By JERRY SAMPSON

Personal Effects

Question: Jerry, can you tell me about the value of my Halloween poster? It’s by Julius Friedman, a Louisville artist. I’m a big fan of Halloween and I love this piece. It’s framed and in excellent condition. Thanks for taking the time to look at this.

Answer: WOW! What a great piece. Being it’s that time of year, I’ve been stocking up on Halloween themes for October this year. This fits in on more than one level. What I wanted to address today is the topic of high end or limited edition artist holiday creations.

Your poster was created and made by Julius Friedman of Louisville. Friedman was born and raised in the Louisville area and obtained a degree in graphic design from the University of Louisville. He was a much loved and respected Louisville-based graphic designer, photographer, artist and design-studio owner. He has been called one of the most influential artists to emerge from that area. He lectured on design all over the country, including at The Smithsonian Institute.

He won the Governor’s Award in Art for Business in 2004. He held many shows and exhibited around the country. One of his posters was selected by the UNESCO International exhibit held in Paris, France and San Francisco, California. He was selected by President Ronald Reagan to create a work for inclusion in an exhibition of 100 posters advocating peace. This exhibit was presented to the Government of Japan in 1985.

So this man had the chops. Sadly, he passed on July 18, 2017, after fighting leukemia for two years.

Sad as it is, this makes your poster even more desirable. This poster is what we call a “crossover collectible.” You have the appeal of a respected Louisville artist and the appeal of a Halloween theme.

There were only 100 of these posters ever made and they were never sold to the public. I don’t know how they were sold. Perhaps it was a special commission, was only sold in his design studio or if it was for a group or event. That information I could not find out. It’s large too, measuring in at 30.5 inches by 24 inches.

I found only one listing for this poster online. It was framed and in good condition, but had long since been sold. It was priced at $375. However, I reached out to a very advanced Halloween collector who does several Halloween and holiday shows. He said he was familiar with the poster and didn’t have one, but wanted one and that other serious collectors were rabid for them. He recalled one popped up at a show a few years ago. It sold quickly for $700.

Professionally speaking, being its by a Louisville artist, is in a popular theme, is bright and colorful and is very graphic, all of these things only add to its value. I think that with the death of Mr. Friedman and the constantly growing appeal of Halloween, you should insure this for $1,200. It’s a great piece! Enjoy it and keep it out of direct sunlight.