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Interesting results of Tom Gregory collection at RR Auctions 15 November 2016
Steve kindly sent out an email regarding this auction. I rarely look at the RR site so I was very grateful for the tip-off. It would be crazy to say that I wasn't impressed with what was on offer.
The results surprised me a bit. With some notable exceptions (Monroe, William Desmond Taylor etc.) most of the lots seemed to come in below estimate and quite a number don't appear to have sold.
What I am wondering is were the estimates too high or the interest too low? If the latter, why was this?
I think it may have been a bit of both. I remember a Titanic auction at RR that also had a lot of lots not selling or selling for below estimate. Perhaps RR are a little aggressive in that respect. I noticed that the estimates at last week's IAA auction (History Makers sale) were more or less bang on and very few lots didn't sell - quite a contrast.
As for the bidding, I wouldn't be surprised if it is getting more difficult to sell "classic Hollywood" material. Most potential buyers nowadays were probably not born when most of the classic stars were working - or even living! They are much more likely to buy Monroe, Audrey Hepburn, Steve McQueen etc.
I collect a lot of the classic stars but I am ashamed to admit that I have never seen a movie with Garbo, Lombard, Harlow, Lake, Todd and many, many others even though they all feature in my various collections. I suspect though that I am not your typical collector.
Maybe another reason for the results was the sheer quantity of material. I confess that my eyes glazed over a bit after page 5 of 11. Perhaps the material was also a bit too "samey" - classic portraits, many matte finish 11x14s.
To finish off, the lowish results that surpised me most were Karloff, Lugosi, Dean, Tate and maybe even Garbo (though $15k is not exactly nothing) and the GWTW Leigh. If I'd known the results were not going to go through the stratosphere I might have bid myself - the estimates certainly didn't encourage me to bid.
Am I being too negative here? When you look at the massive price rises in the rock & pop field over the last 20 years or so I don't think so.
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by sling on
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note also that when yo were in college, the universe of movies was small. for ds today, the universe of movies is huge, maybe 10x more than when you were 20.
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Permalink Reply by Scott Paul on
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You bring up a good point Steve. I read an article that Baby Boomers like me (born before there were 50 states) are having a problem passing down family heirlooms we inherited. Few today seem that interested in having something just because it belonged to a great grandparent unless it is valuable or usable. I get the lecture every holiday "Why don't you get rid of that pile of scrap lumber in the garage?" My reply is I might need it someday. I see the possibility they see a pile of junk. I think that might be the same with autographs. I think there will always be a select few that will want to collect classic entertainment. I think horror ones will have the best chance to be in high demand. Some color classics like Wizard of Oz will always have an audience. I guess I am not pessimistic about the long-term Classic Entertainment collecting although with ones my age slowing down the market may narrow.
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Permalink Reply by Greg on
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I'm with you. I do collect for my own enjoyment, but I do hope that one day the classic autographs I have collected of long dead stars will at least have held their value for a future generation if not have gained at least a little bit, I mean in regard to the lesser known names. It will be interesting to see if the average star of today can hold their value decades from now as well...
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Permalink Reply by Eric Keith Longo on
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I am both hopeful and fearful, Tom. Many a torch has passed forward, but some have been extinguished it seems. New and different lights have been ignited it's true, I don't know the shelf life.
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