Bruce,
That was a fine memoir of someone who was obviously the not only a great
person, but the kind of collector the world will miss. But, remembering
what happened to Forry Ackerman's collection when he became unable to keep up
with his medical bills -- do you have any idea if John Parnum made any
arrangements to keep his collection intact -- such a donating it to a
university or something? Although I'm sure people would love to buy all or
part of it, it would be a shame if such a compendium of sf & horror
paper couldn't be kept intact, in one place, where it could be referenced by
all.
-- JR
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Tuesday, August 03, 2004 0:14
Subject: [MOPO] MoPo: A great collector
is gone
I posted this yesterday in my weekly e-mail club (2700 members)
and am posting it here as well for any non-club members who knew John
Parnum.
It is with
great sadness that I announce the passing of legendary collector John
Parnum (on July 12th). Since the 1960s John collected exclusively
horror/sci-fi/fantasy items from all years, and unlike some of the other
major collectors who focus mainly on posters, John loved all sorts of movie
paper, and had extensive collections of vintage stills, pressbooks, and
lobby cards in addition to his posters. And John did not discriminate
against "lesser movies" or against re-releases. If an item was
horror/sci-fi/fantasy related, there was a place for it in
John's collection! John was
fortunate to have started collecting decades ago, when prices were much
more affordable, but unlike the vast majority of collectors from that time,
John resisted the impulse to "cash in" on his collection as prices went
higher. I have encountered numerous "old-time" collectors who have
told me "if only I had held onto what I had back then". John was
the exceptional person who DID hold onto what he bought decades ago.
Even more surprising, John continued to pursue items that had eluded him,
even as prices rose. Most collectors can't bring themselves to buy
items for hundreds of dollars, if they remember seeing them years before
for a fraction of that amount, and that fact alone often hastens the end of
their collecting. But John
continued to actively pursue the few titles missing from his collection,
and he was more than willing to pay above "market price", for he more than
anyone knew just how rarely offered certain items are. When you only
see an item offered once in 20 years, you know you should make an extreme
effort to get it, for it may be many years before you see it
again. Unlike many collectors, I
don't think John was in any way motivated by the "investment" side of
collecting. He truly loved his collection. There were many
times when he acquired an inexpensive item for his collection from my
auctions or sales lists, and he would let me know how very happy he was to
get it, and he would communicate that with the type of excitement one might
expect from someone who had just made a "great buy", and yet it often was
an obscure $10 item that few people but John cared about. To me, John
epitomized the "true collector", someone who loves what he collects, and
would probably be happy if prices on what he collected went far lower, for
then he could afford to buy that much
more. But more important that
being a great collector, John was a really great guy! I had dealings
with him by phone, mail, and e-mail for many years. Usually he was
buying from me, but on some occasions we bid against each other, and when I
outbid him, he sent me a nice congratulatory e-mail, showing only joy for
my winning, and no trace of bitterness or regret. I knew the depth of
his knowledge of horror movie paper, and a few times I asked him for help
in identifying a still (or giving his opinion as to its originality) and he
always was quick to help and never had any thought of wanting something in
return. I only met John once in
person. That was five years ago when I was auctioning an item he had
looked for for decades. He called me before the auction and asked
about phone bidding. I told him how it worked, and he said he just
couldn't stand the thought that he could get cut off (even though I assured
him this was a remote possibility) and he said that he thought he had
better come out and be there in person. Besides, he told me, this
way, once he won the item, he could hand carry it back home and not have to
wait out the days after the auction to make sure it arrived
safely! At the auction, John
came in and introduced himself. He was just as he had been those
times on the phone, a sweet down-to-earth likable guy. As he
previewed the item, he said, "I finally am going to get this after
all these years" and I cautioned him that he might not get it, for you
could never tell who might end up bidding against him. He just looked
at me and said, "I am going to get this", and the way he said it, I
believed him! I was very happy when he got it for a somewhat
reasonable price (true rarities never go for bargain prices, so getting a
reasonable deal is all one can hope for). After the auction ended he
came over to me and apologized for disturbing me, but said he just wanted
to thank me for being instrumental in helping him get what he had wanted
for so long! He was just that kind of guy. To me, that is the
true definition of being
"classy". On occasion John's
name would come up in conversation with other collectors or dealers, and
always I heard the same kind of comment ("what a nice person!", "what a
down-to-earth guy", etc, etc). I would bet there is not a single
person in this hobby with anything but nice things to say about
him! John was 68 years
old. For the last few years he battled a debilitating illness, and
yet he stayed sweet and kind and completely unchanged in
our communications, even to the very end. Those of you who are under
30 are probably thinking that he lived a long life, but as I get older, I
realize that 68 is far too young an age for life to end. I am sad
that John did not get many more years in which to keep pursuing those last
few elusive titles he was searching for. He will be missed by many in
our hobby.
Bruce
Hershenson eMoviePoster.com
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing
List
Send a message addressed to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The
author of this message is solely responsible for its
content.
Visit the MoPo Mailing List Web Site at www.filmfan.com
___________________________________________________________________
How to UNSUBSCRIBE from the MoPo Mailing List
Send a message addressed to: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
In the BODY of your message type: SIGNOFF MOPO-L
The author of this message is solely responsible for its content.
|