posted on July 22, 2002 09:00:16 AM
Got bunches of National Geographic magazines going back several decades. Not a complete collection by any means, but there are many.
Seems to me that some individual print ads from the periods sell for far more than I can get for a Nat'l. Geo. issue.
Anyone got any experience/advice/etc. regarding this?
I always get more money for the ads then I could for the magazines. It takes more research, more photos, and more packing expertise.... but in my opinion, pays off. Several recommendations:
1) Cut the magazines with a razor blade guided by a metal straight edge ruler
2) Group ads together and sell as lots... you'll generate more interest that way
3) Research completed auctions to find which category is best for your ads
4) When taking pictures of group ads, you can group the ads 3x3, so that you have nine ads in one picture.
5) When shipping, put the ads in a plastic bag, then seal in a stay-flat cardboard mailer (self-adhesive are best). Then label with the words "Please do not fold or bend"
6) Almost all the pages have ads on both sides. Make sure you know which one(s) is more valuable through research before you sell it!
In general, you'll simply be amazed at the amount of interest in some of these ads. Even 1/2 page and B&W ads can be highly prized. Keep in mind, though, that this method is a LOT of work. So, if you're looking for a quick return, it may be better to try to sell the magazines. Good luck in whatever you choose!
posted on July 22, 2002 04:35:07 PM
A while back I had several years worth, whole sets to boot. Couldn't get squat out of them. 1-2 dollars for each book if I was lucky. You would be better going with the ads....unless you just want to dump them.
posted on July 22, 2002 07:05:29 PM
I'd say sell the ads themselves, not the magazines. National Geographics are not selling even for 25 cents where we live; I've seen piles and piles of them at yard sales with "Free, take all you want" signs on them and no one was taking them. Of course, these were since 1960 or so. I haven't seen National Geogs. sell for anything more than a dime in several years.
posted on July 23, 2002 06:20:38 AM
I have to agree. I sell ads from 1900 through 1944. The National Geographic ads do not sell as well as some of the others due to the shear quantity of the magazines availale and the small sizel but the advice from the first poster is very good. My experience with National Geographic:
(1)Pullman and train ads do very well,
(2)anything regarding WWII
(3)tractors and other vehicles
(4) any ad with a recognizable star or personality.
(5)razor and shaving
(6) Coca Cola
You will be amazed what people want in an ad and how much they will pay.
Do a search on ebay for the word "ad" and you will get 36,000 responses. See what is selling and how it is priced. Also, go over the storefronts (mine included) and see how ads are described and priced. Most sellers do not give enough information for the true collector. Have fun!
posted on July 23, 2002 07:38:10 AM
The Coca Cola ads with santa claus in them should do okay. I have quite a few of them. There are also coke ads with some old cars, famous people etc.
posted on July 23, 2002 12:30:05 PM
Great thread!
I have a stack of Madamoiselles from the mid/late 50's.
I have found some of the following:
Car ads (on is featured in a fashion spread)
Madam Alexander perfume tie in
Jewelry ads
Shoe ads
Small feature tieing Audrey Hepburn and War and Peace to a list of "latest trends"
Truman Capote short story, which may be the original publication of the Christmas Memory.
I am airing them out because this is the NorthWet and the musty smell is slowly wearing off in my basement boiler room (hot and dry)
Should I list the magazine with the contents or do as eauctionmgnt suggests?
Will the musty smell, which is there but not a heavy moldy smell, affect it? Should I mention it in the auction?
(by the way super super help!)
There are so many cool things that would be nice to frame for collectors, but not sure if I am at the tail end of this area.
These, and a thousand more questions...
Japerton
Edited to add...I had a Santa Coca Cola ad but I cut it up for a collage calendar that I made in the early 90's.
Still have his happy face looking over a supernova...
posted on July 23, 2002 04:12:20 PM
The moldy smell should be mentioned. Collectors are very particular about the condition of the ads. You can do a "google" and get info on how to grade the ads (from VF to Poor). The 50's is pretty good right now. The best thing to do is to search Ebay and use the completed auctions to determine what is selling. The ads are a great way to authenticate a collectible so you might put a perfume ad in the bottles section of Ebay or a toy train ad in the toy section...instead of the advertisements area. You learn alot reading the old magazines. Good luck...although one more competitor is not what I really need (LOL)
posted on July 24, 2002 04:08:03 PM
I'm not planning on competing with you guys at this, but I'm curious... I never realized there was a market for this sort of thing. It never ceases to amaze me the stuff people will buy.
What do you do, just cut the ads out of magazines? Do you frame them of something, or just send the buyer the "plain" ad.
posted on July 31, 2002 07:26:18 AM
Thanks to everyone for confirming what I thought in the first place. Thanks also for all the great advice.
And I'm glad this little thread has opened some eyes to the potential value of those old ads.
Interesting to read about the various types/subjects of ads that are "hot." But no one mentioned cigarette ads.
Back in the '30s and '40s and even into the '50s, many (all?) of the tobacco companies tried to use celebrities to push their products.
I can recall seeing print ads (not necessarily in my Nat'l. Geos.) for cigarettes that featured folk such as Humphrey Bogart, Gary Cooper, Ronald Reagan, and Arthur Godfrey.
Particularly bizarre, however, were those print ads that featured medical doctors "discussing" the "health benefits" of a certain cigarette. And yes, they were real doctors, no less.
You may not know/remember this, but decades ago doctors used to actually prescribe cigarettes to patients as relaxants and to help dry out fluid in the respiratory tract. True.
posted on July 31, 2002 08:14:55 AM
Doc is right ~ those old cigarette ads are something to look at in todays world !
I'll have dig out my old magazine collection since I remember one has a SANTA with child advertising cigarettes !! I even think it was on back of the cover
Also might add, I work the desk at the antique mall where I have space and last week a guy bought an old Wurlitzer Juke Box Ad for $15.00 !!
So there's gold in them old magazines
