We are at Ford Market near Arundel. Late April 2024. Spring is struggling to establish itself; it is wet and cold so the airfield is just half full.
It was strange in a way. Awakening at 4 am I decided to write a blog about a Clash poster I bought in 1985 for £2.99, lost it and subsequently ended paying nearly £200 for a copy 30 years later.
I don’t really do Pop Art. Maybe because posters were on my mind, a regular seller John, who I often buy from, had a huge Eurythmics poster for sale. I normally buy Victorian fireplace accessories from him so he was surprised I took an interest.
I quite like the Eurythmics but not enough to have any of their material. But I was drawn to the aesthetic quality of the poster as it so encompassed 80s fashion and pop.
John makes me laugh as he is a lovely bloke and self deprecating. Always keen to talk things down when every other seller talks things up.
Not with this, although he said he had lots of interest. But seemingly everybody was put off as the frame was flimsy and the huge glass would break easily. I assured John it was perspex and would be fine. As I came back to collect, we ended up googling 80s electronic acts and to see if any of them were dead. Not sure how we ended up on that train of thought, but the two sellers next door joined in and we had a delightful conflab!
At home and I photographed it, the light was so good, and started researching it. Wow, what a pivotal poster it was. Most of the information I sourced was about the video but they were wearing the clothes in the poster for the video.
Of course, any value of anything such as old posters are based on collectibility and condition. I thought I would retail it at £250. A fairly basic price based on that is what someone will pay for it.
But other factors come into play and enhance the value.
It was their first worldwide hit and established their fame. As an original poster that launched an iconic band this really adds value.
It was a groundbreaking video and look.
I have lifted these quoted from Wikipedia about the Sweet Dreams video:
The BBC stated her “powerful androgynous look” was the music video that “broke the mould for female pop stars“
We wanted our visual statements to be strong and powerful, because we knew they’d be there forever. I wore a suit in the video with my cropped hair. I was trying to be the opposite of the cliché of the female singer. I wanted to be as strong as a man, equal to Dave and perceived that way.
— Annie Lennox on her look in the video.[13]
At a time of evolving social cultures such as woke and gender recognition, this is so completely relevant for today. This is a look that broke and helped mould stereotypical perceptions.
It is not just a fantastic and huge 80s Pop Art poster, it is also groundbreaking not just for establishing the duo, but a brave look that challenged perceptions and helped begin changing societal prejudices.
It does not mean the poster is now worth huge amounts of money. But it certainly doubled my original valuation and made it the buy of the day. And I know a lot more about the Eurythmics!
The Rights of Fans. 