It is my experience that the vast majority of posters for sale today
are cheap reproductions. I would even go as far as to say that 99% of
the posters one finds for sale in the antique markets and stores
throughout China, Hong Kong and Taiwan are such reproductions. The
same goes for posters sold at popular auction web sites such as eBay
and Yahoo Auctions. Only rarely is there a genuine vintage piece and
then usually at very demanding prices.
The genuine vintage posters are lithographs while the fake ones are
cheap and often poor quality off set prints of the originals. For the
untrained eye it is not easy to see the difference, especially because
many of the reproductions are also quite old in themselves, often
15-20 years or older. To confuse matters even more both the original
lithographs and reproductions usually have metal bars at the top and
bottom that are rusty. Some dealers also wash the posters with yellow
paint, rub dirt into them and place a few strategic tears here and
there in order to make them look more "authentic" and "old".
However, in spite of these tricks, there are several ways to tell the
difference between a genuine lithographic poster and a reproduction.
Throughout my time of collecting these posters I have developed a set
of guidelines from my experiences that may be helpful. If you see a
psoter that you like and want to buy ask yourself the following six
questions:
Ways to Differentiate:
1. Is the surface "glossy" like? If it is it may be a recent
reproduction. With the old style printing the colors had a matte and
very clear colors, not a superficial "glossy" appearance.
2. Are there any tear marks or rust spots on the image itself? If yes
are these real rust spots and holes or are they part of the image?
Often they copied older posters that had holes and/or rust spots on
them. These imperfections of course then became part of the image in
the reproductions. It is easy to tell a real rust spot or hole or tear
from the ones that are part of the image. Many fakes will still have
real rust spots from the metal bars, but only the fake ones will have
it as part of the actual print.
3. Is there a metal ring or fabric strip attached to the top metal
bar? If yes the chances that the piece is a real lithograph is higher.
Many of the Chinese original lithographic prints would have these
attached to the top metal bar to make it easier to hang the poster on
the wall. Not so many reproductions have these. I have thus far seen
no reproduction with the string of cloth attached.
4. What is the price? Did they ask US$ 30 and you bargained it down to
US$ 10 thinking you got a steal? Many dealers will tell you that they
are the real thing, either because they want to cheat you outright or
because they do not know the difference themselves. Most reproductions
goes for anywhere between US$ 3 and US$ 25. If the deal is too good to
be true, you can be certain it also is the case. Most genuine vintage
posters sell from US$ 100.00 and up depending on condition, the type
of image, rarity value etc. Most posters of ladies are in the range of
US$ 150-350. At art galleries in Lonon, Paris, New York, etc. they
usually sell for between US$ 500.00 and 2000.00. The most expensive I
have heard about is a poster sold for US$ 6.000.00 to a Chinese movie
star.
5. Is there more than one copy of the same image at the store? If the
seller has more than one poster of the same image you can be fairly
certain they are reproductions. One seldom see more than one poster of
the same scene/image in a store if it is the genuine posters. However,
for fakes a seller may have 2-3 or more extra copies with the same
poster.
6. How does the seller take care of the posters? Are all the posters
openly displayed or are they hidden away and only taken out of drawers
and cupboards when you ask if they have any truly old and genuine
posters? The reproductions are often openly displayed in the front of
the shop, usually hanging in bunches of 10-30 or laying carelessly on
the floor. If these were genuine vintage posters this would never
happen. They would be stored far more carefully and often hidden away,
maybe only a couple of the posters openly displayed inside the shop.
Please remember that the above suggestions are only guidelines and
nothing but that. However, if you follow these and use ordinary good
common sense when you shop around you stand a much higher chance of
spotting the reproductions from the genuine posters. Please also note
that the reproductions are usually quite nice in themselves as well
and they are very affordable alternatives to the real thing. Many
people do not really care if it is the original or not as long as it
has that "old" look or feel to it.
Well there ya go,info for free! I personally think it sucks BIG time
that I cannot register as a researcher, especially as there are so
many unanswered questions out there, and I love research. Good Luck
jm21962-ga!! |
