Just when I thought I’d got on top of the auction situation, another one pops up. This time it’s Onslows, whose winter sale will be on 19th December. The catalogue isn’t up yet, but there are a few preview images to whet your appetite, of which this is my favourite.
Frank McNamara, circa 1950, est. £400-500
When it’s almost freezing outside, sampling the 1950s in Australia sounds like a very tempting proposition.
There is also the opportunity to get one or two posters at prices cheaper than a Christies sale.
Fougasse, 1940, est. £800-1,200
As well as this, which is just endearingly bonkers.
Czech, c.1950, est. £700-1,000
There’s another forthcoming railwayana auction too, at Talisman, but I am relieved to say that there isn’t a single poster of interest to me in there. Although I have been looking at these catalogues for so long now that the opportunity to buy a large sign which says Pyewipe West Sidings is becoming increasingly tempting.
Meanwhile on eBay there are posters galore. One of the prize exhibits is probably this Daphne Padden, from the earlier, more conventional phase of her career.
People clearly liked the style and image, as this is a poster which comes up more often than it ought to. At a current price of just under £70 – from the U.S. – it is going cheap too.
Another poster of possibly an even higher calibre, if not entirely my cup of tea, is this Jean Carlu World War Two design.
It looks in very good condition, and so is an extreme bargain at just £18 right now, possibly because they’ve mis-spelt Jean Carlu in the listing and title. You read it here first.
If you fancy something a bit more British, there is always this wartime poster, if you can get past the slightly sexist weediness of the woman.
But be warned, it’s tiny. just 9″ x 6″. An identical version sold for £64 on eBay last week, so it will probably go for a bit more than it’s current 99p then, even with the typing on the back.
The rest of what is on offer, though, is starting to look like a trend. Take, for example, this Post Office Savings Bank Poster.
This 1965 London Transport poster (which oddly isn’t on the London Transport Museum site so I can’t tell you anything more about it).
And perhaps best of all these two delightful Homepride posters.
What it’s looking like is that later 60s and 70s graphics are starting to be seen as, if not yet collectable, certainly worth selling. It’s not always good design – although the two Homepride posters are classics and deserve to be revered as such – but it’s definitely out there.
Because that’s not all there is. I mentioned this Bridlington poster last week as being expensive at £45.
It finally sold for £25, and there is another one up now too if you think that’s more like a fair price. But the seller has clearly found a stack of this kind of thing somewhere, just take a look at these.
I think that’s enough to constitute a trend, don’t you? Although the same person is also selling this.
Now to my mind that’s the best of the bunch. But then I’m probably entirely out of fashion.
Finally, we’ve just bought a rather expensive poster on eBay ourselves. More news on that when it arrives. And yes, I know we’re meant to be spending the money on carpets.