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Abel Gance's NAPOLEON Lobby Card For Sale

Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2011 6:18 am
by Fred Guida
Lobby Card For Sale: $1,200.00 plus shipping and insurance.

I'm selling a lobby card from Abel Gance's NAPOLEON. According to Kevin Brownlow's book on NAPOLEON, it is from the 1927 Gaumont-Metro-Goldwyn release of the film. Apart from the Gaumont-Metro-Goldwyn logo, all text on the card is in French.

It does not feature the kind of artwork usually found on lobby cards. Instead, it features a very high quality photograph from the film. Several sources who are knowledgeable on photography and printing have told me that it is a tipped-in silver gelatin print.

The card does not include the character of Napoleon. In this regard, I have never been much of a paper collector and what I don't know about the subject would fill many volumes. Nevertheless, I have never understood or agreed with the view that a lobby card or one-sheet is automatically less interesting or valuable because a central character does not appear on it. I just don't get it.

In any event, I am aware of another card from this set, also without the character of Napoleon, and described as being in mint condition, selling at auction within the last few years for $1,500.00.

I would describe this card as being in very good, but not mint, condition. Hence the lower price.

I have a toal of six cards from this set. None feature the character of Napoleon. In terms of the provenance of the cards, they are part of a large batch of NAPOLEON cards that surfaced in Maine in the 1980s. This find is the primary source of the cards from this set that occasionally pop up for sale.

A fancy auction house is interested in the cards. However, since I am not anxious to see it take an enormous slice of the pie, I thought I'd try to peddle it here before taking a crack at ebay.

I certainly don't expect anyone to spend this kind of money without a whole lot of serious discussion. So, if anyone is interested, please contact me direcly at: [email protected] I will be happy to email an image.

If anyone is interested, I guess we can talk about a package deal for more than one card. I can certainly email images of the other cards in the set. However, in compliance with forum rules, please note that this posting is an offer to sell one card for $1,200.00.

Thanks for listening..................