Authentic, vintage movie posters can be a fascinating and rewarding hobby. But, as in all things collected, there are things that every beginner should be aware of in the quest to build an excellent collection.
Bruce Carteron of Heritage Auction Galleries spoke with us about the ins and outs of collecting vintage movie posters.
Images shown are a selection of posters that were sold by Heritage Auction Galleries.
What to Collect?
Heritage Auction Galleries
Consider the size
Where will they be displayed? Should you look for smaller lobby cards, window cards or insert posters? These would be easier to display than a one or three sheet poster.
Decide your favorite genre and devote resources to that type of collection. Perhaps it's an era, such as the 1920s or 1930s. It might by favorite star or director, a type of movie, favorite movies or Academy Award winners.
Interestingly, you won't be able to collect by artist. They weren't allowed to sign their works.
Where to Buy?
Heritage Auction Galleries
Always buy from a reputable dealer or auction site, one that stands behind their products.
Sign up for various mailing lists to find out when sales are happening and what posters are selling for.
There are numerous auction houses online that are reputable. Two that I've personally used are:
- Heritage Auction Galleries
They have a weekly Internet only auction, as well as Signature auctions (minimum value $400), held live three times a year in March, July and November. -
Hakes
Online auctions held several times a year includes miscellaneous items with occasional movie and entertainment posters.
Movie Posters Sizes and Terminology
Heritage Auction Galleries
- One Sheets
27" x 41" poster that is the most sought after by collectors. -
Three Sheet
41" x 81" sized poster (three 27" side by side} -
Lobby Cards
Set of eight cards, 11" x 14" each with one title card, the rest are scenes from the movie, made until the 1980s. -
Window Card
14" x 22" posters were used around town to promote a current movie. These would be put in store front windows and typically had the name of the local theater at the top of the poster. -
Insert Posters
14" x 36" posters that were used on a sandwich board on the outside of the movie theater.
Take Care of Your Posters
Sun, heat and moisture are the enemies of almost all collections and movie posters are particularly vulnerable.- Use acid free materials when framing posters and movie cards. Never use heat or adhesive mounting on posters.
- Keep out of direct sunlight and avoid temperature extremes.
- Do not store in damp areas.
- If a poster is folded, keep it folded and don't continually fold and refold it.
- Linen and paper backed posters that have never been folded should be always be stored flat.
Reproductions
A look around the Internet shows just how many movie posters are being reproduced. Heritage Auction Galleries mentions Portal Publications as a producer of posters (1960's/1970's), but since their movie posters were clearly marked "copyright Portal Publications" and the size is 27" x 41" (not standard for authentic posters), they should never be confused with vintage items.Beware of newer posters from the 1990s on. These have been prolifically reproduced on glossy stock and in Heritage Auctions Galleries word's "it is very difficult to determine authenticity".
Re-Releases and Reissues
Re-release/reissue movie posters are still original theater-used movie posters, but are worth much less than an original release.Look over the poster carefully, does it have an "R" in front of the date? That means reissue. Many times there will also be a sentence or two on the poster that will tell you it's from a re-released film.
Movie Poster Values
Of course price plays an important part in what you collect. Vintage posters can be found for under $50. up to thousands of dollars. Check prior sale prices to see what you might expect to pay.As a general rule, the most popular and valuable posters are pre-1950s, with classics, horror and science fiction posters leading the pack.
Higher priced posters sold on Heritage Auction Galleries include a 1927 Metropolis poster, King Kong from 1933, original Frankenstein, Dracula and classics such as Gone With the Wind or Casablanca.
A top price of $334,600 was recently paid for the only known copy of 1933's The Bride of Frankenstein.
