price for classic playbills

[pjsings]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 9:14am

Hey everyone!
i was wondering if anyone knew if I could get any money for the original programs of Gypsy, Sweet Charity, and Ain't Misbehavin'. Trying to raise money for my senior showcase in march in NYC. Any information would be great, thanks :) Have a great new year!

[Wanna Be A Foster]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 9:39am

The original productions, original casts? Please be more specific.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 9:55am

Unfortunately, after eBay made it's appearance -- um, no.

Back in the dark ages -- before the world was united by the world wide web, old Playbills with original casts were hard to find since you had to basically hunt them down thru Collector's Roadshows or vintage stores if one found it's way there. They were simply impossible to locate -- there wasn't a store to go to, etc.

I remember an original FUNNY GIRL Playbill with Barbra Streisand could fetch about $200. You can now find them in plentiful on eBay for less than $10 - even a pre-Broadway Boston tryout one isn't hard to find.

Sad, but true. That's why I don't hold my Playbill collection in high regards as I used to. They're so easy to get now, even those from the 1930's.

Since eBay became an outlet for collector's, anyone and everyone who had a rare collectible came out of the woodwork thus killing the market for collectibles since they're so easy to get now. What was once rare isn't rare anymore.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 10:03am

The only way old playbills have more value is if they are autographed

[actor]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 1:15pm

Check eBay for price ranges.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 12/31/06 at 4:26pm

and please, for the sake of at least 30% of the people on this board, call them "older" playbills. Not vinatge or classic, that would be 50', 40's and 30's. If not, we'll all choke on our cans of Ensure.