cynical
For those of us interested in Carole Lombard memorabilia, it seems like an incredible item: a pressbook from one of her films...signed by the lady herself, and her co-star.
And yet, as of this writing, there are no bids on it -- even though the starting price is a mere $24.99. What gives?
Perhaps this -- here's the film the pressbook is for:
The item, http://cgi.ebay.com/MASSIVE-20S-PRESSBOOK-SIGNED-BY-CAROLE-LOMBARD-W-BOYD_W0QQitemZ190165976075QQihZ009QQcategoryZ59QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem, is from "High Voltage," a film Lombard made in 1929, when she was still known as Carol Lombard. (The "e" wouldn't come until the following year.) Now, it's certainly possible that Lombard could have signed this pressbook after 1930, but it's understandable why people might be skeptical.
(Let me add I am not in any way castigating the seller, who may be unaware of Lombard's name change. This person's eBay store has all sorts of items, many valuable and fascinating.)
Anyway, it's sort of unfortunate that the question of the autograph hangs over this item, because otherwise it's a rare, incredible piece of memorabilia. It's a pressbook from Lombard's first all-talking picture, and shows how movies were marketed in that era. (Note there's even reference to a silent version of the film, for those many houses that by mid-1929 still hadn't been wired for sound.)
In a perverse way, one senses that without the autograph, there actually might be more interest in this time. Collectors have been burned too many times by fake Lombard signatures or items of apparel.
