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industry cooperative formed in 1942 to distribute film
advertising. Much of the memorabilia then extant was purchased
in bulk by collectors, many of whom later became dealers. By the
late 1970's, the markets that existed in 1985 were beginning to
form. As demand for movie memorabilia increased in the 1970's
and early 1980's, prices for all categories rose dramatically.
Prices tended to appreciate much more quickly for films of the
1930's to 1950's because much of the demand was driven by
nostalgia for those “golden years” of Hollywood. From the
perspective of the collector and the dealer:
There are no “good” or “bad” movie posters. Some,
of course, are aesthetically pleasing. Others are
wonderful because they capture the spirit of the film
they advertise. Many are desirable to collectors
simply because they are tangible representations of a
truly great or favorite movie. A small number are
examples of superb design and/or lithography. All,
however, are created “equal” in the sense that they
were and are produced for the single purpose of
enticing a prospective movie-goer to choose a
particular film to see at a given moment. They are
advertising. [Guernsey's, Comprehensive Collections of
Film Posters & Lobby Cards, Illustration, Cartoons &
Animation at Auction 8 (1987).]
The development of the movie memorabilia market through 1985 bore
strong similarities to the earlier development of comic book
collecting. Not only were some early collectors of movie
memorabilia also comic book collectors, but the different movie
memorabilia markets also evolved in much the same way as comic
book markets--a mixture of retail stores, catalog sales,
auctions, and conventions. Stamp and coin collecting are other
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