1915 San Diego Exposition Poster
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GUEST:
Well, it's a poster from the 1915 California Exposition that was held in San Diego. And I'm hoping that it's an original poster. I was at a fundraiser for a theater in San Diego, and they had many posters and paintings. And there aren't many things that have "San Diego" up there in the title, and I grew up here, so I bid on it, and I bought it. We had just moved into a new home, and we're up on the top of a hill, and the view from our home is basically this view.
APPRAISER:
And how much did you pay for it?
GUEST:
I paid $3,000.
APPRAISER:
And when was this?
GUEST:
2006.
APPRAISER:
Now, I'm from New York City, so when I see this view, it really doesn't speak to me...
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
...the way it would speak to you.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
In fact, I had to be shown where on this map the Hotel del Coronado is.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
And we located it right there.
GUEST:
Yes, right there on the island.
APPRAISER:
And I had to be told that this is an image of Balboa Park.
GUEST:
Correct.
APPRAISER:
The technical term for something like this is a bird's-eye view. It's a bird's-eye view of the Panama-California Exposition, with a view of San Diego and the environs. The Panama-California Exposition took place at the same time as the Panama-Pacific Exposition took place in San Francisco. That was a giant World's Fair. The exposition in San Diego was substantially smaller. The reason of the name the Panama-California Exposition was, the fair was held upon the opening of the Panama Canal. And as ships went through the Panama Canal and sailed north, San Diego was the first U.S. harbor that they hit. So that was the reason for the fair in 1915. If the poster's not real, it's worth a lot less than if it's original.
GUEST:
Absolutely, yes.
APPRAISER:
No copies have come up for sale. The only copy I could find is in the California State Library.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
So it's rare.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And usually, when pieces like this are reproduced, they are reproduced with all their original blemishes. So, for example, there is a piece of missing paper down here.
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
And when they're reproduced, that loss is reproduced, also. When it's reproduced, these crinkles are reproduced, too. And we looked at it, and we're, like, "It doesn't look good." And then we looked at it closer and closer, and we realized in fact that it is original. That this is not a reproduction of a loss-- that's the actual loss. And these are not reproductions of wrinkles, those are actual wrinkles. We don't know who the printer was or where it was printed, but almost always these exposition posters were printed in the city of the exposition.
GUEST:
Mm-hmm, right.
APPRAISER:
So it was almost certainly printed here in San Diego. It's not in great condition. And, I'm not going to lie, I mean, $3,000 is a lot of money. But because of the rarity, and I think because of the interest in people who collect these kind of things, I would put a conservative auction estimate on there between $6,000 and $9,000.
GUEST:
Wow. (chuckling): Wow.
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