Vintage Poster Search Blog
The Most Expensive Vintage Movie Posters
Vintage movie posters aren't typically something that you'd consider incredibly valuable. While no one bats an eye when certain pieces of art go for hundreds of thousands of dollars, if a regular old poster ends up costing a few grand, it might raise of a few eyebrows. For curiosities sake, I wanted to find some of the most expensive movie posters that exist. Listed below are a few stats, as well as the list of posters itself. Whenever I could, I tried to include a link back to the original as well. While I wouldn't make the claim that it's exhaustive, it is at the very least interesting.
Poster Statistics
None of these posters are from movies dating after 1943 - not all that surprising since rarity is related to value. Most of this data came from various places around the web, the base of which was from auction houses. There were 205 posters listed with a pric ...more
Where To Find Vintage Movie Posters
When I first started collecting vintage movie posters, it was almost by accident. I was in a local antique store with my wife and ended up stumbling upon this old poster of a movie I had seen growing up. I figured what the heck, and bought it. I ended up framing that picture and putting it up in our guest room (we didn't have much else to go on the wall) and got quite a few compliments on it. I started peeking around for posters whenever we were in an antique store, or anything similar, and ended up getting a few more here and there.
It eventually occurred to me that there just *might* be a few places on the internet that cater to things like this. So, I glanced around and found a few places that always seemed to have a pretty good selection. That's how this site was originally born - it was my own personal "tracker" of sorts for vintage posters. Since I was sure other people would find it useful, I added a few more things and made it publicly available.
...moreWhy I Love European Posters
When I was still in college, I got the opportunity to travel overseas to Europe. I had wanted to go to Europe for awhile, and had a fantastic time. The thing that struck me most about Europe (Italy specificaly) was how it was a very different culture and setting. While most cities in America have some historic traits about them, the buildings themselves are so vastly different in Europe because they're older. The churches alone were worth the price of admission alone - you just don't see old churches like that anywhere else.
So, getting back to European posters. While I don't necassarily buy them (or reprints of the originals since quite a few can be rather pricey), they remind me of my trip. I have quite a few regular pictures that were taken framed on the walls, and it's a nice reminder of the trip. So I guess the moral is you don't necassarily have to find posters because you love the way they look - maybe they remind you of a fun trip, or a nice vacation, or anyth ...more
Thoughts On Framing
I don't frame all of my posters - I'd have no space at all if I did, and storing them would be a nightmare. That said, I definately frame the ones that I end up hanging, for a number of reasons.
First, framing helps protect them. I don't like to tape or tack posters that I care about to the wall since it tends to ruin them, especially if you move, or want to move the poster. It also helps to keep it from being damaged or torn accidently. I've definately had that happen (especially with a younger person around), and it's not a pleasant experience.
Depending on the type of frame you get, it's also possible to make changing out the posters very easy. I have a frame that basically is a glorified case - instead of framing the poster and mounting it as a singular piece, I just have the frame case mounted, and I can open it and change out the poster whenever I feel like it. I have that one in the family room so I can just switch posters whenever I feel like it and its ...more
Will Todays Movie Posters Become Tomorrow's Vintage Movie Posters
Will the most popular movies of today's advertising posters be worth thousands in the next 20, 30, or even 50 years? After all, some of yesterdays popular movies have vintage posters worth quite a bit. For example, let's say you work in a movie theatre, and you have access to all of the used movie posters. Maybe you can snag 2-3 posters for each movie that comes out. Then let's say that you work at that theatre for at a minimum, 1 year. So how many posters would have have? Conservatively, we'll estimate that 3 movies come out for any given week (we'll low ball it here). That's 156 movie posters in that year. So, you've got 156 posters that you'll be keeping for... oh, let's say 40 years.
At the 40 year mark, let's say you would like an extra bit of cash - maybe you're looking for an early retirement, or maybe you want a boat or a porsche - doesn't matter why. Now let's say you stumble upon those old posters - the ones that you kept stored safely in the attic all the ...more
Be Wary Of Autographed Vintage Movie Posters
Many people get very excited when they think they've found a vintage movie poster with an autograph of one of the stars on it. While there are some posters where this is, in fact, the case, more than a few of these so called "authentic" autographs are blatant forgeries.
Think of what it actually takes to get a poster (or any item) autographed. Celebrities receive hundreds (if not thousands) of requests for autographs a day through the mail, and it just isn't humanly possible for them to keep up with them. If you've ever gotten a credit card offer in the mail, just take a look at the signature at the bottom of the letter. Sure, it *looks* like a real signature, but do you really think the president of the company signs all their direct mailings? Its probably saved on a computer somewhere and printed in mass. It's the same deal with many autographs. Rather than sign every piece of fanmail individually, an actor or actress will have an employee print out generic response ...more
The 6 Most Underrated Actors and Actresses In Hollywood Today
Everyone has heard about the big stars in Hollywood - especially this summer, with the comical amount of sequels coming out. Which got me thinking - who are some of the most underrated actors/actresses in Hollywood. You know the ones - not the headline stars, but the ones that you know will turn in a solid performance no matter what movie or role theyre in.
Jennifer Jason Leigh
Generally considered to be one of the most underrated actresses working in Hollywood, Jennifer Jason Leigh rather surprisingly is most well known for her work in the movie Fast Times at Ridgemont High. What is most surprising is that she (along with Sean Penn) made the transition to serious, well respected actor. Leigh also narrowly missed roles in The Terminator (the role went to Linda Hamilton) ...more
Why Collect Vintage Posters?
Why collect vintage posters, or for that matter, anything at all? In the case of posters, one of the biggest reasons to collect them is because they are becoming increasingly rare, and as such, appreciate in value. Most truly collectible posters are very old - the poster medium is being phased out in today's world, so there are less and less of them being made. Pretty soon, a vintage poster collection will be truly remarkable, especially certain types.
Poster value is determined by quite a few things, but there are 4 guidelines that are good to use:
- Poster Condition - Is it torn, folded, creased, etc.
- Poster Rarity - Obviously, a poster that only had a few made will be very valuable.
- Artist Popularity - Again, this is perceived value and will vary by collector.
- Merit of Work - The Mona Lisa isn't pricless because it's considered a hack job.
James Bond Vintage Posters
I watched Casino Royale last night (fantastic movie in my opinion) which got me thinking about the classic Bond posters. I'm actually a bit sad they don't make things like this anymore, as those posters were always a hoot. At least they still do the outlandish Bond intros, though I don't think they'll ever stop them. Too much a part of the bond franchise.
...moreDon't Throw Away Those Old Posters!
You might think that box of 50
Take for example posters of animated movies. As you might expect, the classic animated film posters routinely go for a couple hundred apiece. But what might surprise you is that more recent films, like Spirited Away, Toy Story, The Lion King, and Aladdin can also reach 3 digit sale prices. Not all of them will end up fetching a high auction price, but when you look at the film itself you can start to make some educated guesses on which ones will sell decently.
For example, while most Pixar movies are considered good, not all of them will end up with a high price tag - factors like rarity and audience appeal get taken into consideration. However, what about the very first Pixar movie? The movie that put them on the map, so to speak, has more going for it than any of their other movies, ...more
The Most Profitable Movie Of All Time
If someone asked you what the most profitable movie of all time was, what would you say? Chances are it'd be Titanic, LotR: Return of the King, or Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. While you would have guessed the top three grossing movies, you would actually be off for the movie with the best return over it's life.
To find out how much a movie actually returned on it's initial investment, you have to calculate the total made, divided by the amount invested, then multiple by 100. (money made/money invested)x100. This yields a nice, easy to judge figure that tells you exactly how profitible a movie was.
According to The Numbers, Titanic is far ...more
The "Minty White" paper insert controversy
One of the long standing debates in the vintage poster collecting world is that of the authenticity of "minty white" inserts found from the movies of the 1970's and 1980's that are printed on a different type of paper than any other at the time. They are a whiter than white, glossy on both sides print, which is where the nickname came from.
The controversey lies in the fact that thousands of these posters have been sold on ebay over the years (not as much recently), and they would fetch the same price as an original. However, there seemed to be an almost unlimited supply of these posters, which brought into question their authenticity. For years there has been a kind of "debate" as to if these posters are real or not.
The easiest way that I can think of to decide is to look at current prices on them. If you try and sell on on ebay these days, you have a very slim chance of getting the same price as a confirmed original - this speaks pretty clearly that most colle ...more
Find Reputable Poster Sellers On eBay
It can be really tough to find a reputable vintage poster on a third party site like ebay. You take a lot of risk when you trust someone on collectibles, especially if you're not completely up to date on various scams. The last thing you want is to get ripped off by someone because you're not as well informed as you could be.
A great resource that I've found to combat this is this thread on the movie poster forum. It has a list of ebay sellers, as well as if they are legit or not. You can save yourself a lot of grief if you take a look at this thread (use the search function on the forum) before making a purchase to check the seller out.
You should also be sure to check out the various ebay guides for movie posters. Do a little bit of homework and you can save yourself some frustration.
...moreHow Much Will It Cost To Get A Poster Framed?
So you just got you're nice, brand new vintage poster, and you want to display it for the world to see. You could just tape or tack it up on the wall, but that's definately not a good idea - especially if you paid any significant money for the poster and want to keep it in good shape. So the obvious choice would be to get it framed - but after having a few pictures framed, you realize this is turning out to be a rather expensive endeavor.
The unfortunate truth is that like any other type of framing, poster framing isn't cheap. Standard uncut plexiglass sheets come in 48x96 sizes, which can help with the costs a little bit, but the rest of the framing is still going to be expensive. Getting framing done via the internet also isn't an option, since after the poster is framed it costs quite a bit to have it shipped. So if you want to get it framed, you're best bet is to try and wait for some type of sale or special at your local crafts store.
There is also the opti ...more
Framing With UV Plexiglass
A common gripe about framing with UV plexiglass is that it is very expensive - the plexiglass can cost as much as an entire frame at a place like home depot. There aren't a whole lot of alternatives to it out there, but one notable one at least is wholesale poster frames custom uv frame.
The uv cover they offer is about 1/8" thick, and flexible. The best part is that it can be easily wiped clean with a cloth and window cleaner, so maintenance is a breeze. Price wise it is much cheaper than other options, with a 24x41 sheet running about $20 before shipping.
I also like to check antique shops for framed posters or other art. Even if you don't like the current display, you might be able to switch things out and just keep the frame. It doesn't happen too often, but sometimes you can get lucky.
...more