Movie posters have always been available since the first silent films were made. When they originally started making films, they really didn’t know how to make a profit with them. Then somebody came up with the idea of actually going out on the road with the film and projector and showing them to an audience. They’d charge them an admission fee to see them. They also thought about selling the film projector along with the film to the audience.
While the idea of selling a projector and film was cost prohibitive, it was actually that same model that was used to market DVDs and videotapes years later. Since there was no way to actually let an audience know that a particular movie was coming or even what it was about, they had to develop a way to advertise. Vintage posters where utilized as the first concept of poster advertisements. These turned out to be extremely successful which laid the foundation for the way business would be done ever since.
Classic Vintage Posters
There are certain types of vintage posters that are extremely prized by collectors. These are rare posters that happen to still be in existence from films that are currently considered classic films. However, the reproductions are not the valuable vintage posters, but the original poster itself that cannot be found anywhere.
Four of the most famous and successful films were King Kong, Casablanca, Frankenstein and Gone with the Wind. These films were so influential that they are now among the most valuable vintage posters that collectors want to get their hands on. If you come across original vintage posters from any of these films, you will be able to get a small fortune for them.
What most people don’t realize is that the movie Casablanca only made a small amount over $2 million when it was first shown in the box office. Frankenstein and the movie King Kong only brought in about $5 million each. But, Gone with the Wind produced almost $39 million in profits.
When these vintage posters are found at auctions, they routinely bring in thousands of dollars for ones that have been properly taken care of. Collectors love to get their hands on any of those types of vintage posters and will pay a hefty premium to get one. You can be sure that they are well taken care of and at the very least will have a durable and expensive frame.
Most people cannot afford one of these original vintage posters. However, everyone can afford one of the reproduction vintage posters and they still look cool. Film fans will always keep these reproductions in circulation for years to come. And collectors will always keep the auction prices really high for the originals.
There is plenty of information about posters online. For more information take a look at this site on vintage posters.
