Vintage-Movie-Posters.net: Rick, you’ve definitely got a great selection… I bet you were the source for the stars who collect the real high price tag posters. )

Rick: Yes, back then, when eBay first opened up, I broke all records for high prices on lots of titles. They even beat the high priced Christies auctions and still are the highest prices ever paid. Ahhhhhh, you got me reminiscing now.

But I sold out of all that primo stuff. There were only about 6 of us selling recent release and 1970 and later posters in quantity back in the late 70’s through early 90’s. Three of us are still on eBay, 1 is a nut and has been thrown off ebay but has a couple million posters. 1 I think is dead, he kind of disappeared and was a good friend, then 1 other who bought from us and resold, but now lots of people have access to the studios and printers.

All the warehouses closed by the mid 80’s, that is where we got most of our stuff. Unfortunately, they destroyed 99.99% of the old posters, but we got a lot though Some of the guys who use to sell only 1960’s big titles and pre-1960 stuff have moved into modern posters, like this one guy who is a consigner…he’s screwing up the business.

Vintage-Movie-Posters.net: Rick, it’s amazing how much the primo stuff goes for these days. I’m sure you’ve seen those big auction house listings…I’m always amazed how much some of that goes for nowawdays. Hopefully, the 70’s/80’s stuff will become tomorrow’s primo stuff.

Rick: Yes, some has moved into that territory already.

Vintage-Movie-Posters.net: Do you think there was a huge disparity in the quantities of movie posters printed in the 60’s verses the 70’s? Is that why prices seem to have not caught up yet or is it more just that these later issues are not seen as “classics” yet and therefore still not in as much demand.

Rick: What happened was that no large dealers got in the biz until the late 70’s, most of the older stuff was being found at theaters prior to that, you know, a few kept by employees, managers, etc. We were buying up everything we could afford, as well buying things we could sell right away which was the more current stuff. I’d seen stacks of things like Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Rebel Without a Cause, etc., that was not worth buying because no one would buy it for a year or more and we needed cash flow. The 50,000 posters I got in the South Pacific were only 1963-1986, the rest from 1933 to 1963 were destroyed 2 months before I got there, I figured $40-$60 million worth at that time in 86. 

Vintage-Movie-Posters.net: Wow, unreal! And very sad.

I really enjoyed your great write-up about the carnival poster where you tell about all you had to endure all those “traps” to get to them—even a snake in that barn! Great snake pic on your site, by the way!

Rick: Yeah, well, the story is even longer than what I wrote on the site and has a funny side too! Fact was, the guy I was going out to see the poster with was deaf and was asking me what that farmer across the fence was screaming about! That snake was heading straight at us and when it saw us, it curled up to fight instead of running from us!

Vintage-Movie-Posters.net: Thanks again, Rick! Folks, there’ s lots more to come from this amazing interview so keep checking back! Also be sure to check out Rick’s amazing selection of vintage movie posters, lobby cards, and other cool movie memorabilia at Rick’s Hollywood. And if you have a question for him, post it for Rick here in the comments!

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