Q. I have enclosed four poster-sized pictures that belonged to my father. They are a bit yellowed and some edges are not straight. Can you tell me the value of these posters?
–Marian Jonas, Bloomingdale
A. These great movie collectibles are called “lobby cards,” so called because they were usually printed on card stock and displayed inside the lobby of the theater. At roughly 11 by 14 inches, you can think of them as mini-posters. You sent me cards from four movies: “The Big Broadcast of 1937,” starring Jack Benny, George Burns, Gracie Allen and Benny Goodman;”College Holiday” (1936), starring Benny, Burns, Allen and Martha Raye;”Three Men on a Horse” (1936), starring Frank McHugh and Joan Blondell;.and “Remember the Night” (1940), starring Barbara Stanwyck and Fred MacMurray.
Lobby cards usually came in sets of eight, with the first card being the “title card.” It gave the credits, including a list of leading players. The other cards depicted scenes from the movie. When the cards were displayed together they gave the viewer a good sense of the movie’s story line.
Lobby cards are no longer made and, like movie posters, are hot collectibles.
In the 1990s, when major auction firms such as Christie’s and Sotheby’s began holding regular poster auctions, the market really took off, and some items already are untouchable to the average collector.
However, most posters are reasonably priced, and there is something to collect at just about any price point. Film posters from the last 40 years or so generally range in price from the tens of dollars to the low hundreds.
Your lobby cards predate World War II and prewar lobby cards are relatively rare. In those days, just about no one collected this kind of movie memorabilia, so much of this “scrap” paper was recycled to aid the war effort.
Although your cards are not in the best of condition, Morris Everett Jr., who operates Vintagefilmposters.com., says all your cards are still desirable. It helps that they are title cards, which usually are more valuable than other lobby cards. Everett placed a total value on your cards of approximately $800.
Q. Enclosed is a photograph of a corner chair. It is more than 100 years old. Any information you may be able to give us would be appreciated.
–Francis Simone, Farmingdale, N.Y.
A. This is a lovely Victorian corner chair and the age you put on it sounds about right. I would date it from roughly 1880 to 1890.
All the straight members have been “spool turned,” meaning that they were turned on a lathe to create shapes resembling spools.
Spool turning was very popular in 19th Century America.
I showed this piece to my associate Karen Rabe, an independent appraiser.
She puts the value of your chair at approximately $500 to $600.
———-
Leslie Hindman is the author of “Adventures at the Auction” and host of two HGTV shows. She welcomes letters but cannot reply to them individually. She answers those of general interest in her column only. Send, by regular mail, photos of objects with identifying marks visible (sorry we cannot return them), a brief history, and daytime phone number to: Home&Garden, Chicago Tribune, 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611, Attn: What’s It Worth.
