In a recent blog post, I questioned art4now’s “Vintage Poster Values,” which documents what Jazz Fest posters cost when they were first sold and what they cost now from art4now. Out of curiosity, I decided to follow a number of Jazz Fest posters up for auction on eBay. Of the nine Jazz Fest poster auctions that have ended since I started watching, only one got a bid at all. Last year’s Louis Prima poster – $69 at art4now.com – didn’t get any bidders at its “Buy It Now” price of $60. An unsigned 1995 George Rodrigue poster featuring Louis Armstrong didn’t get a bid either, and has a “Buy It Now” price of $650, more than $200 below art4now’s $885. A 2006 Fats Domino poster with an art4now “value” of $385 didn’t get a bid with an asking price of $279. The lone exception is a 2001 James Michalopoulos poster featuring Louis Armstrong; its one bidder went to $750, overbidding the $640 asking price.

To be fair, one commenter on my previous post pointed out that tracking eBay prices is a dubious way to determine the actual values of the Jazz Fest posters. Martin writes:

Looking at a couple of auctions here and there won’t give you much useful info. unless you are already familiar w/the series and w/ebay. Any number of things could contribute to a non-sale or low value there: poor seller feedback, no photograph, bad photographs, etc…. And, an ebay auction is almost always going to bring the lowest price.

Fair enough, but he goes on to say

Completed ‘Buy it Now’ values are generally higher and a better indication of value for collectibles.

… and my mini-study gains a little validity (though Martin’s comments on the value of posters merit reading in their entirety). The bottom line isn’t that Jazz Fest posters aren’t good buys. If the art or the subject speaks to you, they are, as the commercial says, priceless. As investments to be resold, though, they’re dubious, no matter how art4now values them.