World War II Posters
GUEST:
I've been collecting World War II posters for a long time, and these are two of my favorites. I like the patriotism and the beautiful art.
APPRAISER:
Both of these were designed by rather famous illustrators during the World War II era. And the one next to you, even though it's not signed, is by a very well-known illustrator named C.C. Beall, and he's well known for a lot of his magazine covers and illustrations. And the one closer to me is signed. It's by another very highly regarded illustrator named Bradshaw Crandell. And Crandell was most known for his glamour art. He wasn't quite a pin-up artist, but he did these pictures of beautiful women. The one closest to you was not printed by the government. It was printed by a private company, the General Cable Corporation. And what that says to collectors is that because it didn't have the government bankroll behind it, fewer were printed.
GUEST:
Oh.
APPRAISER:
And the one by Crandell I think is really important because a lot of people now are collecting items that have to do with women, and the Women's Army Corps was a great unit during the Second World War in which women would be able to participate in the war effort. So you paid $100 each, and the C.C. Beall poster has actually come up for sale before. I'd estimate that one between $600 and $900.
GUEST:
Oh, good.
APPRAISER:
And the Crandell, I had a little trouble finding a comparable-- a lot of people sell reproductions-- so I put together a price based on the fame of the artist, the beauty and the patriotism of the image, and the fact that it is a very pro-woman poster, and I think at auction, conservatively, I'd estimate this one between $1,000 and $1,500.
GUEST:
Oh! Well, good for her.
APPRAISER:
Good for her? Good for you!
GUEST:
Yes.
Appraisal Details
Executive producer Marsha Bemko shares her tips for getting the most out of ANTIQUES ROADSHOW.
Value can change: The value of an item is dependent upon many things, including the condition of the object itself, trends in the market for that kind of object, and the location where the item will be sold. These are just some of the reasons why the answer to the question "What's it worth?" is so often "It depends."
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