The Oscars were handed out last month, but you can still pick up an award for the best investment return – with a vintage cinema poster.
The financial performance of the most sought-after movie posters has seen values as much as double over the past decade. In contrast, stocks and shares are having a rollercoaster ride.
Collectors are not just drawn by the timeless appeal of historic silver screen classics – but the beautiful illustrations that turn posters into a work of art to hang on the wall.
Arguably, the greatest film of all time is the 1942 classic Casablanca, starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. It won Oscars for best picture, screenplay and director.
A rare French poster promoting Casablanca – only belatedly released in this country in 1947 because of the Second World War – is valued at up to £80,000.
It is one of only a handful of survivors known to exist and was illustrated by artist Pierre Pigeot.
Film poster consultant Bruce Marchant explains: ‘The first posters for Casablanca released during the war in America were black and white, but later ones add dramatic colour to this great film – and due to rarity can be even more valuable.’
A cinema hoarding used to promote Casablanca in Italy where it came out in 1946 – illustrated by artist Luigi Martinati – sold for a record-breaking £360,000 in 2017. But even an earlier black and white poster promoting the initial US release can still cost collectors £15,000 or more.
Marchant says: ‘The title of a film is the key driving force behind the value of a poster – so a timeless classic that attracts the attention of each new generation is always going to do well.’
He adds: ‘But scarcity is also a crucial element to collecting investment value posters. If there is only a small supply of originals left, demand from an increasing international fan base will push up the price of those that have survived.
‘In the early days when posters were stuck on billboards, they used glue – so were destroyed when pulled down. And as there was not a collectable market until about 30 years ago, others were simply thrown out once a film season ended.’
One of the rarest early posters is for the release of the 1927 Fritz Lang classic Metropolis – as only five are known to have survived. This helps to explain why this historic futuristic poster is perhaps the most valuable of all – worth at least £425,000. It was created by the painter and graphic artist Heinz Schulz-Neudamm for the German film-maker UFA.
There are also some Holy Grail movie posters – where there are no known survivors. If one of these emerges, a collector could demand their own price. These include those for the 1921 Nosferatu – a silent film based on the vampire Dracula.
Early horror film posters are among the most collectable: not only because horror is a genre with an incredibly enthusiastic fan base, but also because it provides the opportunity for vivid imagery in the artwork. One of the most sought-after is a poster used to promote an early talkie Dracula starring Bela Lugosi in 1931. An example sold for £400,000 three years ago.
But in 2009, another copy went under the hammer for £196,000. Posters for the first Frankenstein and Mummy films starring the legendary Boris Karloff also sell for £200,000 or more due to their importance in history.
Later gothic horror movie posters for the British company Hammer Film Productions are also highly collectable – and are still relatively affordable for fans of the genre. For example, posters for 1959 classic The Hound Of The Baskervilles, starring Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee, can sell for £1,000.
Marchant believes modern movie posters often lack the visual appeal of promotional material in the past. He says: ‘The incredible artwork is one of the major attractions. Before the era when photography and computer graphics took centre stage for movie posters – and stars’ contracts specified where their names should appear – the artist ruled supreme.
‘Their creativity allowed for stunning images to be created that were often great works of art in their own right.’
He points to a recent Quentin Tarantino movie – Once Upon A Time In Hollywood – released last year. It won Brad Pitt a best supporting actor Oscar last month. Tarantino convinced 84-year-old golden age movie poster artist Renato Casaro to come out of retirement to illustrate a poster to promote the film. Already, these 2019 posters can sell for up to £1,200.
Earlier Casaro film posters, such as the Italian promotion for the 1962 classic Birdman Of Alcatraz starring Burt Lancaster, can be bought for £2,000.
Posters also have the appeal of being able to be hung up and admired in the home or office – and not hidden under lock and key. But they must be cared for and insured. The poster should undergo anti-acid treatment to stop yellowing and be professionally linen-backed. The treatment and backing might cost at least £200. The poster should also be hung in a dry room away from direct sunlight behind specialist ultra- violet filtered plastic.
To ensure you are purchasing an original, and not a copy or fake, avoid private sellers on internet auction websites. Use professional dealerships.
A genuine poster can often be identified because of the dimensions. British promotional material was traditionally 30 by 40 inches in size while an old US poster was usually 41 by 27 inches.
Some links in this article may be affiliate links. If you click on them we may earn a small commission. That helps us fund This Is Money, and keep it free to use. We do not write articles to promote products. We do not allow any commercial relationship to affect our editorial independence.