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posters, and more have been created for the
series, providing lots of collecting opportu-
nities. The Star Wars Triple Bill, made in
1985 for a one-time showing of all three
films, is valued at $20,000-30,000. The rare
A New Hope style A seven-sheet has sold for
more than $20,000 and the extra large 24-
sheet averages $15,000. Most of the original
trilogy posters can be found in the hundreds
to low thousands range with highlights like
the 1976 World Science Fiction Convention
poster, New Hope advance teaser style A with
a variant “W,” the style D “circus” poster,
the Happy Birthday anniversary poster, The
Empire Strikes Back style A/Gone with the
Wind (nicknamed for its resemblance to that
poster), and the Return of the Jedi advance
with the original Revenge of the Jedi title.
James Bond, the world’s greatest super-
spy, is another highly collectible franchise,
particularly for posters from his country of
origin. Whether he's posing with a weapon
at the ready, looking suave in a tuxedo, or
surrounded by beautiful women, 007 posters
are flat-out cool. Multiple images appear on
the Thunderball advance quad crown that
realizes $25,000, Bond poses confidently on
From Russia with Love quads that average
$10,000-12,000, and Bond is superimposed
over a golden woman on the Goldfinger six-
sheet that can reach $13,000. Other great
examples are The Man with the Golden Gun
U.S. Christmas teaser with the titular
weapon appearing in pieces and the British
charity poster for The Spy Who Loved Me
featuring Bob Peak’s vividly colorful art.
The Artwork
Age and the gravitas of older films aren’t
the only reasons that classic posters are such
hits with collectors. While modern versions
favor photo-based imagery of their lead stars,
posters from most of the 20th-century
feature painted art. Bob Peak is one such
artist, known for creating intricately
designed pieces with montages and plenty of
colorful flourishes. Some of his best work
can be seen on posters for West Side Story,
My Fair Lady, Camelot, Apocalypse Now, and
Star Trek: The Motion Picture. Cartoonist
Jack Davis, who has an impressive body of
work at MAD magazine, used his skills for
comedic caricatures on movie posters.
Highlights of his work include It’s a Mad,
Mad, Mad, Mad World, Kelly’s Heroes,
Bananas, and The Bad News Bears.
Saul Bass took a minimalistic approach
by designing symbolic pieces that depicted
key elements and themes from the movie.
This can be seen on the posters for The Man
with the Golden Arm, Vertigo, Anatomy of a
Murder, and The Shining. Robert McGinnis
created realistic renderings of actors and
juxtaposed splashes of color with white back-
grounds. Some of his most notable work
includes Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Barbarella,
The Odd Couple, and Live and Let Die. Drew Struzan uses a realism-
focused airbrush style on popular films of the last 40 years, including
The Thing, Back to the Future, The Goonies, Adventures in Babysitting,
and Hook.
Hot Trend
Adventures in Babysitting one-sheet
(photo courtesy Heritage Auctions)
Jaws limited edition Mondo poster
(photo courtesy eMoviePoster.com)
Amanda Sheriff is the Editor – Digital for Gemstone Publishing and
author of The Overstreet Guide to Collecting Movie Posters.
Mondo variants have become a hot trend
in movie poster collecting. The company
works with artists and studios to create
reimagined artwork for classic titles, then
the posters are sold in limited edition print
runs with most, if not all, selling out very
quickly. Mondo posters that combine
attractive art and marketability include the
packed collage art on Guardians of the
Galaxy, the textured, moody look on Rear
Window, the bright, tourist style on Jaws,
the red skies and ominous house on Psycho,
and a blend of planetary details with the
outlines of characters on Star Wars posters.
Though many of these posters are less than
a decade old, the best examples can sell for
$5,000-10,000 on the secondary market.
Care and Maintenance
Movie poster collecting is an easy hobby
to get into, but there are important things to
know when building, displaying, and storing
your collection. Creating a “want list” is a
good starting point, because there are
hundreds of thousands of options out there,
so having a priority list can help focus a
collection. A smart next move is to learn
what those posters are selling for by
researching dealers and auction houses.
Whether you plan to build a large collection
or just want a few pieces for decoration,
understanding the market is essential for
getting the best deals. Collectors should also
consider what sizes they are interested in,
like the standard one-sheet or inserts, lobby
cards, three-sheets, etc., and if they are
hunting for international material or just
examples from their home country.
Once the posters are acquired, framing
and storage options become the priority.
The downside to movie poster collecting is
how easily they can be damaged by bends,
creases, and tears, by the sun, or by moisture
damage. Therefore, it’s important to know
what type of frame to use, like a plexiglass
front instead of glass, and using acid-free
artboard or foam-core as the backing material.
Collectors also need to determine their
position on restoration, such as paint touch-
ups, and linen-backing (a form of archival
preservation). The next step is determining
how to store them (rolled in heavy tubes or
flat in Mylar sheets – both using acid-free
materials) and kept in a dry, temperature-
controlled location.
Movie poster collecting is a creative way
to bring Hollywood home; a fun hobby that
can be enjoyed by anyone from the most
discerning cinephile to those decorating a
she-shed or man cave. It’s a form of self-
expression, a conversation starter, and a way
to extend the feeling a movie invokes long
after the credits roll.
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