on a 24-acre estate in northern Montgomery County that includes the restored Andreas Reed house, a tannery (circa 1740), and several barns. The barns house his private collection of antique trucks, vehicles and equipment. No information about public access to view Haines private collection is available.

Jane Nudie, the granddaughter of Nuta Kotlyarenko (a.k.a. Nudie Cohn, 1902-1984), bought the Pontiac trailer designed as a covered wagon that Nudie gifted to Roy Rogers in the 1960s. Nudie used the trailer to promote his products. Estimated by Christies’ at $5,000 to $8,000, it sold for $3,000, one of the few bargains in the sale.

Roy's 1964 Pontiac Bonneville convertible decorated with 150 silver dollars that sold for $254,500.

While the buyers of Trigger, Bullet, Nellybelle and the Nudie trailer have been identified, the remaining buyers are largely unknown. Who bought the 1964 Pontiac Bonneville convertible decorated with 150 silver dollars that sold for $254,500 or the silver-mounted saddle with matching bridle, breast collar and studded leather saddlebags for $386,500? How about the dozens of costume items, some of which sold in excess of $10,000, or the Rogers family Bible that brought $8,750?

At the moment, the new owners are relishing in their acquisitions. Most will proudly display their trophies, regaling those privileged to view them with their personal remembrances of Roy and Dale and how they acquired their piece of the western couple’s history.

Fame is fleeting, and so is memory. Their children and grandchildren will not view these items with the same awe. The nostalgic celebrity bounce associated with the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum auction will fade within a year. When items from this auction re-enter the secondary market in 10 to 25 years, the owners or their heirs will not be happy with the results. Most items will sell for considerably less than was paid in 2010.

Thanks to the strength of the Western Americana market, there will always be a small cadre of collectors for B-movie western memorabilia. However, like so many sub-categories, value will rest only in the top pieces. Prices for the middle and low ends of the market will be minimal.

I cannot resist speculating what the Roy Rogers and Dale Evans Museum collection would have realized had it been sold in 2005 rather than 2010. My guess is 25 to 35 percent more. The nostalgia factor would have been much higher. The willingness to spend was much greater than now.

Finally, as someone who is facing the prospect of dispersing his collection, Roy and Dale were blessed. They died with their collection intact. Happy Trails, Dale and Roy. Do not roll over in your graves. The fate of your collections is no different from that of most inherited collections. Sale is an inevitable part of a collection’s life.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

You can listen and participate in Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show “Whatcha Got?” on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. It streams live on the Genesis Communications Network.

“Sell, Keep Or Toss? How To Downsize A Home, Settle An Estate, And Appraise Personal Property” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web site: http://www.harryrinker.com.

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected queries will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. You can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker [at] aol [dot] com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

Copyright © Rinker Enterprises, Inc. 2010

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The Greatest Show On Earth” one-sheet movie poster is valued at $200-$300, although they can sometimes be found for less. Re-release posters sell for about $50 or less and can be identified because Jimmy Stewart in his clown costume is holding an Oscar.

“We bring you the circus, the pied piper whose magic tunes greet children of all ages, from 6 to 60, into a tinsel and spun-candy world of reckless beauty and mounting laughter and whirling thrills—of rhythm, excitement and grace—of blaring and daring and dance—of high-stepping horses and high-flying stars. But behind all this, the circus is a massive machine whose very life depends on discipline and motion and speed . . . That is the circus. And this is the story of the biggest of the big tops, and of the men and women who fight to make it ‘The Greatest Show on Earth.’”

With those opening words, Cecil B. DeMille introduced his classic film about the circus, “The Greatest Show On Earth.” My last article was about motion pictures with a circus theme titled “Motion Pictures That Chronicle Circus Life Mix Collectible Categories.” In that article, I purposely left out “The Greatest Show On Earth.” This greatest of all circus movies clearly deserves an article all its own.

The movie was the single highest-grossing film of 1952 and was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning the top award for Best Motion Picture and also an award for Best Writing: Original Story. The movie was up against some stiff competition, including “High Noon” with Gary Cooper. Many critics claimed the Academy made a major mistake in giving the Oscar to DeMille, but circus lovers the world over couldn’t have been happier.

More than 50 Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey performers appeared in the credits of the movie, with special emphasis given to famous clown Emmett Kelly and aerialist Antoinette Concello. Even the circus president, John Ringling North, made an appearance. Publicity released by Paramount Studios said that 285,000 extras were used in the film in addition to the hundreds of circus personnel. Popular film stars Bob Hope and Bing Crosby in un-credited roles appear in a crowd scene.

Much of the film was shot at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey’s Sarasota, Fla. winter quarters and during performances of the 1951 edition of the circus. Production numbers “Luawana,” “Circus Serenade” and “Picnic In The Park” from that year’s show were incorporated in the film.

The Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota Florida devotes an entire room to the movie “The Greatest Show On Earth.” Highlighted in the exhibit are some of the model railroad cars that were wrecked in one of the final dramatic scenes.

These model railroad cars were used to depict a spectacular train wreck near the end of the motion picture.

These model railroad cars are displayed at the Ringling Circus Museum in Sarasota, Florida.

Collectibles related to “The Greatest Show On Earth” abound. Only a few are shown here:

No collection of “The Greatest Show On Earth” movie memorabilia would be complete without a copy of the actual movie. On the left is the first VHS recording of the movie. It originally sold for about $80. This and other box designs are still available.

Most collectors would prefer the DVD, which sells for a $10 to $20.

Before Paramount released the DVD a Chinese copy was sold on the Internet, complete with Chinese subtitles.

This 16-Page Souvenir Program book was sold for 25 cents at showings of the movie.

It’s valued at $25 to $30.

Sheet Music published by Famous Music Corporation was released for some of the songs in the motion picture “The Greatest Show On Earth” & “Be A Jumping Jack” shown here.

Other songs were “Lovely Luawana Lady,” “A Picnic In The Park,” “Popcorn and Lemonade” and “Sing A Happy Song.” Value is $10 to $15 with the title song bringing a slightly higher price.

RCA Victor Records released four 45 RPM records that featured instrumental versions of the music from the movie performed by the Paramount Studio Band conducted by Irvin Talbot. This boxed set is valued at $15-$20. A 33 1/3 Long Play record of the music was also available.

The American Thread Company printed a 16-page booklet called “The Big Top In Crochet.” The cover says the booklet was “Inspired by Cecil B. DeMille’s Paramount Production, The Greatest Show On Earth.

Inside are color photos and instructions to make several circus figures. Value is $10 to $15.

Press kits like this were provided to theatres so they could order posters and other advertising items. You can see from the illustrations on this kit that it was for the re-release of the movie.

Notice Jimmy Stewart holding the Oscar in the poster illustrations. Value is $15 to $20.

The Greatest Show On Earth” was featured on the cover of the March 1952 issue of “Screen Stories.”

Inside there were many photos and pages of dialogue from the movie. Value is $10 or less.

Lobby cards are popular movie collectibles. They generally come in sets of eight. This card for “The Greatest Show On Earth” is valued at $15 to $20.

Nesco Inc. made this tray, which measures 17 ½ inches by 12 ½ inches. You can find these on the Internet for $15 to $25.

The most desirable photos from the motion picture are those licensed to theaters by National Screen Service Corp. like the one featuring Jimmy Stewart in clown makeup and world famous clown Emmett Kelly. These are valued at $10 and up.

Photos provided by TV networks for their airing of the movie, including this example from ABC, are worth $5 or less.

The Greatest Show On Earth” was released around the world. This small die-cut counter card was made for the Ideal Cinema, a Mexican motion picture theater. Value under $10.

Larry Kellogg is a WorthPoint Worthologist specializing in circus memorabilia.

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– KT, Adamstown, PA, via e-mail

ANSWER: Mention Rin Tin Tin and the first image that comes to my mind is “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin,” a 166-episode television show that aired on ABC between Oct. 15, 1954 and May 8, 1959. The show starred Lee Aeker as Rusty and James Brown as Lt. Ripley “Rip” Masters. “The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin” was ABC’s answer to CBS’s “Lassie.”

Rin Tin Tin’s history begins near the end of World War I. Lee Duncan, an American serviceman, found a litter of shell-shocked five-day old German shepherd pups in a bombed-out dog kennel in Lorraine, France on Sept. 15, 1918. Betty des Flandres was the mother, Fritz de la Chasse Royale was the father. Duncan adopted a male and female, naming them Rintintin and Nanette after children’s puppets.

Duncan received permission to bring the dogs to the United States. Nanette became ill during the ocean voyage and died shortly after arrival. In February 1922, following an unsanctioned two-day Shepherd Dog Club of America show, Charles Jones made a film of Rin Tin Tin, which he then sold to the Novograph Picture Company. The company offered Duncan $350 to shoot a second film. Duncan’s initial attempts to locate a studio to star Rin Tin Tin in feature films failed. Eventually, he encountered a Warner Brothers crew trying to shoot a scene with a very uncooperative wolf. Duncan convinced them to use Rin Tin Tin instead. When Rin Tin Tin died on August 10, 1932, he had appeared in 26 pictures. At his peak, he received 10,000 fan letters a week. Rin Tin Tin silent films, such as “Where the North Begins” (1923), “Shadows of the North” (1923), “Clash of the Wolves” (1925), “A Dog of the Regiment” (1927), and “Tiger Rose” (1929) received worldwide distribution, including Germany.

TRIVA QUIZ: Rin Tin Tin is reputed to have died in the arms of what famous Hollywood actress? (answer below)

Duncan toured during the 1930s with Rin Tin Tin Junior. During World War II, he and Rin Tin Tin III worked with the U.S. Army at Camp Hahn to train German shepherds for wartime use. After the war, Duncan worked to untrain the dogs and return them to civilian life. The Rin Tin Tin bloodline survives today thanks to the efforts of Lee Duncan, Jannettia Brodsgaard Propps and Daphne Hereford.

The Russians captured Vienna in a fierce battle in the first half of April 1945. Following the war, Austria was declared a “neutral” country. Displaced person camps were created in Austria, Great Britain and West Germany for WWII refugees, primarily from Eastern Europe, and many of whom were Jewish.

I have handled dozens of prisoner-of war-artifacts, some dating as early as the Napoleonic War, during my career. My favorites are from the WWII German POW camps that were scattered along the West Coast and throughout the Southwestern and Midwest U.S.

POWs and displaced persons had plenty of leisure time. Many traded handmade products, paintings and artwork for cigarettes, food and other supplies. Chances of identifying the carver of your plaque are miniscule. Based on your description, the individual was talented. Hence, your plaque is not the only one that he made. How it came to the United States is and likely will remain a mystery.

There are multiple buyers for your plaque. Its value to a German shepherd or a WWII displaced person artwork collector is between $35 and $45. Add another 10 to 15 dollars if sold to a folk-art collector. A Rin Tin Tin collector would pay $50 or more, but only if facing strong competition from another collector.

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QUESTION: We own a 1910 Coca-Cola advertising poster showing a young lady wearing a duster and sitting at the wheel of a car with a bottle of Coca-Cola in her right hand. “Drink the Best” is printed across the top. Printed in the lower left corner is a diamond-shaped advertisement for Goldelle Ginger Ale, another Coca-Cola product. Our research only uncovered reproductions. We believe our example is period, coming out of a box of belongings bought near Kutztown, Pa. It is beautiful, but is it worth keeping, especially if it is a reproduction?

– D&RO, Anderson, CA, via e-mail

ANSWER: Early 20th-century Coca-Cola posters were lithographs, i.e., printed by layering one color on top of another. Using a five- to ten-power loupe, examine the image. If it breaks into dots, it is a reproduction. If the colors are solid, it is a lithograph, albeit not necessarily period. The lithograph printing process is still used today.

The colors need to be extremely bright. Early lithograph dyes retain their period colors. If there is mellowing, it must be very slight. The lines between colors need to be sharp and distinct. If the lines are fuzzy (one color blending into another) or there is an overall softness to the print, this is a negative.

I checked the reproductions, most of which dated from the 1970s and 1980s. While I found the image, I did not find an exact reproduction of your poster. This is a good sign. The image on your poster first appeared as a postcard sometime between 1911 and 1913. Again, the postcards did not contain the “Drink the Best” slogan. Collectors refer to the image as the Duster/Motor Girl.

I researched the slogan “Drink the Best.” The phrase was part of a longer slogan in 1913. However, I did not find the exact phrase listed on any Coca-Cola advertising slogan website or home page. This is troubling. In the good news department, I did not find it on any of the reproductions, either. I found a few references to Godelle Ginger Ale, but would have been happier had I found more.

An article in “Antiques and the Arts” reporting on Randy Inman’s Oct. 12-14, 2001 auction notes:

“a very rare 1913 soft drink ad jointly promoting Coca-Cola and Goldelle Ginger Ale took $7,700, a fine result for a paper roll-down sign.”

This example was in fine condition. The photographs attached to your e-mail indicate your example has water stains, especially noticeable along the bottom portion of the left and right edges. As a result, it is in fair condition at best.

I e-mailed the photograph of your poster William Bateman and Randy Schaeffer, two Coca-Cola collectors who live near Kutztown. Bill responded: “It appears to be period, but of course, damaged significantly. As you know condition means a lot in today’s market. We have one of the Duster Girl posters without the ginger ale marking in near perfect shape. Allan Petretti puts posters in mint condition from that time period from $4,000 to $7,000. With the damage, I could cut that number by half or more.”

Assuming it stands the test I have given you and turns out to be period, it certainly is worth keeping. Given its value, consider taking it to a paper conservator to see if you can have the water stains lessened. Make certain the paper conservator is a member of American Institute of Conservators. Ask to see credentials and examples of work completed.

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QUESTION: Is it safe to eat off collector plates? I relish the idea of eating off these tacky items.

– BM, via e-mail

ANSWER: Collector plates, also known as collection edition plates, were manufactured for display purposes. I do not recall in advertising or the literature that accompanied them the suggestion that they also had a functional use as dinnerware.

Here are three considerations before adopting a “why not” approach. First, they may not be dishwasher safe. Manufacturers expected them to be dusted not washed. Second, modern knife blades, especially those with serrated edges, may damage the glaze. Third, the glaze most likely has a high lead content, albeit I have no proof.

Your proposal has a sense of practicality and humor. After all, a plate is a plate is a plate. Functionally, there is no reason why you cannot use them for eating purposes. The thought of cutting a medium rare steak resting on top of Vivien Leigh or another “Gone with the Wind” series collector plate has appeal.

When confronted with a collector plate at an appraisal clinic, my stock questions is: “Do you like to play Frisbee?” Now I will start saying: “If all else fails, you always can eat off of it.”

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QUESTION: I have my aunt’s collection of old plaster food productions, ranging from meats, such as steaks and bacon, to milk bottles and cartoons of eggs. They are at least 50 years old. I have no idea how she acquired them, but suspect they were used as display items for some food related businesses. What are they worth?

– PS, via e-mail

ANSWER: You have fake (faux) food props, a business which is alive, well and thriving. Do a Google “fake food props” search.

Fake food props are used in interior design displays, film, television, theater, trade shows, restaurants, stores and dozens of other areas. Just Dough It! offers artificial food that “looks good enough to eat” in categories such as breads and cheeses, breakfast foods and beverages, cakes, cupcakes and tarts, Christmas specials, cookies and donuts, fruits and vegetables, ice cream, popcorn, specials, spills and novelties, tea and others beverages, and wine, beers and mixed drinks.

Your examples are primitive compared to modern day examples. Yet, their very crudeness makes them fun. Value for individual pieces will range from $4-$5 to $12-$15, the higher values for those pieces with the greatest conversation/fun value.

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TRIVIA QUIZ ANSWER: Jean Harlow.

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Rinker Enterprises and Harry L. Rinker are on the Internet. Check out his Web site.

You can listen and participate in “WHATCHA GOT?,” Harry’s antiques-and-collectibles radio call-in show on Sunday mornings between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. Eastern Time. It streams live on the Genesis Communications Network.

“SELL, KEEP OR TOSS? HOW TO DOWNSIZE A HOME, SETTLE AN ESTATE, AND APPRAISE PERSONAL PROPERTY” (House of Collectibles, an imprint of the Random House Information Group), Harry’s latest book, is available at your favorite bookstore and via Harry’s Web site: http://www.harryrinker.com

Harry L. Rinker welcomes questions from readers about collectibles, those mass-produced items from the 20th century. Selected letters will be answered on this site. Harry cannot provide personal answers. Photos and other material submitted cannot be returned. Send your questions to: Rinker on Collectibles, 5093 Vera Cruz Road, Emmaus, PA 18049. You also can e-mail your questions to harrylrinker [at] aol [dot] com. Only e-mails containing a full name and mailing address will be considered. Please indicate that these are questions for WorthPoint.

Copyright © Rinker Enterprises, Inc. 2009

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“Wings”
The 1927 Paramount release starring Clara Bow—the “It” girl—received the award for Best Production at the first Academy Award ceremony in 1929. The Academy itself possesses one of only two known original Style A one sheets for “Wings.” When a post-awards 1929 reissue came up for auction in 2006 it brought in more than $18,000, while a unique 26″ X 40.25″ Style D, the only one known to exist, auctioned for more than $86,000 in 2005.

“All Quiet on the Western Front”
This powerful anti-war film was named Best Picture at the third annual Academy Awards in 1930. (Two Academy Award ceremonies were held in 1930—one in April, and a second in November.) A very rare 22″ X 28″ half sheet featuring a shell-shocked Lew Ayres brought more than $6,500 at auction in 2008.

“Cimarron”
The 1931 RKO release was the first Western to win an Oscar. An 11″ X 14″ lobby card of stars Richard Dix and Irene Dunne auctioned for more than $3,000 in 2007.

“Grand Hotel”
MGM’s star-studded feature took the 1932 Best Picture award. The extremely rare one sheet (27″ X 41″) sold for $48,000 in 2006.

“It Happened One Night”
The Frank Capra classic starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert was the first film to sweep the five major Oscars, including Best Actor, Actress, Picture, Director and Screenplay. The only known 3 sheet (41″ X 81″) Style B sold for $35,850 in 2008.

“Mutiny on the Bounty”
The 1935 Best Picture winner was the only film to ever have three different actors nominated for Best Actor: Charles Laughton, Clark Gable, and Franchot Tone. Paper from this movie has not fetched huge prices in the past, but is on the increase. A one sheet (27″ X 41″) sold for better than $2,500 in 2002, while a 14″ X 36″ insert sold for nearly $3,000 in 2008.

“Gone With the Wind”
The 1939 Oscar winner is one of the most beloved movies of all time—and its paper fetches some of the highest prices in the marketplace. An original Style C one sheet showing Scarlet running through a burning Atlanta sold for $20,700 in 2006, and a rare “plume” style CF 27″ X 41″ one sheet sold for better than $8,000 in 2008.

“Mrs. Miniver”
Greer Garson won Best Actress for this 1942 MGM hit, which also took Oscars for Best Picture, Director, Screenplay and Supporting Actress (Teresa Wright). One sheets are rare for this film but 22″ X 28″ half sheets are selling in the $3-5,000 range.

“Casablanca”
Original posters from the 1943 Best Picture winner consistently bring some of the highest prices in the marketplace. An original release one sheet (27″ X 41″) brought $25,300 in 2005, while a Style B half sheet (22″ X 28″), a rare version showing all the film’s main characters, sold for nearly $39,000 last year.

“Lawrence of Arabia”
One sheets (27″ X 41″) of the “camel” Style A with art by Howard Terpning—the most sought after poster of the 1962 Best Picture winner—brought $11,000 and $14,000 at two auctions in 2008.

Allan Maurer is a Worthologist who specializes in Hollywood and movie memorabilia.

WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth

The Style A poster for the 1968 Stanley Kubrick movie “2001: A Space Odyssey,” done in different sizes, depicts the wheel-shaped Space Station One, is the most common.

Science fiction superstar Isaac Asimov once called Bob McCall “the nearest thing we have to an artist-in-residence in outer space.”

Starting off with a love of aviation and a desire to draw, McCall has become one of the foremost illustrators of the history of aviation, documenting space missions, designing commemorative stamps and patches for space shuttle crews.

If you have been to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, you probably recall his magnificent six-story tall mural depicting man’s conquest of the Moon that dominates one wall of the main floor.

McCall excelled at painting the future. As a young commercial illustrator, his work appeared in leading magazines, including The Saturday Evening Post and Popular Science. Then, in the early ’60s, Life asked him to illustrate an article on future spacecraft.

His visionary work on this project led to an invitation from Stanley Kubrick to come to England to paint advertising posters for the film “2001: A Space Odyssey” (MGM, 1968). The posters he produced for Kubrick, depicting the technology of the future, are highly collectible today. Three different one sheets are in circulation.

The Style B poster from “2001: A Space Odyssey” shows men working on the Moon.

Style A, done in different sizes, depicting the wheel shaped Space Station One, is the most common. An authentic 1968 poster in excellent condition sold for about $650 at auction last year. A similar poster was used for the 1980 rerelease of the film, and a version was adapted for the 2001 rerelease.

A French version of the 1968 one sheet (a one sheet is usually 27” by 41” vertical, the most common style of poster today) sold for $131.

Other sizes of this poster are even more desirable. A three sheet (a vertical poster 41” by 81”) of Style A sold for nearly $1,200 in 2008. A six sheet measuring 81 x 81 brought nearly $800.

A one sheet of Style B, showing men working on the Moon, sold this year for about $700, while a copy autographed by actors Keir Dullea and Gary Lockwood brought about $950.

Style C, depicting the Centrifuge, is the rarest and most valuable of the McCall “2001” posters. It was designed specifically for the Cinerama version and was sent only to theaters equipped with the wide screen technology. A Style C one sheet sold at auction for over $4,000 in 2007.

The rarest of “2001: A Space Odyssey” posters is the Style C, depicting the Centrifuge. It was designed specifically for the Cinerama version and was sent only to theaters equipped with the wide screen technology.

One aspect of McCall’s work is its almost photographic quality. The Style C is an excellent example. Although it looks like a photograph or still from the film, it is in fact an illustration. McCall’s printed signature appears in the lower left corner.

A variety of other artwork McCall created for Kubrick’s epic is occasionally seen, including standees, banners, counter displays, insert posters (vertical, 14” by 36”, a format no longer seen, including some controversial “minty white” versions), lenticulars, lobby cards (11” by 14”), window cards, pressbooks (which contain stories, art, and posters available for advertising), movie stills and large format 40 x 60 glossy posters—all highly collectible.

A half sheet (horizontal, 22” by 28”) with McCall’s artwork recently brought nearly $800 at auction.

None of McCall’s “2001” artwork comes close in value to another “2001” movie poster, called “The Eye,” created for the 1969 launch of the 70mm version of the film. The psychedelic Eye, used primarily for “wild” posting on building sites and bulletin boards, was printed in far smaller quantities than any of the other posters, and typically brings upwards of $9,500 when one appears at auction.

McCall also created illustrated posters for the films “Ice Station Zebra” (MGM, 1968), “Tora! Tora! Tora!” (20th Century Fox, 1970), and “Juggernaut” (United Artists, 1974).

The Eye,” created for the 1969 launch of the 70mm version of “2001” features the psychedelic Eye, used primarily for “wild” posting on building sites and bulletin boards.

Posters from “Juggernaut” can be found for as little as $16, while “Ice Station Zebra” posters bring from $35-$85, depending on condition. McCall’s posters for “Tora! Tora! Tora!” go for around $100; a set of eight lobby cards, mostly illustrations, sold for $262 in 2008.

Other films that show McCall’s vision of future spacecraft and technology include the Disney film “The Black Hole” (1979), on which he served as art director, and “Star Trek: The Motion Picture” (Paramount, 1979). Some of his illustrations were used on the lobby cards for these films, which average $250-$300 for a mint-condition 8-piece “Star Trek” set and $35-$65 for “The Black Hole” set. Examples of McCall’s original illustrations for these films can be seen online at www.mccallstudios.com.

Allan Maurer is a Worthologist who specializes in movie memorabilia.

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Talk about life imitating art, or art imitating work, Dan Borsey was able to talk with film director and screenwriter Chris McCallion about his newest feature film, ‘Mothballs,’ depicting the glamorous and wondrous dealings of antique and collectibles dealers at Brimfield, Mass..

“I wanted to make an independent film, so I thought a great way of making the money to finance an independent film was to buy and sell antiques. So, I started buying and selling antiques and I said, hey, wait a minute, this could be a film in itself,” McCallion remembers. “I made this independent film about these two guys who decide to go into the antique business and they go to Brimfield. I shot multiple days here (in Brimfield) with my full cast. Then I also shot on my property. I set up 18 tents to make it look like Brimfield,” McCallion says.

There are quite a few characters in this full-length comedy that all antique dealers must deal with at one time or another. You know, the highly charged and fussy customer who is particularly looking for a bargain below the normal bargain and is willing to put the dealer through the ringer to get it. “I’m waiting,” he says with a singsong sigh and an expectant look, not being particularly subtle about it.

Another character may sound familiar, too, but he is the dealer who is rather succinct on how he prices items at his booth, “Always look at their shoes,” the character says. “That’ll tell you what the people are and what they’re going to buy. If they have nice leather shoes on I put the price up a bit, but if they got a poor set of shoes on, then I don’t charge them quite as much, but I sell them a whole lot of dollar stuff.” There is also a roving magic kangaroo that either you see or you don’t, and the odyssey of how one antique item changes hands many times throughout the film.

Sometimes, people come from all over to Brimfield, sometimes it’s from around the world and sometimes from outer space, or sometimes even from over the rainbow, according to a podcast done with McCallion.

The film premiered in January 2008 at the Southern Fried Flicks in Augusta, Georgia, where it took second place, and at the Trail Dance film festival in Oklahoma, where it won best featured comedy. The film has also been featured in Toronto, San Francisco and other film festivals across the country. In 2009, the film will return to Brimfield for its 50th Anniversary celebration for the dealers and the collectors to see it again.

While this comedy is a work of fiction, I can’t help thinking that it hits pretty close to home. I also can’t help but wonder if I can recognize anyone in it. I’ll see you at the movies when “Mothballs” comes to Brimfield. You bring the popcorn and I’ll bring other movie memorabilia to sell or trade.

Watch a video with Dan Borsey talking to Chris McCallion about “Mothballs” here.

Tom Carrier is a general Worthologist, with an expertise in a wide variety of subjects.

WorthPoint: Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles.

This is not the first time that Pickford’s possessions have been up for sale. The December 2006 sale by Julien’s offered more than 200 items from the legendary actress’ collection, which featured a collection of personal correspondence from Douglas Fairbanks to Pickford that sold for more than $28,000.

Saturday and Sunday’s auction, too, had some standouts. The auction sales, under the expert auctioneering skills of Kathleen Guzman, started slow with a great portion of the continental furniture going way below estimates, and the trend continued throughout the first and second sessions. However, Lot 268, the 103-piece dinner service by Capo di Monte exceeded its estimate of $8,000 to $10,000, selling for $13,000.

The silver for the most part made a poor showing with the exception of the Victorian-era Elkington Epergne centerpiece, Lot 272, which sold within its $1,500 to $2,500 estimate for $2,000.

Session three, which included expected heavy hitters, saw more activity and higher bidding. Lot 411, the Mercier portrait of three children in a landscape, did not meet its estimate of $25,000 to $35,000, instead selling for $15,000. Next up were the Paul de Longpre oil-on-canvas botanicals, Lots 412 and 413, that sold, again below or just touching their estimates at $17,000 and $20,000, respectively.

The collection of Rodin-style watercolors, discovered to be the works of the infamous forger Ernst Durig with an estimate of $8,000 to $10,000, crashed at $1,000. The landscape attributed to Asher Durand with an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 made a poor showing at $5,000. This was one of my picks, but upon personal close examination of the painting, it was clear that this was not a Durand. The painting lacked the luminosity and depth of detail attributed to his works.

Haseltine horse is a winner

There was no surprise that Lot 423, the Herbert Haseltine sculpture of a Percheron horse exceeded its estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. A New York dealer purchased it for $34,000. Haseltine’s works, which consisted largely of equestrian statues and were commissioned throughout his career by the rich and famous, hold their value, and it’s possible that this piece was purchased for immediate sale to a client.

The show wrapped up with the excitement of session four’s sale of the autograph book, Lot 749, which had an estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. This impressive collection of personalized autographs from 1926 through 1981 included the luminaries of the century such as Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Pearl Buck, Lillian Gish, Mussolini, George Bernard Shaw, Jonas Salk, FDR, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and hundreds more. To a serious collector of autographs, this collection would be at the center and a jewel to own. It went for $19,000.

– By Christopher Kent, a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

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Poster Artists: Alvan “Hap” Hadley

By Allan Maurer

Born in Illinois in 1895, Alvan Cordell Hadley, known to history as “Hap,” created posters for some of the best-loved silent movies, as well as some early talkies. The few original examples that have survived bring astronomical prices at auction, while the reproductions of these classics are some of the best-sellers in the marketplace.

The best known of Hap’s work are his posters of Buster Keaton’s 1927 classics, “The General” and “College,” and Charlie Chaplin’s 1928 Oscar-winning film, “The Circus.” Christie’s East sold the only known surviving original of the three sheet for “The General” at auction in 1994 for $46,000. A restored one sheet of the “blue style” poster for “The Circus” recently sold at auction for better than $13,000.

Hadley’s soulful depiction of the Little Tramp reflected his background as a caricaturist and cartoonist. He began his career during World War I working as an official artist for the Marine Corps, producing propaganda-laden cartoon strips. After the war, he settled in New York City where he dabbled in acting, appearing in the review “Greenwich Village Follies of 1920,” as well as a silent feature directed by George Irving, “Floodgates” (Lowell Films, 1924). His advertising agency developed a reputation for designing the covers of sheet music, including “Show Me the Way to Go Home,” a popular hit in 1925.

Hap’s first known movie poster is a depiction of Clara Bow as the female boxer in “Rough House Rosie” (Paramount Famous Laskey Productions, 1927), surrounded by cartoon faces, all with black eyes. His career continued for some 30 years, during which time he produced movie posters and film titles for all the major studios in Hollywood, especially MGM.

During the 1930s, Hadley produced posters for a number of Howard Hughes films, including “Hell’s Angels” (1930), starring Jean Harlow, and the controversial “Cock of the Air” (1932). Paper from these productions occasionally still shows up at auction. The only known original poster from “Cock of the Air” recently sold for $5,600 at Christie’s London, while a window card from “Hell’s Angels” brought about the same price this year.

Other Hadley posters from less high-profile productions fetch more modest prices. A window card from “Laff It Off,” a 1928 Broadway stage production, recently auctioned for $96. A one sheet of Hadley’s poster for “Reform Girl” (Tower, 1933), featuring rather grim-faced images of Noel Francis and “Skeets” Gallagher brought just $215, while the slightly more attractive poster for “Cheating Blondes” (Equitable, 1933) sold for over $800.

In the 1940s, Hadley created the huge likeness of Roy Rogers seen on billboards during the Republic Productions Roy Rogers publicity campaign and widely reproduced in rodeo magazines.

Hap Hadley died in Los Angeles in 1976.

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Hand drawn movie posters

By Allan Maurer

The magazine Architectural Digest has an interesting piece about the hand-drawn chalk and paint movie posters by staff artists Charles Reese Collier and Sid Smith for Loew’s Grand Theatre on Peachtree Street in Atlanta.

Lowe’s, which showed primarily MGM films, hosted one of grandest premieres in movie history, that of “Gone With the Wind,” on Dec. 15, 1939. With the theatre exterior transformed into a replica of Ashley Wilkes’ Twelve Oaks Plantation, 30,000 Atlanta citizens greeted star including Vivien Leigh, Clark Gable, Leslie Howard and others.

Herb Bridges, who collects memorabilia associated with both the book and the film, one day received a call from the owner of about 70 of the original handmade Lowe’s movie posters, which had been in storage for more than 60 years.

The collection include posters from “Lady of Burlesque,” the 1943 film based on stripper Gypsy Rose Lee’s novel, “G-String Murders,” from “The Outlaw,” the notorious Howard Hughes-produced western introducing Jane Russell and her equally notorious bosom, and from “The Yearling,” among others.

For art from the collection see, click here.

Experts Say James Bond Memorabilia Value is Rising

By Allan Maurer

Reuters reports that the value of James Bond memorabilia has “shot up.”

“There is a high level of collector interest in original Bond movie posters,” Astrid Zweynert writes.

While posters from the first James Bond film sold for around $100 British pounds ($164.47) a decade ago, now they sell for as much as 7,500 pounds (a whopping $12,336.76).

You can read the report here here.

100 Horror Film Posters

By Allan Maurer

Now here’s a treat. Andrew Lindstrom’s blog “Well Medicated” displays 100 horror film posters.

My favorites include “Tarantula,” “Planet of the Vampires,” “Day of the Dead,” “Nosferatu,” the rare “Dracula” poster, “Robinson Crusoe on Mars,” and the unusual “Invaders From Mars” poster. The 1950s original version of “Invaders From Mars” was consciously designed to reflect a child’s nightmare vision of the world. Sure did work on me. I had nightmares for months after seeing it, despite the clearly visible zippers on the costumes the Martians wore.

Lindstrom includes lots of other posters, classic and modern.

This is an unusual collection, not the run-of-the-mill posters usually seen from any of the films he includes. You’ll surely have your own favorites.

Go take a look, but don’t droll on your keyboard…

Universal Horror: The Bride of Frankenstein

By Allan Maurer

Beginning in the silent era with “Phantom of the Opera” and “Hunchback of Notre Dame” with Lon Chaney, Sr., Universal Pictures made a series of classic horror films starring the Frankenstein monster, Dracula, the Werewolf, the Mummy, and the Invisible Man that ran through the 1940s.

Posters, lobby cards, glossy stills, banners—just about any memorabilia from these films—pull top-of-the-line prices that range from hundreds to tens of thousands of dollars. While the original 1931 “Dracula” and “Frankenstein” are creaky, as well as creepy now, collectibles from either bring very high prices in good condition.

All of the Universal horror films featured excellent special effects for their time, relying solely on makeup, camera trickery and the occasional animation. All also had a certain spooky poetry that makes them standout even on repeated viewing today.

“Bride of Frankenstein,” (BOF) directed by James Whale and the first sequel to his “Frankenstein,” is considered by most critics and most fans, by far the best of these horror masterpieces. It’s the one in which the monster talks and meets the old blind man in the woods; a scene parodied to laugh-out-loud perfection in Mel Brooks “Young Frankenstein” in 1974.

BOF included a stirring score by Franz Waxman, memorable performances from Karloff as the monster and Elsa Lancaster as his scream queen bride.

Ernest Thesinger played a campy mad scientist who has created a tiny King, Queen, ballet dancer and other miniature people he keeps in jars. He shares a cigar with the monster saying, “It’s my only vice…”

The creation of the bride during a thunderstorm exceeds even the original monster-comes-alive scene in the original, Waxman’s music lending it all a grandeur seldom matched since.

Even stills in “lesser” condition from BOF sold for more than $70 each recently, and an insert sold for $33,000, while many other items ranged from a few hundred dollars to $3,000 or more for almost any poster or card in decent shape. A single lobby card sold for more than $12,000.

Abbott & Costello Meet the Monsters

By Allan Maurer

There are those who felt the series of Abbott & Costello meet the monsters films that began with “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein” in 1948 and continuing through “Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy” in 1955 were an inglorious end to the Universal Studios monster series.

The first, in which they encounter the Frankenstein monster (played again by Glenn Strange, who never quite gets the pathos Karloff brought to the part), Dracula (Bela Lugosi), the Wolf Man, (Lon Chaney, Jr.) and at the end, the Invisible Man, is the best. “Pulp Fiction” director Quentin Tarantino, has more than once expressed his admiration for it, and I agree that it’s both funny and scary.

There is nothing funny about the prices posters from their meet the monster films bring, though. Movie paper (posters, stills, etc.) from the series, which includes “Abbott & Costello Meet Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde (Boris Karloff); and “Abbott & Costello Meet the Invisible Man,” regularly draw auction prices in the hundreds of dollars or much more for single items.

A linen-backed 1-sheet from “Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein” sold for $5,400 at auction this year. An unbacked original sold for $3,700 and a Spanish version of the poster for $675.00. An 8×10 still form the film went for $275.

By way of contrast, 1-sheets from “Abbott & Costello Meet the Mummy” sold for from $1,300 to $546 from 2000 to 2005.

Curse of the B Horror Movie

By Allan Maurer

Back in the 1942, RKO studios gave producer Val Lewton a piddling $150,000 and a title, “The Cat People.” Lewton made up for the lack of a decent special effects budget by keeping all the suspense scenes wrapped in shadows.

“The Cat People” is famous for its creepy swimming pool scene, which stills sends shivers up my spine with its creative use of sound and suggestion. The film also introduced what would later be called “The Bus,” in which a woman who believes she is being followed by… something, is startled by the air brakes of a bus stopping at a corner. Even when you know it’s coming, if you watch it in the dark, you’ll jump.

Many horror film directors still use a version of “The Bus” today, making us jump at loud sounds that are red herrings.

Lewton would make nine more films for RKO, including “Curse of the Cat People,” which was really a sweet story about a little girl with an imaginary friend and not a horror story at all, and three films that gave Boris Karloff two of the best roles of his career in “Bedlam,” and “Body Snatcher,” which also starred Bela Lugosi.

The poster from “Curse of the Cat People” is often used as an example of how misleading film art can be regarding the actual content of a film.

Lewton’s other films included “The Ghost Ship,” “Isle of the Dead,” “The Seventh Victim,” “The Leopard Man,” and “I Walked With a Zombie,” all notable for their ability to conjure fear from shadows and sound and nearly nonexistent budgets.

Lewton hired directors who would later achieve fame and acclaim, including Jacques Tourneur, Mark Robson, and Robert Wise.

Always appreciated by critics such as James Agee, novelist, film critic and author of the script for John Huston’s “The African Queen,” Lewton was the topic of a recent new documentary narrated by Martin Scorsese, shown repeatedly on Turner Movie Channel and available as an extra in the Val Lewton DVD set.

Posters from the Lewton films took another leap in value the last few years, partly as a result of increased attention, but also just due to growing appreciation for how well these spooky films hold up today.

Many 1-sheets, half-sheets, and lobby cards from Lewton’s films sell for several hundred dollars each, and I noticed prices on the rise this year.

An insert from “The Cat People” sold for $1,250 in 2004 and a 1-sheet sold for $675 as far back as 1997. It’s still possible to pick up some less desirable (image-wise) lobby cards for under $50.

One-sheets from “Body Snatcher,” starring Karloff and Lugosi, sold for $1,200 to $1,500 this year. Almost anything with either Karloff or Lugosi generally brings higher prices for any type of movie paper, including original stills.

Universal Horror: The Wolf Man

By Allan Maurer

The “Wolf Man,” stars Lon Chaney, Jr. as doomed Larry Talbot, who, bitten by a werewolf, turns into a beast every full moon and kills. Chaney portrayed the tortured Talbot not only in the 1941 film that introduced the character, but also in the Frankenstein series, including “Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man,” “House of Frankenstein,” “House of Dracula,” and finally, “Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein.”

My favorite of all these sequels is “House of Frankenstein,” which starred Karloff as a mad scientist rather than the monster (who is played by Glenn Strange), the Wolf Man, played by Lon Chaney, Jr., a hunchback (J. Carrol Nash), and Dracula (John Carradine).

Touches of poetry run through the script, including this bit of verse about the Wolf Man: “Even a man who is pure at heart and says his prayers at night, can become a wolf, when the wolf bane blooms and the moon is full and bright.”

A set of lobby cards from “The Wolf Man,” sold for from $80 to $2,300 each (the later for a title card) in 2004. A set of eight went for $3,450 back in 1997. An insert sold for $3,000 in 2004. Prices have not gone down since then.

A single still from “House of Frankenstein” sold for $168 this year (2008), while a title card (lobby card) went for $4,000 four years ago, and an insert for more than $6,000 the same year.

A number of artists best known for their work in other fields also did at least some movie posters.

Today, Charles Addams is best known for creating the “Addams Family,” as familiar to us now through the two movies and the television show as through the dark humor of his weird New Yorker cartoons.

Addams’ bizarre sense of humor is perhaps best caught in his cartoon of the entire Addams’ Family on the roof of their Gothic home, getting ready to pour boiling oil on a group of Christmas carolers below. The characters never had names until the TV sitcom, when Addams fleshed them out a bit, so to speak and now we know them as Gomez, Morticia, Lurch, Pugsley, Wednesday and Uncle Fester.

Addams did movie poster art for “Murder by Death,” (1976) and “How to Murder a Rich Uncle,” (1957), among other films.

“Murder By Death,” written by Neil Simon, author of the “Odd Couple,” starred writer Truman Capote in a farce about five famous literary detectives and their sidekicks invited to a mansion bizarre enough to have appeared in one of Addams cartoons to solve a mystery.

The IMBD listing for “Murder by Death” is here: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0074937. Wikipedia’s entry on Addams is here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Addams

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