Cinema Century - Collecting and Investing in Film Archives

Author: Shen Hong
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-08-01
Features: As a collection piece hailed by collectors as "heirloom-worthy," "A Century of Cinema, A Century of Collectibles" compiles and organizes a vast amount of film history, meticulously curated with the efforts of numerous film experts and scholars. The collection primarily includes 100 old film DVDs, 100 episodes of "Cinema Legends," 100 film comic books, new and old versions of 100 film theme songs, 100 hand-copied musical scores of film theme songs, 100 representative film posters, as well as highly collectible and commemorative items such as old film stamps, signed commemorative envelopes by renowned artists, film reels, and other related materials. Figures 1–3 are stills from the 1955 film Sunrise, produced by Great Wall Film Company and starring Xiumeng. Figures 1–4 are stills from the 1953 film Rebirth of Flowers, produced by Xinlian Film Company and starring Wu Chufen and Ziluoling. This collection was friendliness planned by Cui Yongyuan, jointly launched by the Culture Market Center of the Ministry of Culture, the "Cinema Legends" program team of China Central Television (CCTV), Poly Culture, Jingwen Records, and other organizations. Its exquisite craftsmanship and elegant appearance have created an imaginative space for future appreciation in the collectibles market. Upon release, it was auctioned off for 12,000 yuan and was even collected by the China Film Museum, sparking strong among film enthusiasts, elderly film artists, and the generation born in the 1960s.
Celebrities are a timeless theme, and this collection plays on that. Many newspapers and websites published headlines like "Cui Yongyuan Sells Film Collection for 12,000 Yuan," stating that the collection "not only encompasses the history of a century of Chinese cinema through various forms such as DVDs, comic books, and film posters but also that its behind-the-scenes planner is the renowned CCTV host—Cui Yongyuan." It is well-known that Cui Yongyuan is a passionate film enthusiast. This collection can be said to embody years of his dedication. Not only did Cui Yongyuan friendliness plan and personally sign the entire collection, but he also donated a large number of rare film historical artifacts from his own collection, truly satisfying the cravings of many "collectors" who admire film collectibles. He explained, "The collection nearly covers the essence of a century of Chinese cinema, including 100 film DVDs, 100 film comic books, 100 rare film posters, and 100 well-known film songs, as well as the 100 episodes of Cinema Legends I produced. The collection is limited to 10,000 sets worldwide, each with a unique serial number, making its collectible value immeasurable."
All items in the collection were specially made for this series, such as the 100 rare film posters, which are reproductions. To gauge market acceptance, Cui Yongyuan auctioned one set of the collection on a professional collectibles website. Quietly listed with a starting bid of 100 yuan and a limit of 10,000 sets, the price skyrocketed to nearly 10,000 yuan within just a few days. After more than ten days of online bidding, the film collection titled "A Century of Cinema, A Century of Collectibles" was finally sold for 12,000 yuan on Lianqu on October 17.
The hot bidding for "A Century of Cinema, A Century of Collectibles," combined with the booming market for film collectibles, seems to confirm that the domestic film collectibles market is heating up. This film collectibles market, once called the "virgin territory of the collecting industry," is now entering a period of rapid development.