What a Difference a Death Makes: Martin Landau: from $10 to $50 on EBAY

How important or emotional is a celebrity's death?

One way to know is to measure the length of the obit, and whether it's on the obit page or a news page.

Another is to check the kneejerk response on eBay. This includes the jerks who rush to their scanners and offer "RIP, RP" pictures. The RP means "reprint." Yes, they either copy an autographed photo they bought or, more often, they just download one and start makin' copies for mournful fans.

The great Martin Landau, who often appeared at memorabilia shows, was not an expensive purchase when he was alive...

A few months later, and news of his death quadrupled the price of his signed photos.

Ebay, of course, sees nothing wrong with people instantly copying off autographed pictures and selling them with no permission. The people doing this, however, stick "DO NOT COPY" warnings against piracy.

Remember, buy THREE get one FREEEEEEE.

Just how long does the hysteria last? The sudden need to "pay tribute" or get a signed picture as if that means the star is still alive? The high prices could last a few days, or even a week. If a star didn't sign that much, the high price could be permanent. Like death.