Decade as a pro, (and I believe, a WSOP bracelet), I'd credit him with
knowing what he's talking about.
You should have folded.
On 21 Mar 2010, at 16:01, Andy Neal wrote:
Oh dear I've heard it all now, Well you were obviously never any
good at it if that's what you truely think Bruce lol ;-)
This kind of comment is exactly what I meant about egos.
Anyway, not trying to start an argument, just an opinion as most
things are.
Kind Regards
Andy Neal
________________________
On 2010-03-21 15:54:03 +0000 Bruce Hershenson <brucehershen...@gmail.com
> wrote:
Andy
I played poker for a living for 10 years, with no other income, and
I assure
you I know far more on this subject than you do!
Way way more money has been won cheating at poker than has been won
honestly, and many of the world's most famous poker players were
major
cheats, starting with Nick the Greek. Someday I might write a book
on it.
Bruce
On Sun, Mar 21, 2010 at 8:23 AM, Andy Neal <andyan...@hotmail.com>
wrote:
Hmmm interesting to hear lots of mention about poker, bad analogy
really
brucie, to win the most at poker or be excellent at poker you have
to know
probabilities and be able to work them out in a heartbeat and you
need to
understand what outs you have as your going along, also bluffing and
knowing
when to bluff is adventageous.
Just my opinion on the poker comment, the other stuff I couldn't
care less
about, mopo is getting FAR too egotistical these days, I can't
wait for the
recession to end.
Andy
________________________
On 2010-03-21 13:07:01 +0000 Bruce Hershenson <brucehershen...@gmail.com
>
wrote:
Thanks much David. You wrote an eloquent and spirited reply!
Here's a further reply. I used to think great movie posters were
vastly
undervalued, and I bought lots of them at then current prices. As
prices
rose, many of them no longer seemed undervalued to me, and I sold
most of
what I had bought, hanging onto my very favorites. Those three
"This Gun
For
Hires" were $2500 each, so my assessment was good on that example.
Does a Metropolis insert seem undervalued to me at $47,000? No,
but there
are likely many who feel otherwise, and I am happy they got a
bargain,
and I
hope for their sake these kinds of posters go the way of million
dollar
comics, which I am sorry to say feels totally insane to me, a
classic
"bubble"..
*WHY* I shifted my business model is the same reason i quit playing
poker.
To win the most at poker, you must find the absolute worst
players you
can,
and cheaters are rewarded (and the house often looks the other
way on
cheating, because the cheaters "take care" of those running the
game). I
was
unwilling to continue playing on those terms, so I stopped playing
entirely.
When I first started high dollar auctions, I was "the only game
in town".
As
many others came along, and when I slowly saw that the majority
of high
dollar auctions were much like high stakes poker (you do the best
when
you
find the absolute most uninformed buyers, and you use "clever"
tricks to
get
them to pay more, as with the 2001 re-release half-sheet), and
cheaters
are
rewarded (and I believe I have it made clear how this is) and
since I
knew I
was not willing to compete for consignments or bidders on those
terms, I
quit high dollar auctions and shifted to my present model.
The result is that, in addition to my earning a living and
providing a
living for 25 employees, I feel that most of my 31,000 customers
certainly
feel I have provided them with a very useful service, and I bet
all of
them
would say I treated them in an open and honest way, unusual for
collectible
auctions. Most or all of my 500+ consignors would likely say I
provided
them
with a useful and valuable service, just as David did.
There *ARE *those who keep stretching to find bad things to say
about me,
but oddly they neither buy from me or sell through me, and many
people
have
privately guessed at their motivation, which seems painfully
obvious.
I have nothing against high dollar auctions or high stakes poker,
when
they
are 100% honestly run, and there is no deception involved. If I
felt I
could
successfully run such an auction today, I would be willing to
try, but I
doubt I could get enough consignments on those terms, and I truly
am
happier
with my current business model.
But as David said, I have "reinvented" myself several times over
the
years,
and there is no saying I won't do so one more time!
Bruce
On Sat, Mar 20, 2010 at 5:21 PM, David Kusumoto
<davidmkusum...@hotmail.com>wrote:
** Speaking ONLY for myself, a contemplative confessional from
Bruce
about the shifts in his selling ideologies over the span of 20
years
would
only matter to dealers who compete against Bruce -- and would be
of
little
interest to us collectors. It appears like an attempt to catch
him in a
contradiction when in fact we all undergo transformations and re-
tooling
to
ensure self-preservation. I've written thousands of words about
Bruce
and
his consignment model -- and each transformation or attempt at
self-re-invention has been a success. The quantity vs. quality
question
seems a back-handed way of saying Bruce no longer sells quality
and only
sells mid-range-to-cruddy stuff at high volumes. This is not
true from
where I sit as a consumer. No, he might not have a Frankenstein
one-sheet
come his way very soon -- nor would he care to go back to the
"showroom"
model with high overheads -- but he has sold things like the
"camel"
poster from "Lawrence of Arabia" for more than $11K during the
nadir of
the
recession, still a record for that title. There is no venue or
business
model he has not tried before settling into his current model,
hence to
me
he speaks with experience and some authority. Of course he's
not the
FINAL authority, but he's credible. Bruce's churning methods
and fast
pace
have conditioned thousands of collectors AND dealers throughout
this
small
hobby -- many who continue to both BUY and CONSIGN to him -- to
reflexively
check his listings anyway, as regularly as one would brush their
teeth.
Any
collector or dealer who chooses to ignore his listings makes a
conscious
choice to pass up a potential bargain.
** The most important issue to most of us is still full
disclosure and
quality service -- and not questions about why competing dealer
"x"
thought
one way in 1990 and became "y" in 2000 and is now "z" in 2010,
e.g.,
which
to me, as it pertains to Bruce -- is an efficiently run factory
operation
moving a wide swath of material that's honestly graded for
thousands of
customers. If I ever want something akin to the Hope Diamond, I
can
always
consult the Greys, the Seans, the Todds, the Freemans and the
Walters
and
Kirbys and Sams, -- and even the Bruces, etc., etc., of the world.
(Sorry
if I left anyone out, I've bought from most everyone so it's
hard to
remember.) If I was a dealer, I wouldn't be surprised if all of
the
aforementioned names -- have shifted their ideologies about poster
selling
in conjunction with the universal acceptance of the Internet,
and have
subsequently found their niches or comfort zones -- and adjusted
accordingly. Some of us still know where to go for certain
things. -d.
=====================
From: Sean Linkenback
To: MOPO-L@listserv.american.edu
Re: [MOPO] Any bets on METROPOLIS?
Sat, 20 Mar 2010 14:22:52 -0700
Bruce,
Could you share the story with us that led to your decision to
change
directions as it were in your poster selling philosophy?
Certainly in the early days of your business you concentrated on
catering
to "investors" and/or "advanced collectors". Yes, you published
your
sales
list, but your convention appearances and focus of course was on
quality
over quantity and in getting those high-dollar pieces for the
early
Christie's auctions and working to attract high-end collectors.
I even
remember reading a profile on poster investing with you in a Delta
Skymiles
Magazine, and you related a story where you met with Jose and
wanted to
buy
all 3 copies of the one-sheet he had on "This Gun For Hire".
What happened that made you do a change and decide to focus on
quantity
instead?
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