Be A Star Collecting Celebrity and Movie Memorabilia - By: Steve Dolan

Since the advent of the moving picture, America has had a
fascination with Hollywood and movie stars. This is most clearly
seen in the high value of celebrity and movie memorabilia.

Most people want to know if the piece of movie magic that they
are hanging on to has any value. There is no way to tell which
specific items are going to sell for the highest amount, but
there are few general categories that sell for a lot of money.
The best prices come from original items such as costumes,
props, posters and autographs.

The market for movie memorabilia is expanding so rapidly that
many collectors buy items such as T-shirts, posters, and replica
props from current blockbuster movies hoping that in the future
they will be worth a lot of money. Even the complimentary gifts
that are given out prior to an opening can be worth something. A
free promotional wristwatch that was given out prior to the
release of The Nightmare Before Christmas is currently
selling for about two hundred dollars.

Nearly everything connected with the movie business is
considered movie memorabilia. Merchandise from the original Star
Wars films has been selling for between two and four hundred
dollars. Mickey Mouse watches have been selling as high as seven
hundred dollars at auction sites. Original costumes and props go
for the highest prices. But to start out collecting movie
memorabilia, consider film posters; most film posters can still
be bought online for low prices. The most expensive posters are
from vintage films of the Golden Era, the 1930s and 1940s.
Posters from the cult horror and science fiction films of the
1950s are the next most valuable genre, currently valued at up
to eight hundred dollars. Of course, the very rare items fetch
the best prices. The only existing copy of 1933's The Bride
of Frankenstein poster recently sold for $330,000 at
auction.

With regards to specific actors, the paragons continue to
dominate the market. Autographed items from Humphrey Bogart,
Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Greta Garbo are the highest
selling, going for between eight hundred and five thousand
dollars, depending what the item is. Autographs can be found on
virtually any surface. But current actors can fetch substantial
prices too, for example John Travolta's white three-piece suit
from Saturday Night Fever recently sold for $145,000.

If you want to collect celebrity autographs, authenticity is of
primary importance. Ideally the autographed item will have a
Certificate of Authentication. The credibility of the
certificate depends on the reliability of the issuing party.
Know your seller and check their credentials to see if they
belong to a reputable organization. Research the provenance of
an item, which includes how, when, and where the autograph was
obtained. Provenance is critical to determining the autograph's
value.

There are some guidelines to determining the value of celebrity
and movie memorabilia. Age naturally plays a role. Older pieces
of movie memorabilia are worth more because recent autographs
and memorabilia are easier to obtain. This is also where rarity
comes into play. Older pieces of memorabilia are more likely to
be one of very few of their kind. If a celebrity is no longer
living, then he or she can no longer sign autographs, and so the
value of an autograph increases significantly. However, rare
items of poor quality will not be as valuable. The better the
condition of a piece of movie memorabilia, the more valuable it
becomes. To be worth anything, an item must be whole and clean,
in as close to mint condition as possible.

It goes without saying that to have any value at all the movie
memorabilia has to be genuine. Experts can often detect
counterfeits from tiny details, such as a tag showing the name
of the studio, designer, or actor, studio marks, photographs
showing the item associated with a particular actor or actress,
the remarks of someone associated with the film, or a
Certificate of Authenticity issued by the studio or a reputable
authenticator.

There has been a sharp increase in the market demand for movie
memorabilia in the last ten years. And while everyone would like
to know which memorabilia is going to be worth a lot in the next
ten years, there is no concrete way to tell what will be the
next big thing. However, collectors suggest that the top selling
collectibles will be anything from stars that are popular and
successful in their careers, and from wildly popular movies like
Titanic and cult favorites such as Sideways.

Most people want to know if the piece of movie magic that they are hanging on to has any value. There is no way to tell which specific items are going to sell for the highest amount, but there are few general categories that sell for a lot of money. The best prices come from original items such as costumes,
props, posters and autographs.

Steve Dolan has been collecting for many years. Find out more
about collecting movie memorabilia at href="http://www.funcollectiblesweb.com/celebrities">Collecting
Celebrity and Movie Memorabilia. Steve's main collectibles
site Collecting and
Collectibles.