Ozark Airlines Poster, ca. 1960
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GUEST:
It's from the... I'm guessing the early '60s. Ozark was a St. Louis-based airline, TWA bought them, I believe, in '86. But other than that, I don't know much about it.
APPRAISER:
Where'd you get it?
GUEST:
I bought it at an estate sale in Springfield, Missouri, probably about ten years ago.
APPRAISER:
And what did you pay for it?
GUEST:
$20.
APPRAISER:
So it's standing up straight here in this easel because it's on a board.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And sometimes posters which were printed on paper that are mounted to a board, it actually decreases their value.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
But in this case, it is a silkscreen poster printed on the board, so this is as issued.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And you think it's from the 1960s.
GUEST:
Yeah, the... to me, that's what it looks like.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, in fact, Ozark Air Lines existed from 1950 to 1986, when they were bought out by TWA. This poster's definitely Mid-Century Modern, "Mad Men"-style, which is very popular. We're here in 2017, but this late-1950s, mid-1960s style is still very much the rage. People buy travel posters because they collect obscure airlines. People buy travel posters sometimes based on the rarity or the unusualness of the aircraft. But to me-- and I do think we agree here-- the strength of this poster is that Mid-Century Modern design, that very square-- said in a good way-- clean-cut, dapper look. I know if you look this up online, you don't find any information. So I draw on my experience as an appraiser, and I draw on my experience selling "Mad Men"-style graphics and obscure airlines and unusual aircraft, and I think that at auction, a conservative estimate for this piece would be between $700 and $1,000.
GUEST:
Really? Nice. (laughs)
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