autographed Playbill values

I'm an avid playbill collector, and I was wondering what some of my playbills are worth.

I'm not SURE if i'm gonna sell, but it'd be nice to know

Some big ones I have are:
Alice Ripley autographed next to normal
John Stamos autographed Bye Bye Birdie
Adam Pascal/Anthony Rapp/Tamyra Gray autographed RENT
David Hyde Pierce autographed Curtains

Are they actually worth anything?

What about Yul Brynner's signature on a Home Sweet Homer Playbill?

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Maybe $300-$400

Go to e-bay, put signed Playbills in the search than click on completed listings on the left and see what has sold and for what.

How about an official opening night Playbill with the Opening Night sticker on it to ALNM signed by the entire cast including CZJ and AL?

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How about a GYPSY playbill signed by Patti LuPone and an original SUNDAY playbill signed by Bernadette Peters? And an American Idiot window card signed by Billie Joe?

Mind you i don't plan on selling these until it is 100% necessary to be able to eat food.

I sold a [title of show] playbill signed by Jeff, Hunter, Heidi, and Susan for $75.

Mr. Roxy, do you really have a Yul Brunner signed HOME SWEET HOMER playbill? Did you see it, and did Yul sign it after the show? Or did you purchase it after the show had closed? Just curious. That is definitely worth a lot though. I own an unsigned HOME SWEET HOMER window card that cost me $200.

Overkill, I have a Carol Channing signed souvenir program of THE VAMP, but she also personalized it to me, which I'm sure brings the value down (not that I have any intention of ever selling mine). Where did you get that playbill and when did she sign it?

A CARRIE playbill without Betty's signature could go for $100, so I'm sure a (non-personalized) signed one would go for $150 at least...probably more, depending on the condition of the playbill. I have a Betty, Charlotte, Darlene, and Debbie Allen signed CARRIE souvenir program, and it is one of my most treasured theater items.

Updated On: 12/28/10 at 12:07 PM

Just curious, don't want to sell, but what would you think these would go for:

1. Auntie Mame program, signed by Rosalind Russell;
2. The Vist program, signed by Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne;
3. Pleasure of His Company program, signed by Cornelia Otis Skinner and Cyril Ritchard;
4. Master Class program, signed by Zoe Caldwell;
5. Moose Murders, not signed, but first preview and one of two performances that Eve Arden played;
6. Major Barbara program, signed by Charles Laughton;
7. Preview Smile program, signed by Helen Hayes (she was in the audience;
8. Beckett program, signed by Laurence Olivier and Anthony Quinn; and
9. Medea program, signed by Zoe Caldwell.

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I think I only paid $100 for my Eve Arden in MOOSE MURDERS window card, so the playbill would probably also go for somewhere around $100. Just a guess. If it was signed by Eve Arden (which I know it isn't...just being hypothetical), I would then place it in the $500 realm.

The Rent cast album signed by Adam and Anthony (in my opinion) isn't worth very much more than the regular price of the album. Maybe tack on another $10 or $15.

I'm not sure any Playbill from 1990 or later is that valuable, with the exception of an original cast autographed Rent Playbill or Wicked Playbill. There are a lot of Playbills that were valuable in the moment (I remember seeing an Encores Follies NON-autographed Playbill go for $50 right after that weekend, and someone just paid $76 on EBay for a Playbill signed by Al Pacino in The Merchant of Venice), but I'm not sure any other Playbill from the past 20 years would go for more than $30 or $40 at this point.

From the 1980s, there are more possibilities, including Moose Murders and Carrie as mentioned before, as well as original cast autographed Phantom and Les Miz Playbills.

It doesn't seem that more recent flops are as infamous as earlier ones such as Moose Murders and Carrie. I don't see recent flops like Glory Days, In My Life, or Enron having valuable Playbills in the future.

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I have a 'Candide' Playbill signed by Jason Danieley...

Of course, I am also of the belief that these Playbills are only 'worth' as much as someone is willing to pay at the time. I've seen an OBC-signed 'In the Heights' Playbill go for both $10 and $45 on eBay before.

Sure, some of the playbills might be worth $500, but you have to ask yourself, how many people will pay that?

If you go look on eBay at the pricier items, most of the ones over about $20 have been listed there for months.

Your best bet, if you're selling is to auction it with a low starting price. You stand a better chance of getting more money, than listing it Buy It Now for one price.

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