I know many people with that much money, Rich. I know no one who would
spend it on a business where you have to work your tush off to keep it
going. Why bother? I can't imagine anyone wanting to do that.
It takes less time, much less time, to flip a house or play with stocks.
Yes, you still have to research to cover yourself...BUT, the hours are less;
probably much less, there's less hassle with people over piddly amounts of
$$$, and whole groups of people aren't concerned with your comings and
goings.
I couldn't stand it.
Andrea
----- Original Message -----
From: "Richard Halegua Comic Art" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: "Freedom Lover" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; "Erich Linder"
<[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <mopo-L@LISTSERV.AMERICAN.EDU>
Sent: Wednesday, November 09, 2005 4:33 PM
Subject: Re: [MOPO] 2 million dollars....and Bruce is your slave.
At 05:58 AM 11/9/05, Freedom Lover wrote:
I sure do. Between what happened to you, Bruce deciding to sell, and
sales down from what I can see...oh-oh...
Andrea
there you go folks.. I have no doubt that Bruce is seeing firsthand what
many of you only see from the bleachers......
the hobby IS in a freefall (yes, it is a hobby Henry)
Before ebay, before the poor economic policies of this administration,
before the terrible increase in energy prices, before the Iraq war, before
the sad reports last month that the poor (families earning less than 12k a
year) segment of our nation increased a whopping 2.6 percent of our
population (yes 2.6 % of the population, not a 2.6 % increase over
previous year)... before all that and other factors.. like the downsizing
of blue collar paychecks while the exponential increasing of corporate
management's paychecks .. we had a vibrant hobby (yes Henry, it is a
hobby)
However today, all of these factors are a combined "perfect storm" that
have conspired to undermine what we have been doing for years
Ebay is without a doubt one of the bigger factors (but dont factor out
economics). The reality is that before ebay, even ordinary items were
difficult to get except for what was advertised in trade publications like
Big Reel or Comics Buyers Guide; exhibited at conventions across the land;
results of want lists given to dealers; and other ways... posters that
today are common, had a perception of scarcity.
Ebay changed all that .. that's why we constantly see the same posters
listed again & again & again by different sellers or the same sellers and
seeing as a poster like "That's My Boy" from 1951 with Martin & Lewis
which was once a good selling poster is now something akin to junk. The
garage sale mentality has ruined the value. Then compound that with
economic disaster (low wages for the populace), political tomfoolery, war,
stratospheric energy prices (and housing prices too) and many many factors
I couldn't even begin to detail... and you have this.. free-fall
Now there is no question that posters like Frankenstein, Forbidden Planet,
Casablanca, Maltese Falcon will only continue to have buyers waiting.. The
vast majority of posters - which are available 24/7 ad-nauseum - cannot
possibly go up in value with such a large supply of them available and
indeed.. can only decrease in value.
But then take this into account....
The average age of a movie poster collector is - overall - getting older.
That's right.. when you go to a convention, how many under 30's do you
see. Very few! Why? Well it is a cultural shift in our nation towards
material value (under 30's like cars, X-box's, Bigscreen tvs, DVD players,
$200 sneakers, Louis Vuitton purses..) and investment. Movie posters,
overall.. are a very poor investment for the average person.
Now why would Bruce want to sell?
A fine wine that is well crafted is almost never ready for drinking when
it comes out of the barrel. It takes it time - in the bottle - maturing
into a fine treat. If you drink a bottle of 1996 Lafitte in 1999, and then
in 2002 and then again in 2010.. it has an entirely different flavor. A
different character, just like people who change over the years in subtle
ways, so does the wine. Then.. also just like people ... it reaches it
zenith and then slowly deteriorates until a time when the wine literally
becomes "undrinkable". It is past it's maturity
I think he sees that we (poster buyers- sellers) might be on the downside
of maturity and that from this point on it might only become more
difficult to sell 10's of 1000's of poster titles that at one time may
have been the bread & butter of business.
There are 1000's of titles that sell for far less today than they did 20
years ago and many more that regardless of value don't sell at all.
How many Laurel & hardy collectors are out there today? Has Clark Gable
become passe because the young don't know who he is and the old in most
cases already have what they want. many 30's-50's titles are unknown by
todays collectors and silent era material with rare exception has totally
bottomed out.
I find it hard to believe that a guy like Bruce, a savvy super seller,
doesn't see this and more specifically, doesnt see the writing on the
wall. The writing that our hobby is compressing into a smaller hobby (a
hobby is something you participate in as a life enduring form of personal
entertainment) (yes, it is a hobby Henry) and that once you get past
Bruce, Heritage and then the dealers.... a diminishing entertainment
choice that is not being taken up by our young.
Personally, I would love to see Bruce have success in selling out.. as
that could mean there is hope for me to do the same sometime not far down
the road. But I suspect, that Bruce will not "sell himself" for 2mil,
because as Bob from Moviegoods, Dan Strebin, Ray Ruggiero & many other
dealers with whom I have had this very conversation with... we don't
believe there is anyone out there to do this. Someone who has the finances
and the wherewithal to spend that 2mil
Rich===========================
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