Show your favorite advertising pieces...

[benjulmag]

The poster is approximately 20" x 30", fairly substantial for an advertising poster. It is not the one you describe that REA (when they were part of Mastro Auctions) sold in 2001. That one, while looking beautiful, had substantial restoration. I know the consignor and had seen it in its original state. As I best recall, there was substantial inpainting done. A portion of the poster was also missing, which was rebuilt and inpainted.

The one I own I acquired in a private transaction several years ago. It was a fresh find and had not been previously known to exist. The condition was amazing for an advertising poster. The colors are very bright and show no signs of fading. Except for cleaning and the repair of one or two pinholes in the margins where the poster was orginally mounted, nothing else was done. No inpainting was performed; all the colors are original.

Including mine, I am aware of three copies. Besides being colorful and displaying important players of the era, the poster is the only chromolithgraphic advertising piece from that era of which I am aware (other than the T202 Hassan triple folders piece whose two side panels depicts Cobb and Mathewson). In contrast, the previous golden era of card issues (the late 1880's) had several outstanding chromolithographic advertising pieces.

I do not have closeups to share. Sorry.