Collecting Hollywood Star Celebrity and Movie Memorabilia — Awesomememorabilia.com
Since the coming of the moving picture, America has surely had an attraction with Hollywood and movie stars. This is most clearly seen in the value of cynosure on Awesomememorabilia.com. Here you can buy a your favorite memorabilia
Most people want to know if the piece of movie magic that they are hanging on to has any value. There is no way to tell which distinct items are going to sell for the highest amount, but there are few general classifications that sell for a lot of money. The best prices come from real items such as costumes, props, posters, and mementos.
The market for movie memorabilia is expanding so rapidly that many authorities buy items such as T-shirts, posters, and replica props from current blockbuster movies expecting that in the future they will be worth a lot of money. Even the respectful gifts that are given out prior to an opening can be worth something. A free promotional wristwatch that was given out prior to the release of The Nightmare Before Christmas is currently selling for about two hundred dollars.
Nearly everything connected with the movie business is considered movie memorabilia. Stock from the original Star Wars films has been selling for between two and four hundred dollars. Mickey Mouse watches have been selling as high as seven hundred dollars at auction sites. Authentic attire and props go for the highest prices. But to start out collecting movie memorabilia, consider film posters; most film posters can still be bought online for low prices.
The most expensive posters are from vintage films of the Golden Era, the 1930s and 1940s. Posters from the cult horror and science fiction films of the 1950s are the next most valuable genre, currently valued at up to eight hundred dollars. Of course, the very rare items fetch the best prices. The only existing copy of 1933’s The Bride of Frankenstein poster recently sold for $330,000 at auction.
With regard to specific actors, the models continue to dominate the market. Autographed items from Humphrey Bogart, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, and Greta Garbo are the highest selling, going for between eight hundred and five thousand dollars, depending on what the item is. Autographs can be found on virtually any surface. But current actors can fetch substantial prices too, for example, John Travolta’s white three-piece suit from Saturday Night Fever recently sold for $145,000.
If you want to collect celebrity autographs, authenticity is of primary importance. Ideally, the autographed item will have a Certificate of Authentication. The credibility of the certificate depends on the reliability of the issuing party. Know your seller and check their credentials to see if they belong to a reputable organization. Research the provenance of an item, which includes how, when, and where the autograph was obtained. Provenance is critical to determining the autograph’s value.
There are some guidelines for determining the value of personality and movie memorabilia. Age naturally plays a role. Older pieces of movie memorabilia are worth more because recent autographs and memorabilia are easier to obtain. This is also where rarity comes into play. Older pieces of memorabilia are more likely to be one of the very few of their kind. If a celebrity is no longer living, then he or she can no longer sign autographs, and so the value of an autograph increases significantly. However, rare items of poor quality will not be as valuable. The better the condition of a piece of movie memorabilia, the more valuable it becomes. To be worth anything, an item must be whole and clean, in as close to the mint situation as possible.