Aeromarine West Indies Airways Poster, ca. 1920
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GUEST:
I got it in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, at an outdoor flea market, about 35 years ago. Had to pay $40 for it.
APPRAISER:
And what was it about the poster that appealed to you?
GUEST:
Well, obviously, the graphics, but the aviation theme appealed to me, because that was my business at one point.
APPRAISER:
Certainly being in the aviation industry, I can see why pictures of old planes would hold some appeal.
GUEST:
Right. Yes, absolutely.
APPRAISER:
What was your role in the aviation industry?
GUEST:
We leased turbo-prop aircraft, which would have been the follow-on to this type of aircraft here. But this was from 1920 to 1924, this airline was in service.
APPRAISER:
Yes, so, exactly right. The airline is the Aeromarine West Indies Airways company, and they were founded in 1920. They went out of business in 1924 over some airmail dispute with the U.S. government.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
And in 1921 the airline changed their name, which helps us identify this poster really as being from about 1920, before the airline changed their name.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And it's a wonderful poster, which very prominently features this aircraft. I should point out the airplane, the Santa Maria, was known as sort of the belle of the fleet. The Aeromarine West Indies flew between Key West and Havana.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
So, for a collector, a collector will see this and say, "Wow, that is a great aircraft." A separate collector from an entirely different collecting subcategory would say, "What a great piece of Cuban history," right? It's the bay in Havana, it's the Castillo, the fort, the Castillo de Tres Reyes...
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Reyes del Morro, one of the great landmarks of Havana. It is in Spanish, and versions do exist in English, as well.
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
And on the English version, instead of "Velocidad," it would say, "Speed, Safety, and Comfort."
GUEST:
I see.
APPRAISER:
The word "carlinga" means "cabin," so they're actually showing a picture of what the cabin looks like inside.
GUEST:
I see.
APPRIASER: So this is a lithograph poster...
GUEST:
Okay.
APPRAISER:
...that was designed by an artist named Winchell, who worked out of New York. He is actually an unknown graphic designer-- there is no other pieces that I could find to his name. Lithography was a very common form of printing for advertising agencies from the 1870s through the era between the first and second world wars. It's not in great condition. I notice that it's faded. Now, I'm going to be very honest with you, I have never seen one of these in person before. There's an absence of reds and orange tones, which are the first to go in bright light. How much did you pay for it?
GUEST:
$40.
APPRAISER:
So when you bought it for $40, you probably thought, "This is a pretty nice piece for $40."
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
"It's not in great shape, but it doesn't matter, because it's only $40."
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
This piece is actually extraordinarily rare.
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
The Smithsonian Institution, the Air and Space Museum, they have a copy in their collection, but one has never come on the market before.
GUEST:
I see.
APPRAISER:
And my opinion, were this to come up for auction now, an estimate would be between $4,000 and $6,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
And I'm being conservative, because I don't want to let my optimism get away with me. Conceivably, it could sell for substantially more.
GUEST:
Well, that's fantastic, that's fantastic. Pretty good.
APPRAISER:
If it were in mint condition, I would imagine at auction it could fetch as much as $7,000 to $10,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
(talking in background)
APPRAISER:
Well done, sir.
GUEST:
Thank you.
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