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OK. You're at the estate sale of a little old lady who used to sell tickets at the old Rialto Movie Theater that used to be on Main Street but was converted into a pool hall sometime around 1965. From between two dusty volumes of the Encyclopedia Britannica you pull a large folded sheet of paper. Carefully opening it, you find yourself face-to-face with the seared image of Boris Karloff as "The Mummy." Do you:
- Break into an Irish jig before sedately walking over to pay the $1 it is marked.
- Toss it back on the shelf because you never liked horror films.
- Faint.
Well, I don't know about you all, but I would definitely NOT choose B. Especially since, in 1997, an original one-sheet of "The Mummy" set an auction record for movie posters with a price of $453,500!
Of course, the chance of finding a vintage poster worth hundreds of thousands is, well, astronomical (it's nice to dream), but there are many, many other movie posters out there, and it wouldn't hurt to be able to separate the wheat (original posters) from the chaff (reprints and fakes).
Directly descended from the theatrical posters and playbills of the 1800s, original posters were sent to theaters to be displayed as a form of advertising when a film was first released. These advertisements could range in size from an 8" x 10" lobby card up to the 9' x 20' billboard-sized twenty-four sheet. Most people, when speaking of movie posters, are generally referring to what is termed a one-sheet. Pre-1985 one-sheets almost always measured 27" x 41" while those from 1985 up to the present generally measure either 27" x 41" or 27" x 40". (All measurements are plus-or-minus an 1/8th inch.) If you have a one-sheet that is not one of these sizes, you may have a reprint or fake.
Reprints (or reproductions) are not used for promotional purposes, but are produced for the commercial market. You've seen them everywhere at K-Marts, Wal-Marts, bookstores, and video stores. Usually smaller than originals, they can be found hanging on the walls of college dorms and teens' rooms. Reprints should not be confused with reissues or re-releases that are used to promote a re-release of a film. Though not usually considered as collectible as the posters from a film's first release, reissues are deemed originals nonetheless. Fakes are intentionally meant to deceive, but often give themselves away by some small variation, such as a lack of sharpness of text, when compared with the original. Reprints and fakes are worthless except as decoration.
This is, of course, an oversimplification of a complex topic (think "postage stamps"). A serious poster collector might also consider the following:
- Approximately 90% of all original one-sheets printed between 1939 and 2000 were distributed by the National Screen Service (NSS) and have NSS code numbers stamped on bottom margins or on their backs.
- Up to the mid-1980s, most one-sheets were shipped folded. (Many still are.) Thus, most vintage posters will exhibit this creasing.
- Motion picture studios often used more than one poster to promote a film, and each poster was designated a different "style." The style ("Style A," "Style B," etc.) was usually printed in a poster's lower border.
There are many more variables associated with collectible movie posters, but it would take several books and Web sites to provide an exhaustive look at the subject. I have found the following most interesting and informative:
http://www.saturdaymatinee.com/History-of-Posters
Offers a very well written history of movie posters
http://learnaboutmovieposters.com
The name says it all! Take the test to see how much you think you know, and then check the index/glossary-everything from A to Z!
http://www.iguide.net
Internet Price Engine offering searchable price reports online. Has a terrific forum where you'll learn all kinds of info, such as how to detect certain fakes and who to contact at Lucasfilm Ltd. about a possible rare Star Wars poster.
http://damnthe.com
Has a terrific section on authentication, with side-by-side pictures of originals and reprints/fakes.
http://www.posterprice.com/Top100.asp
List of 100 highest-priced posters.
http://www.jonwarren.com
Author of poster price guide. Web site offers interesting articles and condition guide.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0786401699/auctionbytescom
Collecting Movie Posters: An Illustrated Reference Guide to Movie Art-Posters, Press Kits, and Lobby Cards by Edwin E. Poole, Susan T. Poole, Ed Poole
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0963431935/auctionbytescom
Warren's Movie Poster Price Guide: Movie Poster by Jon R. Warren
(Out of date prices, but helpful information)
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1840005106/auctionbytescom
Miller's Movie Collectibles, by Rudy and Barbara Franchi
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