Book It, Buzz: Going deluxe with a throwback reference book

For years now, autographed books coming direct from the publishers -- or direct from the authors themselves -- have been an affordable way to collect ink from notable names in all realms of pop culture.

It's not a perfect system with stamped autos, fakes and autopens sometimes in the mix -- a problem for publishers to catch as they are not authenticators -- but thanks to dedicated collectors on the Blowout Cards Forum and elsewhere, those problems often get caught and fixed ... or at least become well-known enough to avoid if it's an issue that goes uncorrected.

Getting ink in-person is always best -- book tours still happen, of course -- but landing autographed editions from publishers, online sellers or celebs themselves via their websites or other appearances are common.

Our latest subject and autograph in this ongoing series? A name you probably don't know but the book is a unique one from a series of guides for collectors.

THE RUNDOWN ... 
The Book: Sports Movie Posters -- part of the The Illustrated History of Movies Through Posters Series (autographed deluxe hardcover edition ... only 300 signed)
The Author: Bruce Hershenson 
The Specs: released on Jan. 1, 1996 (80 pages)
The Price: $9.99 (paperback carries a $20 cover price)
The Spot: eBay ... regular edition can be found on Amazon and elsewhere

Why it’s Buzz-worthy: This one makes the series this month since the baseball season is still with us and I wanted a break from the corporate-signed stuff this time ... besides my slasher sale order is still on the way from one of the big chains for books here the rest of the year and into 2025. This was an eBay find earlier this year -- ready to be a new MLB season post -- but it just didn't make it into my lineup until now.

Why this item: What is this? It's more of a visual reference book from a series that brings old movie posters to the masses in themed collections all from this creator. See some of them here. Some of the topics? Texas movies, comedies, crime, war, B movies and so on ... most of this is from the serious vintage realm -- stuff most people won't ever see -- so it wasn't as useful as I had hoped back when I first found the paperback of this one years ago but it's still unique. How serious is some of the stuff in here? One of the Babe Comes Home posters on the cover sold via Heritage Auctions for $138,000 in 2003 ... and they show other sales at $83,650 a decade ago, $77,675 in 2008 and $47,800 back in 2009. In short, it's in demand ... and it's not alone. (This is not a price guide ... just more of a visual reference collection.)

Chase ink on cards: Hershenson runs the eMoviePoster site and is a serious seller of vintage -- hence the specialty feel and main focus of the books -- and if there's a signed edition of this one then I suspect there are others ... or his ink can be found. With only 300 copies of this one made, though, that's a little tougher here but not impossible. Cards? Nope, not that I know of.

The Bottom Line: Want to see what's in this one beyond the ink? You'll have to find a copy ...

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