History of Major OA Frauds?

[comicartcom]

here is (probably) the same link about the movie poster fraud HERE

 

whoever wrote this article didn't do all the homework.

 

first of all, Jason DeBord was not the person who exposed anything, though he did write or encapsulate much information in one place. The exposure of the Dracula poster was done by myself and several other collectors/dealers and the photos were taken by myself as well. (I am attributed as is Richard Evans)

 

John Davis, noted as "dealer" is actually a linenbacker and restorer who did work for Profiles in History & mistakenly pronounced more than one poster he worked on as authentic, including the Dracula. Note however that he is not the rogue restorer who was in on the scam, just an innocent who did poor homework leading to a false authentication. The biggest mistake made by the author of the article is that MoPo and other poster forums had posts about the fraud BEFORE Jason picked it up and ran with it. But other than that, the article is fairly on target.

 

there was also an article in the NY Times

[Claudio]

I think it's too soon to say. All of the discussion seems to have actually piqued interest in them from newer collectors but whether they want to stick around and actually dip their toes in the market remains to be seen. It's not as highly priced as comic art, but it's a pretty expensive niche in our hobby.

 

Shane.. you are wrong on this point. The posters in this fraud range from maybe $1000 to as much as $350,000 and it has definitely affected the market. A number of posters at Heritage this year did not achieve the same price levels as previous sales and incredibly - a number went unsold. We attribute this directly to the exposure of the fraud.

 

I think Shane was talking about the Star Wars toys...

[comicartcom]

Very interesting stuff. Has the fraud negatively impacted the poster market?

 

yes.. in that particular area. It also is reflecting poorly on sales of expensive posters that are linenbacked.

[ShaneTurgeon]

I think it's too soon to say. All of the discussion seems to have actually piqued interest in them from newer collectors but whether they want to stick around and actually dip their toes in the market remains to be seen. It's not as highly priced as comic art, but it's a pretty expensive niche in our hobby.

 

Shane.. you are wrong on this point. The posters in this fraud range from maybe $1000 to as much as $350,000 and it has definitely affected the market. A number of posters at Heritage this year did not achieve the same price levels as previous sales and incredibly - a number went unsold. We attribute this directly to the exposure of the fraud.

 

I think Shane was talking about the Star Wars toys...

 

I was, yeah...i'm definitely in no position to comment on the poster market!

[comicartcom]

more information.

among items forged by the comic art fraudster was a Margaret Brundage painting.

The person who traded for it became insecure after acquisition, and brought to a NY show some 20 years ago to show me. from across the room I started laughing about the piece.. I was maybe 200 feet away or even 300 and I could tell it was phony It was done in oils, and we all know she only worked in pastels.

 

other forgeries

 

Star Wars movie posters. a very common fraud

"Minty White" inserts & half sheet posters. Their source is unknown

Pulp Fiction advance and regular styles

ET bicycle over the moon poster

Spider-Man World Trade Center advance

(there are many other examples.. too many to list)

 

the FBI estimates that as much as 99% of all autographed items on ebay are frauds. In particular, "Cast Signed" movie posters.. just think of the difficulty in acquiring such autographs on one poster. The expense itself is greater than the prices asked. Personally I have come to the conclusion that 90% of autograph dealers sell forgeries - knowningly or unknowingly

 

the value of phony autograph sales on ebay in the last 10 years easily eclipses the Universal Poster Fraud in dollars. The Star Wars poster forgeries are probably the most numerous

[Claudio]

I saw a Star Wars poster for sale a while ago and I really wanted it. It was supposed to be an original. I started researching and quickly became overwhelmed at all the different types available. I had no idea what was up for sale, so I passed.

 

Comic art is simple to me. There is one piece (usually) and that's it. However, I still wonder about fakes. The only thing that offers me some reassurance is that a fake could be quickly spotted if the original was in a known collection. One slip up could bust the forgery ring very quickly.

[comicartcom]

Claudio, if you're looking for a Star Wars poster (or 2) I can help you out

for certain you will know what you are getting is authentic

[westform]

I was in my local frame shop dropping off a few months back, when a guy came in picking up a 'cast' signed Harry Potter poster. He was beaming and it really did look great all framed up. It was a top of the line job which I estimated at least at $500+. I asked him where he had got such a thing and he replied ebay, and that he felt he got a steal at $1500... I didn't have the heart to tell him.... He's into that thingie for over 2k!

 

Later, I did a little research and discovered via fan websites that a 'cast' signed Harry Potter poster is a near impossibility. Collectors have tracked when the cast was assembled and how many posters were signed and you can basically count them on one hand. Anyway, my advice, never pay real money for a signed item on ebay. Period. I think the 99% forgery percentage is probably a low estimate...

[comicartcom]

Dan

 

it isn't just a matter of if the cast was together at one spot. You can track the individual actors down at different times, but it doesn't make it any less difficult

 

on the 99%.. it may even be slightly less.. 95% as there are authentic signatures available on fleaBay, however they are generally "cuts" and contracts for lesser stars. Contracts and checks are the best for authentic material.

[TheWatcher]

(I am attributed as is Richard Evans)

 

You do have that British sensibility about you

[spider9698]

I have heard that the movie poster fraud story has had reverberations in the field. I would love to own a 1930's horror poster but am terrified of getting burned. I'll stick with finding Curly one-sheets from the 1930's.

 

[comicartcom]

Steve.. you can always ask me to help you find authentic posters. I am one person who was not beat by by any of the forgeries