- 9 -
they did not command the premium price of a title card, but could
still be quite valuable depending upon the title and the quality
of the scene shown. Dead scene cards, which showed background
scenes, commanded the lowest prices. Lobby card sets from lesser
known films, especially ones made after 1960, were often broken
up by dealers in the 1970's and early 1980's and the more
desirable cards sold separately. Lobby cards from films made
after the early 1960's generally do not have as much artistic
merit as older cards.
Folds and creases detract from the value of lobby cards.
Many lobby cards were also trimmed by theater owners. Without
restoration, trimming greatly reduced a lobby card's 1985 value.
Nevertheless, in 1985, a badly trimmed title card from a 1949
Bowery Boys film, “Hold that Baby”, a title not in the
collection, was listed in catalogs at $10. The most highly
prized live scene cards, such as a card from “Casablanca” that
showed both Humphrey Bogart and Sidney Greenstreet, sold for as
much as $600-$1,000 per card in 1985. For most titles, however,
prices of lobby card sets ranged from $19 to $25 a set in 1985.
(8) Still photograph (8 by 10 inches)--largely in black and
white, although color stills were issued for later films. In
1985, overall price ranges were difficult to establish for
stills. They were easy to reproduce and demand for them was
relatively limited. However, some stills were quite valuable in
1985. Original stills from the 1920's and 1930's were highly
Page: Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 Next
Last modified: May 25, 2011