What Would be worth more? Sweeney Todd Preview or 4th Month Playbill?

[carlodowd]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 6:21pm

I am just wonder which would be worth more if i was to sell them. They are both from the Original Broadway Production of Sweeney Todd with Angela Lansbury and Len Cariou 1979. But one is a preview from February 1979 and the other one is from June 1979 when the show opened March 1st, 1979. So i was just wondering which would be worth more? Thanks

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 6:25pm

Is one of the (or both) in color?

[carlodowd]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 6:28pm

Both of them are this colour, so technically yes in colour as they were not produced with the red in the original production.

[MaddieBB12]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 6:32pm

Then I think they would be worth the same amount. But I'm do not know for sure. But if there is NO difference at all besides the opening night listed in one but no the other, then I can't imagine why they wouldn't be worth the same.

[carlodowd]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 6:34pm

No i dont have one from opening night, but would that be worth more even if there is light discoloration to some of the inside pages??

[ARTc3]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 6:34pm

Sadly, neither. For something to have a resale value, you have to have a buyer. I can't tell you how many times I have tried to sell stuff I thought would have value; on ebay, garage sales, dealers, etc. I have always been disappointed.

I have many hundreds of Playbills and other theater and movie memorabilia. At various times I have thought to sell it off. I haven't because I have learned its only "value" is to me and the memories it evokes.

[carlodowd]

Posted: 8/23/13 at 6:47pm

Ya i know that i just want to know which is worth more? Like if I was to but it up on eBay and loads of Sweeney Todd fans saw the of them, which one would they want more?

[jimmycurry01]

Posted: 8/24/13 at 1:02am

The point is, even if loads of Sweeney Todd fans saw either one, neither would be worth anymore than someone is willing to pay. Chances are, if they have the same info on the inside, neither is likely to be worth any more than the other. Neither may be worth much of anything at all. The only way to get the answer to your question is to put both on Ebay and see if either one sells and what they sell for.

[Patronus]

Posted: 8/24/13 at 7:37am

Broadway collectibles is such a niche market that it is really impossible to say what one collector might find more valuable than another.

Timing is everything. Someone might be looking for the June 1979 playbill because that is the month they saw the show and they want one to collect. They personally may value it more.

I've been collecting window cards for nearly 20 years and I can tell you that new stuff tends to be valued more than the older classic stuff. For example, I sold a Rent OBC signed Window card in 1996 for $500. That seems to be about a firm price if not higher than what you could get for it now. However, since then I've bought a Falsettos signed window card for my collection which I personally value just as much as it was only $200. It's all about opportunity.

I've been looking for a Ragtime signed card for about 10 years and the ones on eBay are either incorrectly labeled as OBC or are touring casts. If I stumble across one I'd probably pay more for it because of opportunity.

It's all about finding the right buyer in the moment.

ALL that being said...I personally would rank the earlier playbill as being slightly more valuable assuming the songs and cast members are identical.

[millie_dillmount]

Posted: 8/24/13 at 7:47am

I think they're both worth roughly the same amount, since the worth is going to be mostly determined by the cast and production itself, not the date. Unless you had an opening or closing night Playbill, there really is no significance to the dates you have.

Of course, like Patronus said, timing is everything, so you could run into a potential buyer who saw the show in June 1979 and wants a Playbill from that date. But I don't recall dates being listed on the Playbill in the first place, so does that even matter? Are you able to tell from the articles?

Just a side thought: does the Playbill from the preview list any songs that were later cut from the production? That may make it worth a little more. But, again, it depends what the seller is looking for.

Updated On: 8/24/13 at 07:47 AM

[Patronus]

Posted: 8/24/13 at 8:02am

They are dated Millie. A very subtle "June 1979" would show on the actual Playbill credits page.