Butch CASSIDY ORIGINAL WANTED POSTER FOUND

bibitte2

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Feb 4, 2015
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GA_Boy

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If it can be authenticated as original it could bring as much as 50K.
Did you find in an attic, buy it or what is the story of you ending up with it?
Marvin
 

Mole

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Nice!
Someone should give that thing a spray with acid neutralizer. It'll keep it from getting any yellower...
 

Clay Diggins

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Cool find! :thumbsup:

It looks like the right paper. The condition isn't very good with the tobacco staining but these things are pretty rare. Two things set off little questions in my mind - the border at the bottom seems extra long and the type on the left bottom curved down slightly on the originals I've seen. Your pictures are pretty small and I'm only knowledgeable because I've seen several at auction, I'm not an expert. Compare your poster to this known original in the Wyoming State University collection.

My gut instinct says you probably have the real thing. If so I'd guess with the current condition at a good auction house on the right day you might get $6,000 - $10,000?

If it was mine I'd run it by Jemison Beshear, he used to work with Greg Martin and with Bonhams and Butterfields in the San Francisco house. He really knows this stuff better than you or I and he's got the connections to find a buyer for you.
 

kcm

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Can't help but wonder how this poster was originally pinned up? The pics ARE really small, so maybe there are some nail holes there somewhere.

I remember back in elementary school, we had a class project where we were using tea, coffee and fire to "age" paper. You'd really have to find someone reputable to verify it's not a reproduction.
 

OP
OP
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bibitte2

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The only thing i can garanty is that its not a reproduction, i took the piece to a university for samples and the paper checks out from that era...

If it was a repro, it was done a few years after...i dought someone in that Time framed would reproduce a poster, it would have cost to much in my opinion
 

ScubaDetector

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The only thing i can garanty is that its not a reproduction, i took the piece to a university for samples and the paper checks out from that era...

If it was a repro, it was done a few years after...i dought someone in that Time framed would reproduce a poster, it would have cost to much in my opinion

Another silly question. You found this on Tuesday and a university was already able to check out the paper? What university has the equipment and the knowledge to have it authenticated that fast? Do you know what they used?
 

Plumbata

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Unfortunately that is a reproduction, likely no older than the 1960s. That crinkled stiff stained paper is identical to the paper used for repro Declaration of independence, continental currency, and other documents of historical interest. Those same wanted posters made of the same paper are abundant in a Google image search. The word of university employees isn't worth much, I showed a rare green iron pontiled jar from the 1850s I dug to my archaeology professor, and she called the pontil mark an Owens machine scar (circa 1910 technology). Considering how her specialization was historic era archaeology the lack of knowledge was very alarming, but this is increasingly common in universities where teachers view it as a paycheck and not an important higher calling.
 

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