Is print collecting dying?

[gorkie]

I pretty much agree with mistersmith on this one.

If anything, I think signed/editioned print collecting is in its infancy, especially in the U.S. Signed/Editioned print collecting has been more popular/accepted in other markets for a lot longer.

There will always be fluctuations in certain artist's work and popularity, but as a whole I think the print market will remain very healthy and only grow in popularity as a great way to start, grow and improve one's art collection.

Fret not my friend.

[fredo]

I like gigposters.

No use thinking in terms of the market- a correction cometh always. I mean, somebody just put up a FS thread asking for the 6-month average for a print that came out 3 weeks ago.

[sidewaysscott]

I mean, somebody just put up a FS thread asking for the 6-month average for a print that came out 3 weeks ago.

[thegig]

There are definitely more collectors now than there used to be, but there are also exponentially more pieces in the marketplace, so I think that's where you're seeing prices stagnating and perceived demand dropping. IMO, art by people like Tyler Stout will inevitably crash. They're just posters, and the art is good, but not great. There will always be some pieces that appreciate, and some that don't, and as anyone can see, all those market movements have very little to do with the quality of the art, and much more to do with hype and the subject matter (see Star Wars).

To me, it's a shame that the gigposter thing has gotten left behind somewhat in the wake of all the movie posters. I think gigposters are much more unique than movie posters. You can always make another Star Wars or Big Lebowski print. The movies will be around forever. But each show that has a poster will only happen once, which is why I still enjoy gigposters more than any other segment of the art/print/poster world.

There will always be people that want to collect this stuff, but there will not always be a bandwagon/opportunist segment out there to drive up perceived values.

[RiotAct]

IMO, art by people like Tyler Stout will inevitably crash. They're just posters, and the art is good, but not great.

Prepare to get flamed

EDIT: and yeah I agree with you on the gigposter vs. movie poster thing... the former will always be nearer and dearer to me, as I got into the whole limited edition screenprinted art thing thanks to DMB and Pearl Jam posters.

[rubberneck]

The movie poster print market is in danger of becoming over-saturated. So many new stores have popped up employing the same business model and doing 'shows' that it's becoming a bit jaded imho.... 'Art' movie poster prints and non-event movie poster prints are also now much more commonplace. And every second day a new 'minimalism-style' poster site/artist is spawned.....

Stout and Moss secondary market prices have a lot to answer for...

Like many here, I'm now fluctuating towards artworks these days, giclees and screen prints, with the intent of acquiring a few OGs. I really need to start shedding the back catalog of Alamo prints which won't make my wall, while the market is still strong. This is always hard, the collector in me refuses to let go....

[fredo]

There will always be people that want to collect this stuff, but there will not always be a bandwagon/opportunist segment out there to drive up perceived values.

dees

[cardhawks]

EDIT: and yeah I agree with you on the gigposter vs. movie poster thing... the former will always be nearer and dearer to me, as I got into the whole limited edition screenprinted art thing thanks to DMB and Pearl Jam posters.

Me too!!!!
Pearl Jam really hurt their collectors with that massive dump of fudge in 2009 with the Backspacer crap.
That took alot of PJ poster collectors out of the game and hurt all their prices on almost all their highly collectible prints.
That's a great example of what happened right there.
And DMB?
They need to lose Methane, there is zero originality with those prints and thousands of them produced every tour.

Movie posters are gonna die soon also if Mondo keeps putting up crap like almost half their stuff this summer, plus they are vesting the best prints in that silly local MMM fudge.
Too many movie posters being made now by less than spectacular artists.

[machination]

I had different opinions about the gig poster, art print, and original art industries before getting involved. In particular, I had no idea about gig posters and I still don't care about specific show dates, cities, etc. (probably because the U.S.A. gets a lot more live shows and events than we do). I've come to appreciate original art a lot more. Saving up for originals will always keep you encouraged, and you'll have unique pieces on the wall. Beyond that, I feel that nothing is set in stone.

[jojobadass]

methane DMB posters are probably my second best seller.

[bethemonkey]

I tend to disagree, somewhat. In the case of Stout, he was a gig poster artist before he was a movie poster artist.
This is also the case for some of the other. It comes down to what you like or don't.
I don't pick up every print I see, only the ones I like.

Look at Shepard Faiery, some of his stuff does not tie back to anything as with a lot of these prints, they are just designs or art so to speak.
At least with the movie posters they tie back to a subject etc. and they are expanding on a tangible thing that is of interest to a great number of people. The value is tied more to the subject matter than limited #’s or who created it.
It also broadens the appeal to people who aren’t art snobs, and maybe brings them into a world they didn't know existed, like in my case.
What we need is tighter controls, like Nintendo had in the 80's on how many and what type of movie posters are produced.
There has been a ton of crap sprinkled into the mix as of late.

[WallyWest78]

IMO, art by people like Tyler Stout will inevitably crash.

I hope so... unless I win a lottery I'll never get most of his older stuff that I badly want. A nice price crash and maybe me and the nerd cave benefit big time!

I'm not holding my breath though.

[cardhawks]

methane DMB posters are probably my second best seller.

fans of the band, not necessarily the art

[chimpun]

EDIT: and yeah I agree with you on the gigposter vs. movie poster thing... the former will always be nearer and dearer to me, as I got into the whole limited edition screenprinted art thing thanks to DMB and Pearl Jam posters.

Me too!!!!
Pearl Jam really hurt their collectors with that massive dump of fudge in 2009 with the Backspacer crap.
That took alot of PJ poster collectors out of the game and hurt all their prices on almost all their highly collectible prints.
That's a great example of what happened right there.

Agreed. PJ posters have been on a downhill tumble since 2006. This includes the Emeks and later Klausens as well IMO. Obviously a few exceptions, but the only one that I really like since the 06 posters is the Ames Bros MSG '10 poster. And even that one is not on par with the 06 stuff.

[itschris]

supply and demand my friends...

Older Og prints/older stouts/moss etc = Golden age Comics

All the new crap coming out = Modern Comics (too many being printed)