Flawed condition damages the value of old posters

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Dear Helaine and Joe:I have two World War I posters measuring approximately 30 by 20 inches. Both are in fair condition. One is by James Montgomery Flagg and the other by Charles Livingston Bull. What are they worth?Thank you, R. D. Thousand, Oaks, Calif.Dear R. D.:In real estate it is "location, location, location," but in collecting, it is "condition, condition, condition!"It is difficult for many people to understand but seemingly small flaws such as creases, wrinkles, vestiges of glue on the back, the image being a little cockeyed, tears, and missing hunks of paper can greatly devalue the value of any lithographic poster. The two posters in today's question both have condition problems, and this will seriously affect their value. We will start with the potentially more valuable poster of the two -- the circa 1918 "Keep Him Free" by Charles Livingston Bull (1874-1932).Bull is best known as a wildlife illustrator and he studied technical drawing from an early age. He studied taxidermy and became the taxidermist for the National Museum in Washington D. C.. He also did advertising work and created illustrations for the Ringling Brothers, Barnum and Bailey Circus.This extremely graphic poster has the image of a fierce bald eagle standing over her nest while a symbolic brood of Curtiss Jenny biplanes circle around. Other sources identify these as British biplanes swarming to protect the bald eagle's nest.In pristine condition an example of this lithograph with bright, fresh colors mounted on linen, might sell at auction for $1,000 (which would make the insurance replacement value closer to $2,000). Unfortunately, examples with condition problems have failed to find a buyer at all. The example belonging to R. D. has a missing upper left hand corner and there are small pieces of paper missing from along both sides. There is also staining near the bottom, and we are concerned about the two white patches we see along the right side that should be solid bright blue.These might be camera problems, but they cannot be overlooked. In our opinion, all of these flaws are serious problems that might deter a buyer from purchasing this piece at all, but if it should sell when offered at an auction, we feel that it would bring less than $200.The second poster is by James Montgomery Flagg (1877-1960), who is responsible for the iconic 1917 Poster of a top-hatted Uncle Sam pointing his finger at the viewer with the caption -- "I Want YOU for U. S. Army."Flagg is said to have used his own visage for the face of Uncle Sam. Over his career, Flagg created everything form fine art to cartoons, but today, he is best known for his posters.The example belonging to R. D. -- "Boys and Girls! You can help your Uncle Sam Win the War" -- is less well known than the "I Want YOU" pieces, but it still has value. Like Bull's "Keep Him Free," this poster has serious condition problems. There is a semicircular hunk of paper missing in the middle of the top page, but more seriously, there appears to be staining throughout and fading colors along the center crease.Posters in slightly better condition than this one sell at auction for around $300, but this particular one would probably fetch less than $100.(Helaine Fendelman and Joe Rosson are the authors of the "Price It Yourself" (HarperResource, $19.95). Contact them at Treasures in Your Attic, P.O. Box 27540, Knoxville, TN, 37927)