Movie Posters

[Lex]

Hey, a topic I've not seen discussed much, movie posters. They can be very artistic, decorative, theme oriented, and absolutely collectible.

My daughter really got me started on posters, and I will post my entire collection here, as I find them. It is growing, as I spent a couple of hundred bucks over the weekend and have several desirable ones coming.

But first, what do you need to know if you want to get started buying a few? Well, first, if there's a movie you love, maybe just the artwork that "fits", buy it. It doesn't matter if it is going to have collectible value if you like it.

First, just because you find a poster from a movie that was on last year, or even 10 or 20 years ago, doesn't necessarily mean it's an original poster. From what I have seen there are several types of posters.

1. Actual first print posters. (most desirable)
a. Preview posters.
b. presentation posters.
c. several sizes.
d. single double sided print.
Can also have video advance and actual movie posters. I have some that are video store designs, since my daughter worked at one for a while.

2. Reprints. These are from the same master as the original. The same as the original in most every respect, except they will likely say "reprint" on them.

3. Clones. Worthless except to look at copies of the originals. Perhaps imported, etc...

4. Revisions. Posters that appear close to the originals, but have some things changed. Still likely clones.

5. Totally unique posters for a movie that was done by another artist. Not originals, not clones, but could still have value depending on age, quality, etc...


6. Autographed, originals, and reprints.

Places to buy? There are a few places on the net that are respecitible, I think.

1. www.nostalgia.com. Represents posters as original or reprints correctly. These people are the movie memorabilia experts for the Rhodes Antique Show. Respectible, will know values, no bargains here likely... But still a solid place to buy because of their apparent reputation. (I think, not certain)

2. www.movieposters.com

3. realmovieposters.com
I think this is their ebay store, maybe...

http://stores.ebay.com/HOLLYWOOD-CINEMA-POSTERS_W0QQssPageNameZl2QQtZkm

4. www.moviegoods.com

These are a few places I bought.

BEWARE of ebayers or others representing posters as "original". Original may not necessarily mean "authentic first edition". I caught one ebayers saying they were original, when they were reprints.

Cable Guy


Eastwood, Pink Cadillac


Twister


Goldeneye


Addicted to Love (Meg Ryan)


5th Element






Also at home already mounted, I have:

Terminator 3
Matrix Revolutions
Spiderman 2
Borne Supremacy

Ok, now you are going to say, what am I going to do with them all? I haven't a clue yet. I am considering a poster WALL. That will be edge to edge as possible posters.

Last tip? Always frame, never fold, never tack, never tape collectible posters. Keep out of direct sunlight.

Of course framing will be expensive for that many posters. but you can store them in tubes, flat stacked, etc... tub rolled always best. Frame them as you can. I typically go to Walmart and get a couple of 27 X 40 frames at a time.

Lex

[Nick M]

:T Cool!

The only two movies I've ever seen that I can give an honest 5-Star rating to were Schindler's List and Forrest Gump. I would love a couple posters of these. I could go with a good quality reprint I think, so long as it looks nice. Can't believe how expensive frames are though! :E

Nice idea about a poster wall! If I had the room I'd love to do that. I only have room for 2 or 3 though.

But theres always the bathroom I guess... :B

[Lex]

Well, they are great to enjoy, and collect. Remember, you can stack 2 or 3 in a frame, then swap them out from time to time. Also, as far as collectibility, I saw 1 Bond poster that is at 1350.00 for a movie from the 60s I Think it was.

It is amazing the prices some of these things get to. You buy the right types, they can go up considerably and fairly fast. That Christmas 95 Bond poster above is 125.00 at www.nostalgia.com I got mine for 40.

That is why I bought the Eastwood poster. For one, Clint is not getting any younger. Someday Clint will be gone, and this poster will go up considerably in value. Two, it has a pink caddy in it, so it is cross collectible. (cars/movies/eastwood).

Bond, Disney, major releases, all good. Do a search by movie title and you will find what you want, it's a matter of at what price.

Twister was one of two movies that were out when home theater exploded. I first saw it on laser disc in the stores. True Lies is the other film that stood out, I will have that poster someday. I just love Addicted to Love for a romantic comedy. Bond, 5th element? need I say more? Star Wars, also very collectible of course.

Lex

[Preacherman]

Here is a maker of lighted frames, although not cheap, they are a couple hundred cheaper than most.

Dmaxframes

[RobP]

This is a pic of my most prized old movie poster. This is a small Frankenstein movie poster from 1932 that came from a old movie theatre in California. They used to glue these lobby card sized posters outside on a board outside the theatre. Smaller Theatres would do this because it was cheaper than the display cases. This one was found behind the outside facade when the theatre was demolished, It was still in good shape but was starting to flake off so I put a coat of poly over it to preserve it. It is still on the wood from the display. Sorry for the bad pic.Ill load a better one later.

[RobP]

Hey I just wanted to add that about 98% of movie theatre posters from around 1980 and earlier were folded not rolled. They were shipped to the theatres in kits folded up in large cardboard sleeves, they now ship them in tubes. So if you are buying lets say and original Star Wars "A" sheet and it does not have crease's in it, then there is about a 99.9% chance that is a fake.

[Lex]

That Franky poster is one awesome find. I bet that thing is worth quite a bit. It's a shame you had to coat it, not sure what that did to the value of it. But still, it's so rare!

Lex

[David Meek]

Here's my favorite:



It's a pre-release that isn't available any more. I paid $15 or so for it and I saw a copy on E-bay last year that was at $200. 8O

[Lex]

David, was that an X rated movie? LOL.

Lex

[David Meek]

Here are the others I have up right now:

[RobP]

Well, I didnt have much of a choice on coating it, I did not want to, but it would have fell apart if I didnt, I took it to a framing shop here that deals in antiques and that was the best option that they had. I have a couple other old things like this tucked away. I have been collecting antique movie theatre items for years.

[David Meek]

D'oh. Didn't get that one for a while, Lex. I'll see if I can correct the problem.

[Lex]

Ahh, quadruple x huh David?

Soundgravy, I understand, sometimes you have to do what you have to do! It's better to preserve as best you can, than not. It sure is awesome, I know that. Have you tried to frame it?

Lex

[basementjack]

A little off topic, but some of my favorate posters have been video game posters- The big screen and surround is perfect for the Xbox, and I've got a few treasured game posters that I'll somday mount.

Decon, thanks for posting the dmax frames address!

Lex, I don't have your collection yet, but one thing I had thought about was getting or making a backlighted case/frame (such as the ones Decon pointed out) and rotating the posters on a monthly or quarterly basis. Does anyone know how pictures get mounted in backlit cases? is it just sandwiched between two layers of glass?

[David Meek]

Hey, triple-X just wasn't enough. . . . :B Problem corrected.

[Patt]

Thanks for the links Lex,

I have one poster behind a custom made frame and glass salvaged from my 80 year old father-in-law's garage. The thing is thick slightly yellowed cardboard he had rolled with old rubber bands. I didn't see any folded creases and this thing looks like the real one.

Advertisement is Bull Durahm tobacco with a couple sitting on the fence kissing and their lips can be see through a hole in her big umbrella w/ a bull standing in the background.

I'll check those links but so far have been unsuccessful finding a match, maybe because it is not "movie related"? There always has been something about finding "old" original things that just amazes me.......looking at those old objects just transport me back in time. :yesnod:

[Lex]

Yeah, those are mostly movie specialty houses. Well, I got 4 of my posters yesterday, all quite nice, double sided (3 of 4). ) these 2 double sided- Twister, Goldeneye (not gun one), then pink cad, and cable guy. Not sure, cable guy may be 2 sided. I'd have to look.

David, I am just not seeing any of your images. Not sure what's going on there.

Lex

[David Meek]

David, I am just not seeing any of your images. Not sure what's going on there.

I've switched storage providers. And - of course - it isn't going smoothly. :roll:

[David Meek]

Okay, how about now?

[Lex]

Just red X's David, no good.

Lex

[Patt]

Probably a silly question but how does one display a double sided poster?

I don't see any pictures from you either......all XXXXXe's

[RobP]

Patt, the double sided posters are made for the "subway"style poster cases, they sit out on the floor of the lobby and can be viewed from both sides or the posters are used in the front windows of the movie theatres.

Lex, I might frame it, it is quite thick though so it may be a little challenge. The frankenstein poster is still on the piece of wood that it was pasted to originally from the front of the theatre, so it has a really neat look the way it is also, Hmmmm what to do???

[markusp]

I've been collecting posters for years but have to admit that I haven't bought any new ones since getting married (over 3 years ago). Here's a brief list:

• North by Northwest - original 1 sheet
• To Catch a Thief - original French poster - larger than US 1 sheet
• North by Northwest - Spanish 1 sheet re-issue from the 70's
• Hatari - US 1 sheet re-issue from the 60's
• The Ambushers - original US 1 sheet
• Our Man Flint - original US 1 sheet
• Vertigo - 1 sheet re-issue from 70s
• Rear Window - 1 sheet re-issue from 70s
• On Her Majesty's Secret Service - 1 sheet re-issue from 60s
• You Only Live Twice - French re-issue from 70s - larger than US 1 sheet
• Goldfinger - German 1 sheet re-issue from 70s
• Who Framed Roger Rabbit? - original German 1 sheet

Some reprints:

• Giant
• The Day The Earth Stood Still
• Forbidden Planet
• Goldfinger
• Thunderball
• You only live twice
• To Catch a Thief

That's all I can remember right now. I have a few more originals but they are all stored away in a cupboard somewhere. Some need to be restored so that I can proudly display them once I finish my theater room.

[Lex]

popped to the top for current movie poster discussion...

lex

[Chris D]

I don't have many, if any, movie posters, and certainly haven't put any up. Due to a general lack of places to put them, if I do put any up in the future, I'm going to be VERY, very selective in what they are. Maybe just 1-2 of my absolute favorite movies. I'd have to do a large poster of U2's Rattle and Hum. Not sure if I could find it for a reasonable price or not.

[chriscross]

What about reflection problems from framed posters? Should I use non-reflective glass or is there some other technique / solution?

[Chris D]

chris, I personally would never put a framed picture or poster IN my theater itself. Reasons are the light reflection you're talking about, and being a large, flat, completely smooth surface to perfectly reflect sound.

I personally would only put posters outside of a theater, by the entrance door or something.

To answer your question, though, yes, if you put a poster in a theater, I would use some sort of covering or glass that reflects light as little as possible.

[Lex]

Well, being that I am single, I can put them up in any room I so choose. I don't have a lady dictating decor. :rant:

I dicate it. :twisted:

I have some stacked up in the back room, I just select from them as I want to put them up. I may go back to a bedroom wall done in them, yes, 1 whole wall, as full as possible. It makes for an interesting look in a bachelor's bedroom.

Doug

[chriscross]

Chris, thanks for the input. I can appreciate you not wanting to compromise the accoustics / reflectivity of your theatre interior with framed posters. I just wish I could find a way to incorporate it without too much "theatre integrity" loss. I really like the idea of having 3 or 4 of them on each wall. I wonder if mounting them on accoustical panels with non-reflective glass would work??? Anyone else out there have any experience / suggestions?

Chris

[chriscross]

Lex,
I am not single, but the wife is pretty understanding about these kinds of things. Luckily, I have full reign to do what I want when designing my theatre.

Chris

[Chris D]

Sure, it's nitpicky of course to keep stuff like that out of my theater. Realistically, you can put posters in your theater and still have it sound fine. Not until you try to go to the higher end will it matter.

[Lex]

Actually, from an acoustics standpoint, to much absorptive material can flatten a room's acoustics to much, and make it effectively dead. In reality, even sheetrock walls are reflective, though not quite as much as glass or plastic of course. But my point is, I think to much can be made of having a couple of posters up in your theater. The asthetics of the effect far outweigh the minimal possible cost in acoustic transitions, IMO... Of cousre, mine is a true lived in/great room theater, so it's full of compromises anyway, ymmv.

[Chris D]

True, Lex. In general, flat, smooth things will be "reflective" and give your room more live reverberations. Puffy things like pillows and insulation are "absorptive" and will give your room more dead sound without echoes.

The problem is, I have personally NEVER experienced a theater that was too dead. Yes, it is certainly possible, but a person will never achieve it unless they're getting into the higher-end and go way overboard. ONLY then does a person need to add back in "reflective" items, and do it very carefully as far as location so that only certain reverberations are created. More often than not, this means placing panels in places that are not conducive to attractive poster places (i.e. centered on walls between other items, about 2/3 of the way up) If you want a poster right next to a corner, and then the rest of the wall bare, well, okay, but it looks funny.

So in general, anything that the average Joe can do to make the room LESS reflective is good.

[chriscross]

Thanks guys. When I get to that point, I think I will give it a try with the posters and without. If there is a noticeable difference, I can always rethink!

[Tim_D]

with sound...?

Anyone ever heard of framed movie posters with sound, like one liners or songs from the movie? I know you can get christmas ornaments with movie lines/songs, but posters? Just curious...

[Lex]

I may feel different if I was in a dedicated room, but I am not, so I accept that, and make it home. that's going to include some posters and pictures, it's just how it is. I'm not quite as much a purist as you I guess Chris, lol.

Lex