Posted 12 years ago
Gringokid
(8 items)
what you guys think? i picked this up i think its from the 30s but possiby a remeake in 50 or 60 i dont really know its in great shape any idea on the value ??
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There are a lot of reproductions of this type out there.
Photos of the entire poster and margin information will be helpful in determining if it is a repro.
scott
i think it is a repo because the orignal had blue lettering but still its a cool piece
I know this poster well, and if it is an original than it is a GREAT find! This is one of the most graphically designed Circus posters created, that is why it is so heavily reproduced. This is one of my favorite Circus posters. I will give you the quick history of this poster below than all the information you need to know in order to figure out if this is truly an original.
The Story:
The gorilla pictured in the poster really did exists and was advertised as the largest one to exist during the time. The gorilla was born in the Congo and given to a sailor as a gift in the early 1930's. The sailor named him "Buddy" and kept him as a pet on board his boat for sometime before selling him to Ringling for around $10,000. Ringling placed this 500 lbs. gorilla into his circus act and renamed him "Gargantua". Rumor has it, Gargantua single handedly saved the circus from going bankrupt. Gargantua eventually died of pneumonia in 1949.
The Poster:
This poster dates around the 1930's (Which was considered the best era for Circus posters by collectors) If this poster is an original, it should measure approximately 28" x 42" which is considered a 1-sheet sized poster. Reproductions are usually WAY off by their measurements so you should be able to tell fairly easily. Also, most of these Circus posters, this one included, were stone lithographs so if you examine the poster VERY closely you should be able to see a RANDOM pattern of dots which make up the image, most of the time these random dots will have over coloring on them since a separate stone was used to print each color. This means that some colors may be over printed onto others due to the random hand printed process of stone lithography.
IF this is a reproduction, you will be able to see dots that are more of a mechanical layout, which means it was made by a machine. In this case, the dot patterns should be perfectly colored with no overlay. There are other ways to tell the difference as well and you can email me for a more detailed explanation zguy2112@earthlink.net
If this poster is an original, it should be professionally linen backed (If it's not already) to preserve the paper from any further deterioration. If this poster is an original and in very good condition it is worth approximately $1,000. in today's market.
It's a repo what's its value lol worse case senerio I lose ten bucks
In that case, you are looking at a value of $45. Wish it was more. But look on the bright side, it still is a GREAT piece. No need to linen back a "re-pop", just matt it and frame it. Enjoy it.