Movie Poster Info Information * Movie Poster Guide * Learn About Movie Posters Beware of Fake Movie Posters!!

An original movie poster can be defined as: A poster that was issued for a movie by the National Screen Service (NSS), or by a movie studio, or by another company authorized by the studio for display in an actual movie theatre at the time of the films original release.

Advertising posters used outside a theater (wilding, bus shelter, subway, and billboard) during an original release are also considered original movie posters.

There are also "Studio Issued" original movie posters. These were printed at the same time as theatrical display posters. Although usually not meant for theatrical display, they are still considered original. They were distributed to "insiders" and those who worked on the film.

Posters that were made to be sold to the public in stores or on line are reproductions/reprints or restrikes and are NOT original movie posters, even if they were printed around the time of the films release. Films that are very popular usually have all kinds of reproductions, licensed and unlicensed (bootlegs) and they are always on eBay. The market is flooded with them. Sometimes reproductions are so close in quality to originals that it is VERY hard to tell them apart.

Video posters are NOT "Original Movie Posters". They were issued to advertise the movies release on videotape or dvd, not during the films original theatrical release. They are called Original Video Posters and usually have very little value. Some of them can be quite collectible and valuable, but usually not.

Some original movie posters are HIGHLY collectible and can be worth thousands of dollars. Reproduction posters are not very collectible and usually have little if any value.

Just because a seller lists a poster in the ORIGINAL MOVIE POSTERS category on eBay, does NOT mean it is an original movie poster. Sellers often list their reproduction posters there because they know they will be seen by more people as no one really browses the non original category.

Older U.S. posters prior to the mid 1980's were usually (not always) issued folded while newer U.S. posters are always issued rolled. Vintage original movie posters were normally printed in very limited quantities, thus they are usually pretty rare. All of them were not meant to be saved. After their initial use they were supposed to be returned to the studio or destroyed.

Usually, the older the poster, the rarer it is. Original movie posters usually contain an NSS information tag/paragraph and number. However, this is not always true. There are plenty of original movie posters that do not contain NSS info. To complicate matters, just because a poster has an NSS tagline, NSS number, and a GAU (printer's union) logo, does not necessarily mean it is an original movie poster. There are many fakes and reprints that have this printed on them to make them appear more authentic.

Common standard sizes include: One Sheet 27"x41" or 27"x40", Insert 14"x36", Half Sheet 22"x28", Three Sheet 41"x81", Six Sheet 81"x81", Lobby Card 11"x14", Window Card 14"x22". Measurements on these can vary slightly, but usually by no more than a half inch or so.

Common Reproduction sizes (not original movie posters) are: 24"x36", 20"x30", 11"x17" and anything slightly smaller than a standard size one sheet approx. 26"x39".

The above information applies to U.S. posters. Non U.S. movie posters have different specs/sizes.

Authenticating Original Movie Posters

How can you tell if a movie poster is "original" "real" "authentic"?

How do you know the posters we are selling are real and not reproductions?

Can you tell me if my poster is original?

Please forgive us if we have responded to your email by directing you to this link. We get these questions all the time, often several times a day. We have been handling vintage posters for over 30 years, we know what to look for. We only sell originals! A free Certificate of Authenticity is available for each poster we sell.

Since 2003 this site has been used as a reference by people and businesses from all over the world. We give advice to auction houses, beginning and advanced collectors, memorabilia dealers, home theater designers, and every day poster buyers worldwide. We have helped thousands of people determine whether their posters are originals or reproductions. They constantly use our site for authentication and information. We have written several articles comparing known originals to "fakes". Some titles we have covered include: Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, Revenge of the Jedi, Pulp Fiction, Jaws, Blade Runner, Spider Man, Saving Private Ryan, Scarface, as well as many others.

If we say a vintage poster is "original", you can bet your bottom dollar that it is!

The only way we can possibly tell if your poster is authentic is if you send it to us or if you email us extremely detailed photos of the front and back. Please be advised that we may not be able to give a definitive answer even with detailed photos.

Sorry, but we will no longer give free movie poster authentication and grading tips by phone or by email.

Please do not call and ask us to help you authenticate or grade a poster if you are not willing to send it to us for an evaluation.

We will not authenticate or grade posters over the phone or by email.

We can only help you if you wish to do business with us. If you'd like to send posters to us to authenticate so we can buy them from you or put them on consignment, please do!

If we have it in our possession, we can authenticate it.

Please don't ask us "I saw this other poster for sale from someone else, can you tell me if it is real?" or "Can you tell me how to tell if this poster is real/original?"

We get questions like this several times a day. We honestly just do not have the time to walk people through authenticating a poster.

CLICK HERE FOR OUR APPRAISAL AND AUTHENTICATION SERVICES

A Few Tips For Authenticating Original Movie Posters

There is not one specific thing to look for when determining if a movie poster is original or not. There can be many! All posters are different, and there are different things to look for for each one.

Depending on the poster and what year it is from, here are just some of the things we look for:

What is the exact size in inches?

Where did it come from?

Is it folded or rolled?

If it is from the 1970's-80's, does it have a GAU logo?

Is there an NSS number on the front? Just because a poster has an NSS number on the front does not automatically make it an "original". When a poster is copied/reproduced, the NSS number is often reproduced as well in order make it look more authentic.

Is there an NSS stamp on the back?
Does it "look" and "feel" right? Does it smell right?

What kind of paper is it? matte, flat, glossy, regular paper, cardstock?

Is the print quality acceptable? (blurry or sharp?)

Is it stone or offset lithography?
Is it a popular title with known reproductions?

Are there known reprints or reproductions of it?

Is the artwork slightly cropped?

Does it say PORTAL PUBLICATIONS on the bottom border? (if it does, it is a reproduction with no real value).

Is it "minty white"? Does it look like it was printed yesterday?

Could it possibly be an original "re release" poster?

Is it single or double sided? Just because a poster is double sided does not make it authentic. There are plenty of double sided "fakes" for titles such as Spider-man, The Matrix, The Dark Knight, as well as many others.

Every now and then we come across an old movie poster in great shape that seems too good to be true. One that is very old, unused, and in near pristine condition. Yes, there are Near Mint unused vintage original movie posters. If you look at other collectibles, there are coins, baseball cards and comic books that have survived for over 50 years in Near Mint condition. It doesn't happen often, but it does happen.

People send us photos all the time asking if their posters are original. We usually can't answer definitively UNLESS WE SEE THE ITEM IN PERSON. We have handled many thousands of vintage movie posters over the years. We know what to look for. More than 99% of the time we can determine without a doubt, one way or the other, if a poster is an original or a reproduction.

I'd like to send my posters to you, how do I proceed?

Please also see:

What are your posters worth? Are they original?

Movie Posters: Factors That Determine Value

By David A. Lieberman

The value of a movie poster depends on 6 primary factors; its originality, its rarity, demand, its overall condition, the movie or stars popularity, and its beauty.

ORIGINALITY

Buying movie posters can be a wonderful experience, or it can be a horrific nightmare. There are so many fake and/or reprint posters that appear to be original that sometimes even poster dealers have a hard time determining what is authentic. Yes, there are "fake" posters floating around out there (read more about this below). Most people don't even know they have a fake. Many do know and try to pawn them off to unsuspecting buyers on ebay! Fakes are virtually worthless.

RARITY

Prior to the 1990's, original movie posters were printed in limited quantities. They were supposed to be returned to the studio or destroyed after use. Usually, the older the poster, the rarer it is. . Some sizes of posters are much rarer and thus more valuable than others. In the U.S. for example, very few 3 sheets and 6 sheets were printed thus they are extremely hard to come by compared to the standard issue one sheet for the same title. Reprints and fakes are printed in unlimited quantities, therefore they are not rare.

DEMAND

A poster may be incredibly rare, but that alone does not make it valuable. There has to be demand for it. For example, there are many obscure films from the 1920's and 1930's where almost no material exists. This does not mean that collectors want posters from them or will pay a premium for them. On the other hand, there are some posters that are in abundant supply yet they always sell at a premium because demand for them is high (e.g. Star Wars style A one sheet).

CONDITION

The condition of a poster greatly affects its value. Since many people inaccurately describe and grade their posters it is very easy to get "taken" without actually seeing the poster in person. Any restoration done will also affect value. We accurately describe all our posters and use the grading scale for movie posters developed by Jon Warren.

MOVIE OR STARS POPULARITY

People collect and display things they love. Everyone has their favorite movie and favorite movie stars. A movie or movie stars popularity is one of the determining factors of how collectible and valuable a poster is. Marilyn Monroe and Elvis posters for example usually demand a premium, even for lesser known movies they were in.

BEAUTY

If a movie poster has a great design or beautiful artwork it can significantly increase it's value. One of the best examples of this is the U.S. poster for the Noir film Chinatown.

Several foreign issues have very colorful and incredible artwork, many times surpassing the U.S. version in design quality. For example, the Italian and British version of The Godfather features a profile of Marlon Brando unlike the U.S. version making it highly sought after. The Australian daybill for Halloween is the only poster from the first Halloween movie to actually feature Michael Myers making it extremely collectible and hard to obtain. The From Russia With Love poster from the U.S. can not even compare to the beautiful stone litho French version.

All About Fakes and Reprints

By David A. Lieberman

Movie posters can be found at flea markets, garage sales, local poster shops, and especially on the internet and on Ebay. There are also many FAKES, “generously graded" items, frauds, scam artists, reprints, reissues, reproductions, bootlegs, counterfeits, etc. Yes, these items can be found in your local poster shop! They are CONSTANTLY being pawned off on Ebay to unsuspecting, uneducated buyers. There are MANY people who are not poster experts selling what THEY believe to be an original movie poster. Inaccurate descriptions are quite common. Generally, one only has to worry about blatant fakes for movies released after 1970. Fakes are only known to exist in the insert, half sheet, and one sheet size. REPRODUCTIONS exist for almost all popular titles, but these usually are easily to spot. For example, years ago Portal Publications was a company that reproduced MANY popular older posters. These were licensed, but since some of these are actually 30 to 50 years old some people mistake them for original movie posters. Another example is Suncoast. For years they sold movie posters in their mall stores with labels marked "Original Movie Poster". They were NOT original theater posters, they were printed exclusively for the Suncoast stores. Suncoast was sued because of this false label and has since changed the wording on their label.

Be careful! Reprints, Reproductions, and Fakes are not issued by the studio or NSS for theatrical display. They are not valuable or collectible! They are however found everywhere. At first glance they may appear to be exactly the same as the original. Most however are slightly smaller. They usually come in sizes similar to one sheets or inserts. There are rare instances of posters being reprinted years later by the studio. These usually differ slightly from the real original studio issues. A good example of this is in the early 1980's all the James Bond movie one sheets were reprinted as well as Raiders of the Lost Ark. These constantly turn up on ebay.

There are printers, mostly overseas (some licensed, some not) that copy the real studio issued posters. Sometimes they are marked as reprints, sometimes they aren't. They sell them in bulk mostly to shady U.S. poster dealers. Some dealers correctly advertise and sell them as reprints, some do not. These printers now even print double sided in an attempt to fool the collecting novice. They are usually easy to spot due to subtle differences in size and printing quality, although examples exist that are meant to deceive, including popular titles such as Jaws, all the Star Wars movies, Raiders of the lost Ark, Raging Bull, Apocalypse Now, Taxi Driver, Blade Runner, Scarface, and others. Even some of the newer popular titles like “Spiderman” and “The Matrix” have fakes and reprints. BEWARE!

Reprints or fakes can be very good, many times even fooling experts. This is especially true for many of the popular movies from the 70’s and 80’s. There are also some dealers on ebay (criminals) selling what they claim are originals, KNOWING they are fakes. Believe it or not, some of the dealers even BELIEVE the fake posters are real! Some just look the other way.

These crooks are mainly from ROCHESTER, N.Y. and OKLAHOMA. (There are a few others scattered around the U.S., the U.K., and the rest of the world.) They have even gone as far as setting up a VERY elaborate website to try and prove that their posters are original. The site is full of ridiculous misinformation and blatant lies. Anyone who questions them on the authenticity of one of these fake posters is directed to the web site where a cartoonish looking "Professor Powers" tells you there are no fake movie posters, just different "printings" and/or they are part of a "warehouse find". The web site is pathetic, there is no such person as Professor Powers. It is a well known Rochester NY dealer (or maybe it's the guy from Oklahoma?) with a fake wig and beard. If one was not an expert and did not know any better and one of these dishonest dealers pointed you to this website, you might tend to believe him.

Some of these fraudulent dealers have been around for over 20 years! If you think being a dealer for a long time and having 1000+ positive feedback on ebay makes one honorable….think again. Most people who buy from these "dealers" don’t know they have been ripped off, and they may never find out. Only when they go to sell their fake years later do they find out the bad news.

One of the saddest things (and we see this quite frequently) is when an unknowing collector tries to sell their fake. They absolutely refuse to face reality that their poster is not genuine. They refuse to believe they were ripped off because the dealer they got it from swore up and down that it was real, seemed so nice, knowledgeable, and trustworthy (these are all the elements of a successful thief!!). Their logic is "well, if a DEALER told me it is authentic then it just has to be!!". This is absolutely absurd, but that is just the way some people think.

Beware of "LIGHTLY FOLDED" Star Wars one sheets!! Ebay scam artists are now lightly folding their fake rolled Style A, Style C, and Teaser B one sheets. They are doing this because it makes them appear more authentic. They are having trouble selling these rolled fakes so they are trying this method.

How do these deceitful dealers get away with it? Well, this hobby is unregulated. There are no “poster police”. It truly is “buyer beware”. Ebay has become a haven for criminal activity, and they are unwilling and/or powerless to stop it. Sadly, there is no way for anybody to stop it!

So, how do you tell the difference between real and fake movie posters? See our article below about "Minty White" fake inserts. For more information on the origin of fakes and reprints and how to spot them, please visit learnaboutmovieposters.com. In addition, there are a few chat rooms and message boards on the internet that discuss many of the fake posters in detail.

Even if a poster has an NSS tagline and a GAU logo, it does not guarantee authenticity. There are authorized reproductions of classic 50's and 60's U.S. posters that include these.

Here are just of few of the many titles that have been reprinted or faked over the years. Some are easy to spot, some are not. This list is not complete, it is forever growing:

2001 A Space Odyssey, insert

A Clockwork Orange, insert, British Quad

Alien, insert

Apocalypse Now, insert

Annie Hall, insert and one sheet

Barbarella, one sheet

Blade Runner, one sheet and insert

Breakfast at Tiffany's

Breakfast Club, one sheet

Casino, one sheet

Enforcer, insert and half sheet

Empire Strikes Back, Style A (Gone with the Wind) insert and Style A half sheet

Grease, insert

Goodfellas, one sheet

Halloween, one sheet

The Godfather, one sheet and insert

Jaws, one sheet and insert

Jailhouse Rock, one sheet and insert

Manhattan, one sheet and insert

The Matrix, one sheet

Pulp Fiction, recalled advance and regular issue one sheet

Pretty Woman, one sheet

Raiders of the Lost Ark, one sheet and insert

Raging Bull, one sheet and insert

Revenge of the Jedi, one sheet

Return of the Jedi, insert

Rocky, one sheet

Shaft, one sheet

Shining, insert

Sixteen candles, one sheet

Star Trek, insert

Star Wars style A, one sheet and insert

Star Wars style B Advance Teaser, one sheet

Star Wars style C, one sheet

Star Wars style D, one sheet

Saving Private Ryan, one sheet

Saturday Night Fever, insert

Scarface, one sheet and insert

Spiderman Advance and Regular, one sheet

Shawshank Redemption, one sheet

Taxi Driver, one sheet and insert

Terminator, one sheet

Wall Street, one sheet

LOBBY CARD SETS- There are also a ton of fake lobby card sets from popular movies like Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Jaws, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Goodfellas, Caddyshack, etc., etc..

Here is a list recently compiled by Bruce H (August 2008). It is far from being a complete list...but it is a start:

ALIEN ('79)
ALIENS
ANNIE HALL
BLADE RUNNER
BLAZING SADDLES
BLUE VELVET
BLUES BROTHERS
CADDYSHACK
CASINO
DEER HUNTER
DIRTY DOZEN
EMPIRE STRIKES BACK
ENFORCER ('77)
FISTFUL OF DOLLARS
FOG ('80)
FOOTLOOSE
FOR YOUR EYES ONLY
FRENZY ('72)
GHOSTBUSTERS
GODFATHER II
GOODFELLAS
HARD DAYS NIGHT (1982 RE-RELEASE)
INDIANA JONES & THE TEMPLE OF DOOM
KING KONG ('76)
LIFE OF BRIAN
MAD MAX
MANHATTAN ('79)
MATRIX
MEAN STREETS
MEATBALLS
MIDWAY
MOMMIE DEAREST
MY BLOODY VALENTINE
NATIONAL LAMPOON'S VACATION
NEW YORK NEW YORK
ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST
OUTLAND
PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN: CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (Set of 14)
RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
RED DAWN
RESERVOIR DOGS
RETURN OF THE JEDI
ROBOCOP 2
ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW
SILENCE OF THE LAMBS
SPIDERMAN 2 (SET OF 10)
STAR WARS
STRIPES
TAXI DRIVER
TERMINATOR
TERMINATOR 2
THING ('82)
TOMBSTONE
WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT
WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH

"Minty White" Fake Inserts

By David A. Lieberman

As you can see from the list directly above, there are at least 20 highly collectible titles that have fake inserts. Inserts are printed on card stock and measure 14" x 36". There has been much talk about this topic within the past few years between the top dealers and collectors of movie posters. Every major dealer and name in this hobby has expressed their opinion on this and ALL agree that it is a MAJOR problem. The only ones who believe these inserts are real are the ones who are selling them every week on ebay. They say they are from "a warehouse find". This is total B.S.. They have an endless supply. There are also a select few fake lobby card sets and half sheets. Half Sheets measure 22" x 28" and are also on card stock.

So how do you spot them? Well first of all, as far as anybody has researched, the above titles are the only ones known with confirmed bootlegs. The bootlegs have the NSS info. and GAU markings like the originals. If they are "Minty White" and look brand new like they were printed yesterday........they probably were! If they are glossy on both sides, they are fake. If you see it for sale on ebay for a low "buy it now" price, and this same dealer has been selling them continuously for years.....it is most likely a fake. You can disregard their almost perfect feedback record....it is completely irrelevant. They sell a ton of "real" original posters, but they also sell these fakes continuously. They do not care that they are ruining the hobby. None of the buyers knows they have been burned until it is too late and they have already left positive feedback. These dealers prey on newbies that are unaware that fake posters even exist!!

THE TRUTH BEHIND THESE FAKES: Some time ago, a few ROCHESTER, NEW YORK and OKLAHOMA poster dealers got together and hired a printer to run off thousands of these bogus posters. The printer did not know what he was doing was illegal. Not that it matters anyway because no one would press charges against him. These criminal dealers are counterfeiters, they got away with it, and continue to get away with it!!

If you are the unfortunate owner of one or more of these and you ever try to sell them, you will be lucky if you get more than $5.00 for them. No reputable dealer or knowledgeable buyer will go near them.

How do experts know they are fakes? The major problem with these posters is that they are printed on a type of paper that has never been used to print any other movie poster....ever! They look BRAND NEW. They are glossy on both sides (usually). The cropping, markings, and artwork is sometimes slightly different from known originals when compared side by side. The printing quality is pretty good....but not as good as originals when examined closely.

There were thousands of movies released during the same era (1970's - early 1980's). Other than the above highly collectible titles.......NOT ONE OF THESE COMMON ORDINARY "NOT VERY COLLECTIBLE" TITLES HAS EVER APPEARED ON THE SAME KIND OF PAPER AS THESE OBVIOUSLY FAKE INSERTS. The fact is they are pretty easy to spot, but only if you are familiar with what a real insert looks and feels like.

These same unscrupulous dealers that have an endless supply of these fake inserts also regularly sell fake one sheets including Star Wars Teaser B's, "Hairy Belt" Star Wars Style A's, fake Star Wars Style C's, Bootleg "Miramax stamped" Pulp Fiction, Spiderman "recalled version" ....... as well as many others.

UPDATE: There are also fake "re strike" inserts for many titles. Blade Runner, Jaws, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Scarface are a few of the popular ones. They usually look brand new and are printed on a "minty white" card stock paper. These bootlegs have fooled practically every poster dealer/expert out there, including some of the major auction houses! The quality is superior to most fakes. This is because they come from the same NSS printing facility as the originals. Sometime in the mid to late 1980's (well after the films were released) there was an unauthorized print run for many titles done after hours by some shady employees. They collaborated with some criminal poster dealers/distributors.....and now they are everywhere!!!

If you look carefully at most of the bootleg titles you can see where the artwork is slightly cropped on the outer edges.

Why is the artwork cropped? Why wouldn't the counterfeiters try to reproduce them EXACTLY from the original printing plates? These questions have puzzled movie poster collectors for years. No one really knows why....but we can hypothesize. Maybe the original plates were missing or damaged, and maybe they had to create new plates. Since they came from the same place as the originals (an NSS printing facility), the counterfeiters had all the materials needed to closely recreate them as best they could.

These unauthorized re strikes measure a full 14"x36"....just like the originals.

We call these "unauthorized re strikes". Some call them fakes, some call them bootlegs, some call them counterfeits. Some anonymous guide writers on ebay (these are the guys who are selling them!) are now claiming they are "garbage" runs from the printing facility. They are just trying to make them sound legitimate.

Regardless.....whatever one wishes to call them.....they are NOT original movie posters!! All collectors should avoid these fakes like the plague!!

Since these counterfeits are now over 20 years old, they are starting to age and in some cases are no longer bright white. If not looked at very carefully they can easily be mistaken for an original.

8 factors that will help you to determine if you have a fake/bootleg movie poster:

A fake movie poster may not possess all the characteristics described below, but it will definitely have most of them.

1. Is it "minty white"? Just because a poster looks brand new does not mean it is a fake. It is just the first obvious sign that it is. This must be combined with at least some of the other factors below to confirm it is a fake.

2. Have they been continuously for sale by the same Rochester, NY and Oklahoma dealers for the past 10+ years?

3. Are they slightly blurry when compared to undisputed originals?

4. Is the art work slightly different (slightly cropped) when compared to known originals?

5. Is the suspect title one that is highly collectible?

6. Is it on a glossy type of paper, usually both sides glossy, that has not been used on any other type of movie poster ever? (except for the confirmed 19 or so highly collectible bootlegged titles listed above)

7. Are the overall measurements significantly different than known originals? Bootlegs often are smaller by at least a quarter of an inch or more, but this is not always the case.

8. Did you buy it for a "steal"? If you think you got a great deal by buying a poster on ebay, go back and look at the auction. Was the auction description vague? Did the seller have a lot of feedback? Was he from Rochester or Oklahoma? Was the picture small or blurry? Did a lot of people bid on it? Were they seemingly knowledgeable people judging by their feedback/experience? Was it a "PRIVATE" auction? Dishonest sellers often make their auctions private (you can't see the bidders identities) so honest people can't warn bidders that they are about to be ripped off.

UPDATE: Minty Whites That Aren't Minty White Anymore!!

In June 2007 we acquired a Jaws insert that looked and felt right. It was not "minty white", was not glossy on both sides, and the printing was fantastic. We listed it as an original. We had no reason to believe it wasn't authentic. We have handled a TON of fake inserts....so we know what to look for. This one completely fooled US!! It was originally acquired in 1999 on ebay from a known fake seller in Oklahoma. The paper has aged!! It does NOT look fake anymore!! Someone brought it to our attention and after a little investigating we found out where it originated from. These things are DANGEROUS!!! and as time goes by they are going to look more and more real and fool more and more people. They are ruining the hobby for new collectors. BEWARE!!!

STAR WARS Bootlegs/Restrikes/Fakes

By David A. Lieberman

Tons of fakes exist for the Style A, B, and C one sheets. The Style A insert has also been faked (see above).

Style A Style B Teaser Style C

There DEFINITELY ARE bootlegs/restrikes/fakes/whatever you want to call them. They are always on ebay for sale from a few unscrupulous dealers (the same ones who sell the fake "minty white" inserts, the fake "Miramax stamped" Pulp Fiction advances, as well as others). These dealers WRONGLY advertise them as ORIGINAL movie posters (in fact, they HAVE TO say they are original because ebay policy forbids selling counterfeit items!!). THEY ARE ABSOLUTELY NOT REAL, AUTHENTIC, OR ORIGINAL! They were printed without authorization using the same plates and printed on the same printing press sometime in the mid to late 1980's. I AM 100% CERTAIN OF THIS. They are not "original movie posters". They are of outstanding quality though and they still fool many dealers today. They are exactly the same size and the print quality is almost exactly the same. All of this has been well documented before. In short, in the late 1980's Lucasfilm sued and had a bunch of them destroyed. Some of them (a lot of them!) escaped.

They contain most of the same markings, BUT...there are obvious differences if you compare them side by side. The most notable differences are:

Style A 1sh- bootleg/restrike/fake has a hair on Luke's belt.
Style B 1sh- bootleg/restrike/fake has NO GAU logo on the bottom
Style C 1sh- bootleg/restrike/fake has a hair Leia's back.

The only people on planet earth who believe these posters are authentic originals are the criminals who have been selling them every week on ebay for the past 5 plus years. Most of these dealers for some reason come from Rochester. There is also one in Oklahoma and few in other parts of the U.S. and the rest of the world. They have an endless supply. Since word has spread among knowledgeable dealers and collectors, it has become difficult for them to sell these rolled mint fakes....so what do they do now? They make them appear more authentic by saying they are "theater used". They lightly fold them or put pin holes in the corners. They also have now started linen backing them. They sell these fakes along with thousands of other genuine original real posters from other movies. Their feedback is usually near perfect because those who have been duped HAVE NO IDEA!! They have ripped off thousands of people over the years, these fake posters are everywhere!!

These crooks have even set up an elaborate website with a phony "Professor Powers". Anyone who questions these dealers on the authenticity of their items is told to visit the website where this fictional professor basically says there are no such thing as fakes/bootlegs. The site is a total joke and a complete scam.

Dealers have known about these fakes for quite some time. Some choose to ignore the facts because they paid a lot for them and are still trying to unload them.

The Official Tomart's Price Guide to Worldwide Star Wars Collectibles makes reference to these fakes.......BACK IN 1997! This book was authorized by Lucasfilm. It's author, Steve Sansweet, is an employee of Lucasfilm.

Page 135: "Unfortunately, most of the Star Wars style A, B-advance and C one-sheets being sold widely today are bootlegs (the quality is a little less than perfect, with images a bit more hazy than they should be), as are many Revenge of the Jedi posters and the infamous U.S. Triple Bill poster. The artwork on fake style A posters is slightly smaller than the original, and the "©1977 Twentieth Century-Fox" line directly under the artwork on the left side is flush with the border on the bootleg, rather than being indented about one-eighth inch like the real one. The color is also slightly different. Bootleg style B posters have some smearing around a few of the letters, and the oval union label to the left of center in the bottom border is missing. On style C bootlegs, the faces of the characters have a yellowish cast, rather than the original orange-brown flesh tone."

THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN THE NEW STAR WARS POSTER BOOK PUBLISHED IN 2005 BY LUCASFILM.

On page 289 of this book, it goes into detail describing these unauthorized restrikes.

In early 2005, a genuine rolled mint Style C sold for over $1000.00 on ebay.

In 2004, a genuine rolled Style A sold for $650.00 on ebay. In 2005 we sold one on ebay for over $1500.00!!

In 2004, a genuine rolled Style B sold for $575.00 on ebay.

There are also fakes for "The Empire Strikes Back" and the recalled one sheet for "Revenge of the Jedi". For details on these please see our Star Wars page.

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BEWARE OF FAKE MOVIE POSTERS!!

By David A. Lieberman, written for Ebay Guides

There is a good reason why this is the NUMBER ONE RANKED GUIDE in the Movie Memorabilia category on eBay. People are sick and tired of getting ripped off by shady dealers!

Every major professional movie poster dealer and knowledgeable long time collector knows that there are FAKE movie posters all over Ebay. These are illegally printed non licensed reproductions made with the intent to deceive novice buyers. They are NOT ORIGINAL MOVIE POSTERS and have little if any value. They are from very popular movies (the "good titles", the ones everyone wants).

Some of these bootlegs have been around SINCE THE LATE 1980'S.....FOR OVER 20 YEARS! They are very good quality fakes and often fool some experienced dealers and collectors. Some of the ones you see are from sellers who honestly don't know they are not original, BUT THERE ARE A FEW BAD GUYS who know exactly what they have! They have been selling them to newbies (new, non experienced collectors) for years on ebay and at collector shows. They have an endless supply of these reproductions. Their ebay feedback is great because buyers do not know they have been ripped off (until it is too late). These con artists also sell a lot of authentic material, but a good portion of their sales are of bootleg/fake posters. There is no way for anyone to prove they are fake, so they will be able to continue selling them. There are no "poster police" and the major studios really do not care. If you ask any reputable poster dealer or poster expert that has had the opportunity to closely examine them, they will tell you these are not original movie posters.

These bozos have even gone as far as setting up a SCAM website with a phony "Professor Powers" to help sell their fakes. The "Professor" claims to be a former NSS employee with inside knowledge about movie posters. The "Professor" is not a real person. He is actually a dishonest dealer from Rochester N.Y. with a pathetic looking fake beard and wig. The scam website was built by 2 shady dealers from Rochester (Tom and Ed) with the help of another dishonest dealer in Oklahoma (Rick). It is full of ridiculous lies and misinformation.

Star Wars

THIS INFORMATION CAN ALSO BE FOUND IN THE NEW STAR WARS POSTER BOOK PUBLISHED IN 2005 BY LUCASFILM.

On page 289 of this book, it goes into detail describing exactly what is said below. There ARE bootlegs of Star Wars posters! Don't let any dishonest seller try and tell you otherwise. These bootlegs are of exceptional quality, and to the untrained eye can easily appear authentic. The reason they appear so real is because they were printed from the same plates as the originals, only it was done over 10 years later in the late 1980's! There are very subtle differences, you have to know what to look for or you can easily be fooled.

Look out for "lightly folded" Star Wars style A, B, and C full size 27"x41" one sheets. These are the most counterfeited movie posters in history! To make them appear "theater used", the bad guys have started to fold them because they were having trouble selling them rolled. It makes them appear more authentic if they are folded. Sometimes after they fold them they put pin holes in them and even go as far as getting them linen backed! The style A bootleg will have a small hair on Luke's belt, the style B bootleg will be missing the GAU logo, and the Style C bootleg will have a small hair on Leia's back. If you ask the few unscrupulous dealers who have an endless supply of these (they have been selling them non stop on Ebay since the late 90's) they will try to convince you that they are just a "printing variation" that is common with all movie posters. This is a blatant lie, but to an uninformed new collector it sounds like a reasonable excuse. None of these fakes has EVER come from a theater and none were EVER printed for theater use. These are UNAUTHORIZED RESTRIKES!! (see below). They have been around since the late 80's and they are of excellent quality. These fakes were first documented in The Tomarts' Price Guide to Worldwide Star Wars Collectibles.....back in 1997!!! They are also documented in the new 2005 Star Wars Poster Book. These books are authorized by Lucasfilm. The author is Steve Sansweet who is THE Star Wars collectibles expert and is employed by Lucasfilm. Anyone who tries to convince you that these are authentic original one sheets is just flat out lying to you. They normally sell these fakes for about $100.00. Authentic original ones will typically sell for many hundreds of dollars and sometimes well over $1000.00.

There are also fake "minty white" 14"x36" insert movie posters for Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi (see below).

These bootlegs are now about 20 years old! Some can even look aged/old like an original. There are many thousands in circulation.

Also be wary of Revenge of the Jedi one sheets. These were bootlegged within a few months of the posters initial release/recall back in 1982!! The fakes are now 25 years old, just like the originals!! There are at least 3 different kinds of bootlegs of this one!!

Pulp Fiction etc.

Beware of Pulp Fiction recalled advance one sheets. Real ones are extremely scarce and can sell for over $1000.00. The bad guys had a rubber "PROPERTY OF MIRAMAX FILMS" stamp made and take the common $8.99 reproduction poster and stamp the back of it to make it appear authentic. Real Pulp Fiction advances do not have this stamp. Miramax has NEVER stamped any of their posters!! There are also some other differences between the fake and original (this info. can be found elsewhere). LOOK OUT! The thieves in Rochester have also started selling them for "Buy it Now" $75.00. Sometimes with the ridiculous stamp, sometimes without it.

Also be wary of rolled or lightly folded full size 27"x41" Scarface (regular style U.S.) one sheets. These are some of the best bootlegs out there! These are extremely difficult to spot.

Beware of Friday the 13th one sheets that measure 27"x40" and not a full 27"x41". They are restrikes from the early 1990's.

Beware of Raiders of the Lost Ark one sheets that measure 27"x40" and not a full 27"x41". They are restrikes from the early 1990's.

Beware of Manhattan style B "Bridge" rolled one sheets. They measure a full 27"x41" but most you will find are restrikes.

Beware of FOLDED fake TAXI DRIVER one sheets. These thieves are buying a cheap $10.00 reproduction poster, folding it, and then selling it for $170.00 or more.

What is a Restrike?
A RESTRIKE IS NOT AN ORIGINAL MOVIE POSTER!! They were NOT printed for theater use. They are posters that were printed (usually from the original plates) well after the films release. Usually MANY years after. Sometimes they were authorized by the studio, sometimes they weren't. They were sold to dealers in bulk and also directly to collectors through mail order ads. Sometimes it is very hard to determine whether a poster is an original or a restrike.

Double Sided Bootlegs!
Look out for double sided reproduction/fake one sheets of some current titles including:

Spiderman (recalled Twin Towers style), The Matrix, Saving Private Ryan, The Shawshank Redemption, Star Wars Phantom Menace Episode 1 Teaser.

Yes, there ARE double sided bootlegs out there!! These are of exceptional quality and come from Europe.

"Minty White" Counterfeit 14"x36" Inserts

Beware of "minty white" (like they were printed yesterday) 14"x36" inserts. There are roughly a few dozen popular titles from the 70's and early 80's that have fake bootleg inserts. Some of the titles include Star Wars, Empire Strikes Back, Jaws, Taxi Driver, The Godfather, Raiders of the Lost Ark, A Clockwork Orange, Alien, Star Trek, Blade Runner, Scarface, etc.. These minty whites are constantly available from the same sellers for about $70.00 to $100.00. If you question them they claim they are part of a "warehouse find". The truth is that some unscrupulous dealers from Rochester N.Y. and Oklahoma got together some years ago and illegally printed thousands of them. They have been flooding the market with them ever since. If you buy one and compare it side by side with a known original, you will have no doubt it is not real. In addition to being minty white, there are other factors like paper and print quality that prove they are fake.

UPDATE: Minty Whites That Aren't Minty White Anymore!!

In June 2007 we acquired a Jaws insert that looked and felt right. It was not "minty white", was not glossy on both sides, and the printing was fantastic. We listed it as an original, we had no reason to believe it wasn't. We have handled a TON of fake/repro inserts....so we know what to look for. This one completely fooled US!! It was originally acquired about 6-7 years ago on ebay from a known fake/repro seller in Oklahoma. The paper has aged!! It does NOT look new anymore!! Someone brought it to our attention and after a little investigating we found out where it originated from. It is certainly not from the original release in 1975, we believe it is a restrike from the 1980's. These things are DANGEROUS!!! and as time goes by they are going to look more and more real and fool more and more people. They are ruining the hobby for new collectors. BEWARE!!!

"Minty White" Counterfeit 11"x14" Lobby Card Sets

Beware of "minty white" lobby card sets from popular titles from the 70's and 80's (see list above). These are very easy for the bootleggers to reproduce because of their small size. Believe it or not, they have even started printing sets that have never before existed! A good example of this is the U.S. "Halloween" lobby card set. There were NO U.S. lobby cards produced for this movie, so someone in Rochester, N.Y. decided to make their own!!

Please note: This guide has not mentioned every title that there are fake posters for! There are plenty of others that are not listed here. Also, just because a poster appears new and minty white does not mean it is a fake. There are plenty of older posters that have survived in this condition.

Since many of these bootlegs have been around now for quite a few years, some are now starting to be sold again on ebay from the original duped buyers. They honestly don't know they have fake posters and they are inadvertently ripping off new buyers!

Who are the ones selling these fakes?
We can't say here (and please don't email us asking who they are). All we can say is beware of certain dealers. With a little detective work outside of Ebay you can easily find out exactly who they are. There are movie poster forums, movie poster chat rooms, and other places that discuss everything about movie posters and you can find the answers there.

Where do they come from?

As we said above, many of the fakes come from Rochester N.Y. and from Oklahoma.

If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

Guide created: 07/16/06 (updated 08/15/07)

Caring for Movie Posters

By David A. Lieberman

There have been many articles on this subject so I will only touch on it briefly. If you are going to display a vintage poster, linen backing and then framing it is the best way. Not all posters need linen backing however, but if it is an older poster and you wish to preserve it, it is a good idea. If you are not going to linen back it, it should be framed with acid free backing and UV filtered Plexiglas. Do not use glass. Glass can stick to the face of a poster over time. Do not have your poster dry mounted to foam core as many collectors believe this to be undesirable.

If you collect posters and you do not wish to frame all of them, storing them can become a challenge. The preferred method for rolled posters would be flat, but this is not feasible for everyone so the next best thing is to store them rolled, but NOT in cardboard tubes. The acid from cardboard can age/yellow a poster. Plastic tubes are fine. Some say that over time fumes from PVC tubes can stain posters. We keep our rolled posters wrapped in plastic bags and insert them into open tubes and keep them out of the light to help prevent aging/yellowing. Rolled posters should be stored STANDING UP if possible. If a rolled poster is stored lying down, over time it may sag and waves can develop.

For long term storage of folded posters we keep them in Mylar bags with acid free backing, NOT REGULAR CARDBOARD.

Folding and unfolding posters can cause excessive wear on the fold lines and possibly cause separations. Try not to unfold your stored posters.

Light Box Displays look great in home theatres, however they can fade posters over time and ruin their value. Do not put expensive posters in them.

Cheap Framing

By David A. Lieberman

If you have a lot of posters, displaying them can cost a small fortune. All acid free materials should be used. Never use Glass. Glass can stick to the face of the poster over time. Never use regular cardboard for backing as it is very acidic and will stain/yellow a poster over time.

The following is a cheap, safe way to frame your posters and they are easy to remove and replace with others as desired. This is the method we use in our showroom.

Buy foam core and Plexiglas, these should be available at a wholesale plastics or framing supplier. Be sure to ask for acid free foam core.

They come in 4' x 8' sheets. Foam cor is about $8.00/sheet. It comes in black and white, but black looks really good if you plan on leaving borders. Buy non glare Plexiglas one sixteenth of an inch thick for about $35.00/sheet. UV filtered sheets cost quite a bit more ($60.00 to $80.00). If your poster is valuable, don't skimp! Get the UV filtered!.

Cut foam core and plastic about 2 to 3 inches larger than the poster on all sides. The plastic supplier should be able to cut the plastic for you for a nominal price.

You can frame 3 one sheets from a 4' x 8' sheet of Plexiglas.

Use small office paper binder clips to hold it all together. This works surprisingly well!! You can remove the steel handles from the clips after you put them on for a much cleaner look.

Now, how do you hang it? On the top border in the middle about 1 inch from the top of the Plexiglas, mount on the back a picture hanger. You will have to drill through the Plexiglas and fome cor 2 small holes to do this. You can buy the picture hanger at Home Depot and mount it to the back with tiny screws you will also have to buy.

To frame a one sheet costs less than $20.00. If you use UV filtered Plexiglas it costs about $35.00. It is well protected and the poster will not slide/move at all. It is very light weight and sturdy enough to hang. I've done all sizes including 3 sheets and French One Panels and they look fantastic!!!

Tips on Framing

By David A. Lieberman

The right frame is very important for preserving your original valuable movie posters. NEVER use glass! Glass can stick to the face of a poster over time. Even if the framer uses a mat the poster will almost always touch the glass in the middle. You should use UV filtered Plexiglas to help prevent fading. We prefer the non glare kind.

For backing, use archival all ACID FREE materials like acid free foam core. NEVER use cardboard as a backing because it is acidic and can cause yellowing.

For linen backed posters: Never trim the linen right up to the edge of the poster. Always leave at least a half inch or more border all the way around the poster.

DO NOT EVER HAVE YOUR POSTERS MOUNTED TO FOAM CORE!

DO NOT TRUST YOUR LOCAL FRAMER!

We get several phone calls every year from frantic collectors saying that their framer has just ruined their poster.

The first thing a framer usually wants to do is dry mount a poster to foam core. Never let your framer mount it to foam core! It will be considered ruined by the collecting community and VERY difficult to sell. Dry mounting is a permanent process that is extremely difficult if not impossible to undo. If your framer insists that it will be fine, turn around and walk out of the shop. If your framer says that he won't mount it, and then does it anyway.....tell him you want to be reimbursed for the full value of the poster because it is now ruined.

Never let your framer use ANY kind of tape, or sticky spray, or ANYTHING WHATSOEVER to secure your poster to the backing. Not even removable tape and not even acid free tape. THE POSTER SHOULD SIT LOOSELY IN THE FRAME.

THE POSTER SHOULD SIT LOOSELY IN THE FRAME.

You need to take charge with your framer! Do not be afraid! It is your poster. Threaten them if you have to.

We offer archival museum quality frames here.

About Autographs

By David A. Lieberman

Rarely do we sell movie posters that have autographs. A few years ago, the FBI released a study suggesting that up to 80% of celebrity autographs for sale are fake. Even many for sale in high end "reputable" galleries were found to be fake. It is next to impossible to verify an autograph, and it is extremely difficult to get cast members from classic films to jointly sign a poster. Modern era posters are the exception, but these are so easy to fake that finding authentic ones is a virtual nightmare.

We are certain that most celebrity autographs that you see today are just not genuine. When we see "cast" signed movie posters on Ebay, we just cringe. We can assure you that 99% of them are totally fake. Our customers often send us these posters that come with Certificates of Authenticity. We just have to roll our eyes and explain to them that a C.O.A. in today's world means absolutely nothing. "But they have great feedback on ebay, so how can they be selling fakes?" Good feedback on ebay does not guarantee that a seller is selling genuine items. This is a cold hard fact that many people find out too late, usually years later when they try to re-sell the item. Our professional reputation and credibility is far more important to us then the proceeds from the sale of questionable autographs. Occasionally though, we come across an autographed poster where everything points to it being genuine and we can guarantee its authenticity.

Linen Backing: A Method of Poster Conservation

Linen backing can dramatically improve the overall appearance of a poster and it can substantially increase its value. It is an archival poster conservation method where the poster is de-acidified and museum mounted with wheat paste onto acid free Japanese rice paper and adhered to canvas. This process provides stability and prevents possible deterioration. It smoothes and flattens out waves and wrinkles and makes creases and folds much less noticeable (sometimes invisible). If needed, restoration can then be done. Stains can be removed, tears can be repaired, paper can be replaced, and fold lines can be touched up. Almost any flaw can be fixed so you would never know it was there. Once linen backed, a poster is easier to handle, is ready for framing, or it may be rolled for shipping. If not framing a linen backed poster, we recommend storing it flat and not rolled. Should a linen backed poster sustain physical damage in the future, removal of the poster is possible. This cannot be said for most other preservation methods. Framing a poster that has already been linen backed is cheaper than framing one that hasn't been.

When a poster has been linen backed and/or restored, grading the item can be difficult. A poster that was in poor condition could have extensive restoration and appear to be in near mint condition. Only an expert would be able to tell how much restoration was done. If a poster we have has had any restoration, we describe its condition before and after whenever possible.

The value of an expertly restored linen backed poster is enhanced because the poster looks better, will age far less, and is much EASIER TO FRAME. If a poster is linen backed by a less talented restorer, the poster's value is often lessened. The restoration is often noticeable, it often ages poorly, and can be very expensive to reverse.

Buying linen backed posters is a double-edged sword. The plus side is that the poster almost surely looks great (because the restorer almost surely corrected the poster's flaws during the linen backing process) and the poster is now far easier (and far less expensive) to frame, but the down side is that some restorers are so talented that it can be extremely difficult to tell how much restoration a poster has had.

Linen backing is not absolutely necessary for most posters, but for a valuable one it is a good idea because it helps to preserve it.

Mounting a poster to foam core is not the same as linen backing. It is next to impossible to reverse the process and most experts consider the poster "damaged".

For posters on cardboard stock like U.S. inserts, lobby cards, and half sheets, PAPER BACKING (see below) is the method of conservation preferred by most professionals BUT ONLY IF THE POSTER IS IN VERY BAD CONDITION. Some poster collectors would never mount a cardboard stock poster to anything at all under any condition.

We have our posters linen backed (and restored if needed) by paper conservation professionals. The people we use are world renowned and considered to be the best in the business. If any restoration is done it is usually very minor and involves touching up the fold lines to make them less noticeable. This can actually increase the value.

WHAT IS PAPER BACKING?
When a poster has been "paperbacked" it means it has been professionally mounted onto a piece of high quality Japanese rice paper, and then onto a piece of acid-free backing board. During this process, almost all of the posters defects have been corrected (or greatly minimized), and if the backing was done by a talented professional, the poster looks great (some say "mint"). THIS IS A PROCESS SIMILAR TO "LINEN BACKING", but some collectors choose paper backing instead, usually for those size posters (inserts, half-sheets, and window cards) where the poster remains in a form similar to how it was when it was unbacked (this is personal choice and not a matter of right or wrong).

For more information, please see our linen backing page.

Linen Backing and Restoration: How Does It Affect Value?

By David A. Lieberman

Linen backing is NOT recommended for newer posters, double sided posters, or for older rolled posters that are still in Near Mint Condition and need no restoration.

For older folded posters: If you don't like fold lines and/or it is not in what you consider "displayable condition", and you purchased it mainly to display and enjoy, and you are not very concerned about its "investment potential", then we recommend you go ahead and have it linen backed and preserved. If you are a die hard movie poster investor/collector, you may want to think twice about having an EX C8 or better condition poster backed. There is a belief among some investor/collectors that EX C8 or better unrestored posters will command a premium over restored/linen backed posters.

If a rare poster has some unsightly flaws, linen backing and restoring it will most likely increase it's value.

If a rare poster is in EX C8 condition or better with no real major unsightly flaws, linen backing will either have almost no affect on its value or slightly decrease its value. This really depends on how rare the poster is.

There are two types of buyers of vintage movie posters: collectors and non collectors. A non collector buys just one or a few posters for a home theater, a gift, or whatever. At least 50% of our sales are to non collectors. We have found that non collectors generally prefer linen backed posters. Most true "Collectors" of vintage movie posters would prefer an unrestored poster over a restored one. Most of these collectors still collect linen backed posters however because many titles are so rare and few have survived in great condition.

The bottom line: Linen backed posters sell better than non linen backed posters because they appeal to both collectors and non collectors. In most cases, you can't go wrong if you have your poster linen backed.

Can linen backing be reversed? No, not really. Some linen backers will tell you it is a reversible process, but it really isn't. If for any reason a poster needs to be removed from linen (i.e. the initial linen backing was poorly done) the poster will almost always have to be mounted again.

Please keep in mind that all linen backers are NOT created equal. We have seen some horrible results from those that claimed to be professionals but obviously weren't. DO NOT LET YOUR LOCAL FRAME SHOP ATTEMPT TO DO IT!

For more information, please see our linen backing page.

Photographing Posters

By David A. Lieberman

You do not need to be a professional photographer, nor do you need any expensive special equipment to get great results.

Here is the best way to take digital photos of movie posters:

Use a 5 mega pixel or better camera. Natural light is the key. Do it outside, on a nice sunny day, not on a windy day. Do it in a place where you won't be disturbed and away from your pets. Place the poster on a sheet or rug on the ground IN THE SHADE, NOT IN DIRECT SUNLIGHT. If it needs it, put books or something on the corners of the poster to hold it down flat. Try not to cover any important details like NSS info. or any flaws the poster may have. Set the camera on a "CLOUDY DAY" setting with NO FLASH. Hold the camera directly over the middle of the poster about 4 to 5 feet from it and take the pictures. Hold the camera closer if you need close ups of a certain area. They should come out perfect this way.

If they need a little editing, you can crop them, adjust brightness/contrast, and resize them in a photo editing software program. We use Paint Shop Pro.

Buying From Auction Houses, What You Need to Know

By David A. Lieberman

When major auction houses like Christie's or Sotheby's hold an auction featuring movie posters, they usually attract some of the rarest and most desired items out there. There are a few things you should consider though before consigning or buying from them. They are so big that they can and DO get away with murder.

For Consignors:

● Consignment fee can be up to 30% of the final bid price.

● Usually your items will be auctioned at NO RESERVE, which means they may sell

for a fraction of what you think they are worth.

● There may be other hidden fees in addition to the consignment fee.

● Once you consign the poster to them it may be 6 months or more before

they hold the auction and even longer until you get paid.

For Buyers:

● Buyer premiums can add up to 20% or more to your final bid price.

● There may be hidden fees i.e. sales tax.

● There may be NO CHANCE of returning the item if you are unhappy with it.

● Outrageous shipping costs in many cases, sometimes well over

$100.00 to ship a single unframed poster.

● Photos on line and in catalogs may have been digitally touched up/altered,

in many cases disguising defects.

● For restored/linen backed posters, their descriptions can sometimes be

vague and misleading.

● Confirmed cases of shilling and/or auction house employees bidding on items.

● Their grading can be VERY generous.

Revenge of the Jedi

By David A. Lieberman

This poster along with the Star Wars style A are the most copied, commemorated, and counterfeited movie posters in history.

There are at least four different bootlegs/reprints of the "Revenge of the Jedi Teaser Advance One Sheet". We know of three different bootlegs of the dated version, and one of the "NO DATE" version.

There were two original versions of the Revenge of the Jedi Teaser Advance One Sheet printed in 1982. Both versions are documented on the Lucasfilm authorized 1985 Official Star Wars Checklist poster. The first "NO DATE" version was printed only once and was issued exclusively to movie theaters. This version was issued early on before 20th Century Fox had a release date for the film, so the poster does not have "Coming May 25, 1983 to your galaxy." at the bottom. This version is much, much rarer than the second poster with the date. Both posters were issued rolled and folded.

The Official Star Wars Checklist poster states that there were only a small handful of the "NO DATE" posters made, then Fox decided on a release date for the film, and a second version of the poster WITH THE DATE was printed. Shortly after the second poster was printed Lucas decided to change the title to "Return of the Jedi", and the poster was recalled/pulled from advertising use. Lucas took the remaining left over stock WITH THE DATE and issued them for purchase through the Star Wars fan club directly to collectors.

According to the L.A. Times, quoting Kelly Miller (national advertising production manager at 20th Century Fox at the time), there were about 8800 Revenge of the Jedi posters printed. 6800 of these went to the Star Wars fan club where they were sold for $9.50 each. The Times did not say how many were dated and how many were undated, but other sources have speculated that only about 200 (some say less than 100) of the "NO DATE" version were printed.

Because of all the fakes out there, it is EXTREMELY difficult to find a REAL one. We have handled dozens over the years so we know exactly what to look for. The first bootlegs appeared early on in 1983, just a few months after they were recalled. These bootlegs are more than 20 years old now. Many people who have them are convinced that their bootlegs are real because they got them so long ago around the time of the films release. We have people sending us these fakes constantly for authentication. It is terrible having to break the news to them.

Since there are at least four different bootlegs it is hard for most people to tell if they have an original. One of the first bootlegs was copied from a folded poster so the fold lines are evident. Some smart counterfeiters then folded these to try and pass them off as real. Many times the fold lines don't match up. Other bootlegs are undersized. Another version has a lighter area on the bottom right corner described as "clouds" by some people. All bootlegs are on different paper and the colors and sharpness are "off". For an expert, when compared side by side with a known original, they are easy to spot.

This poster ranks right up there with the Star Wars Mylar and Happy Birthday one sheets, as well as holding its own against the original Concert poster. If you can find a real one it is well worth cherishing.

The following article could just as easily have been written about fake/bootleg movie posters that are sold on ebay.

Seeing Fakes, Angry Traders Confront Ebay

By Katie Hafner, The New York Times. January 29, 2006

SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 28 — A year ago Jacqui Rogers, a retiree in southern Oregon who dabbles in vintage costume jewelry, went on eBay and bought 10 butterfly brooches made by Weiss, a well-known maker of high-quality costume jewelry in the 1950's and 1960's.

At first, Ms. Rogers thought she had snagged a great deal. But when the jewelry arrived from a seller in Rhode Island, her well-trained eye told her that all of the pieces were knockoffs.

Even though Ms. Rogers received a refund after she confronted the seller, eBay refused to remove hundreds of listings for identical "Weiss" pieces. It said it had no responsibility for the fakes because it was nothing more than a marketplace that links buyers and sellers.

That very stance — the heart of eBay's business model — is now being challenged by eBay users like Ms. Rogers who notify other unsuspecting buyers of fakes on the site. And it is being tested by a jewelry seller with far greater resources than Ms. Rogers: Tiffany & Company, which has sued eBay for facilitating the trade of counterfeit Tiffany items on the site.

If Tiffany wins its case, not only would other lawsuits follow, but eBay's very business model would be threatened because it would be nearly impossible for the company to police a site that now has 180 million members and 60 million items for sale at any one time.

Of course, fakes are sold everywhere, but the anonymity and reach of the Internet makes it perfect for selling knockoffs. And eBay, the biggest online marketplace, is the center of a new universe of counterfeit with virtually no policing.

EBay, based in San Jose, Calif., argues that it has no obligation to investigate counterfeiting claims unless the complaint comes from a "rights owner," a party holding a trademark or copyright. A mere buyer who believes an item is a fake has almost no recourse.

"We never take possession of the goods sold through eBay, and we don't have any expertise," said Hani Durzy, an eBay spokesman. "We're not clothing experts. We're not car experts, and we're not jewelry experts. We're experts at building a marketplace and bringing buyers and sellers together."

Company officials say they do everything they can to stop fraud. The company says only a minute share of the items being sold at any given time — 6,000 or so — are fraudulent. But that estimate reflects only cases that are determined by eBay to be confirmed cases of fraud, like when an item is never delivered.

Experienced eBay users say that the fraud goes well beyond eBay's official numbers, and that counterfeiters easily pass off fakes in hundreds of categories.

"EBay makes a lot of money from a lot of small unhappy transactions," said Ina Steiner, the editor and publisher of AuctionBytes.com, an online newsletter. "If you've lost a few thousand dollars, you might go the extra mile to recover it. But if you've lost $50 or $20 you may never be able to prove your case, and in the meantime eBay has gotten the listing fee and the closing fee on that transaction."

The Tiffany lawsuit, in addition to accusing eBay of facilitating counterfeiting, also contends that it "charges hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees" for counterfeit sales.

In 2004, Tiffany secretly purchased about 200 items from eBay in its investigation of how the company was dealing with the thousands of pieces of counterfeit Tiffany jewelry. The jeweler found that three out of four pieces were fakes.

The case will go to trial by the end of this year, said James B. Swire, an attorney with Arnold & Porter, a law firm representing Tiffany. The legal question — whether eBay is a facilitator of fraud — is a critical issue that could affect not only eBay's future but Internet commerce generally, said Thomas Hemnes, a lawyer in Boston who specializes in intellectual property.

"If eBay lost, or even if they settled and word got out that they settled, it would mean they would have to begin policing things sold over eBay, which would directly affect their business model," Mr. Hemnes said. "The cost implied is tremendous."

But eBay members like Ms. Rogers have little desire to wait for court decisions; they say that the uncontrolled flood of fakes is driving down the value of the authentic goods.

For the past few months, Ms. Rogers and three women she met on eBay who are also costume jewelry buffs have banded together to track the swindlers they say are operating in their jewelry sector. "People have faith that eBay will take care of them, but it doesn't," Ms. Rogers said. "EBay has done nothing."

Carrie Pollack, who sells jewelry from her home in Sudbury, Mass., and is part of Ms. Rogers's group, said an authentic Weiss brooch of good quality could command $150. But she said the profusion of counterfeits had confused the market and diluted the value of such a pin to as little as $30.

"It's a situation that's facing all of us in the jewelry world, and I suspect other decorative arts as well," said Joyce Jonas, an antique jewelry specialist in New York. "It's totally out of control."

Over the past few months Ms. Rogers and her team have reported to eBay more than a thousand jewelry listings they believe to be fakes; only a few listings have been removed.

The women say that by watching the listings they have uncovered a ring of a half-dozen or so counterfeiters, most of them living in Rhode Island within a few miles of one other. They say the sellers supply one another with fake jewelry, conceal the fact that they are buying from one another to boost their seller status, and regularly dole out positive feedback to each other to fool potential buyers.

Ms. Pollack was unaware of the abundance of counterfeit pieces on eBay when she paid $360 for what she thought were genuine pieces of Weiss jewelry. She demanded a refund from the seller, who refused.

Ms. Pollack said it wasn't until she filed a formal complaint with PayPal, eBay's online payment system, that the seller offered to refund her money. Since then, she has sent eBay officials a raft of evidence pointing out the presence of the counterfeits, including an independent appraisal from Gary L. Smith, a gemologist in Montoursville, Pa., who declared the five brooches Ms. Pollack sent him to be unmistakable fakes.

This reporter, too, sent a butterfly brooch with "Weiss" stamped on the back, purchased for $12.99 recently from one of the alleged counterfeiters, to Mr. Smith. He determined that there was nothing vintage about it — certainly not the very new glue used to hold in the glass stones. (In a subsequent phone conversation, the seller, Garnet Justice, who lives in Leesburg, Ind., said she had "no idea" whether the pin was authentic, and offered a full refund.)

Antoinette Matlins, another gemologist, also purchased five vintage pieces from the sellers tracked by Ms. Rogers's group to determine their authenticity. She found them to be cheap knockoffs worth less than 10 percent of their sale prices.

But she was not surprised. Whether online or off, she said, "fraud is rampant in any venue where you are looking for a steal."

EBay's feedback system that allows buyers to post negative reviews of bad sellers is supposed to protect customers like Ms. Pollack. Yet all of the alleged counterfeiters had consistently positive ratings.

Ms. Steiner of AuctionBytes.com said this situation was not uncommon. Buyers and sellers are often reluctant to leave bad reviews, lest their own reputations suffer.

EBay does not allow members to contact other potential buyers to warn them of possible fraud. Otherwise, said Mr. Durzy, it would be too easy for someone to try to ruin the reputation of a legitimate rival.

Ms. Rogers said she had no qualms about breaking the rules by contacting buyers about fakes she spots. In November, she even put up a listing that advertised a fake Christmas tree brooch from Eisenberg Ice, a vintage costume jewelry maker, just to make people aware of the fraud.

"The reason I am doing this is because eBay won't," the listing read. "Let's stop this madness — these fakes are pushing down the price of authentic jewelry."

"The frustrating part is that eBay just stands back and lets these people make thousands and thousands of dollars" while taking a fee for each transaction, Ms. Rogers said. (The company's profits rose 36 percent in the last quarter from the year before, to $279.2 million.)

After the spectacular case in 2000 when a fake Richard Diebenkorn painting was nearly sold for $135,000 on eBay, the company put in place a handful of safeguards, like the PayPal buyer protection plan, an improved system for spotting eBay policy violations, and improved detection of fraud in general. But when it comes to counterfeit goods, the problem has gotten worse.

Artwork is particularly vulnerable to counterfeiting. "The majority of things that appear on eBay are fakes," said Joel Garzoli, an art gallery owner in San Rafael, Calif.

Mr. Durzy argued that "if we began to automatically pull listings for things reported to us as fake, we could be pulling listings that are legitimate." He added that the company had to rely on trademark owners to "tell us something is counterfeit." Yet trademark owners like Tiffany say they have gotten no relief.

Ms. Rogers and her team say their efforts may be working. The number of bids on the fake vintage jewelry pieces has dropped sharply since they went into action, they say. Nonetheless, the seller who sold Ms. Pollack the knockoff is still in business and recently put up for sale a "beautiful Weiss brooch with lots of sparkle and shine." Starting bid: $9.99.

Re-Strikes

By David A. Lieberman

One of the "dirty little secrets" in the movie poster business are Re-Strikes. They are posters that were printed by NSS (or directly by the studio) for poster dealers (or for other purposes) after a movies original release (sometimes many years after). Sometimes they were authorized, sometimes they weren't. There are inserts as well as one sheets. May differ slightly or be EXACTLY the same as the first NSS printing. Are they ORIGINAL? IN OUR OPINION THEY ARE NOT ORIGINAL MOVIE POSTERS!! Usually you can tell it is not, but sometimes it is impossible to tell!! Usually the quality is identical to the originals. This is a very grey area because they come directly from NSS/the studio. There were many Re-Strikes for popular 70's and 80's movies (see list below).

Because of all the Re-Strikes for these popular titles, finding an original for these can be quite a challenge.

There were actually price lists available from NSS in the 1980's for dealers to buy posters! And, if someone had enough money and wanted 2000 one sheets of a title like "Blade Runner" and had the right connections, they could order them!

Some known Re-Strike one sheets:

Star Wars Styles A, B, and C

Jaws

Blade Runner

Raiders of the Lost Ark

Raging Bull

Fast Times at Ridgemont High

The Rocky Horror Picture Show

Pulp Fiction

Manhattan

Friday the 13th

Please note that this is not a complete list.

Pulp Fiction Advance One Sheet: Beware of Bootlegs

By David A. Lieberman

THE REAL ONE THE BOOTLEG

The Advance One Sheet for PULP FICTION was recalled due to a dispute with Lucky Strike (a Lucky Strike cigarette pack appears on this poster). There are a ZILLION licensed AND unlicensed reprints/bootlegs of this one sheet, always on ebay being sold as originals when they are not. They were printed soon after the recall so they have been around just as long as the original, fooling many collectors and dealers. THESE ARE NOT ORIGINAL MOVIE POSTERS, THEY ARE REPRODUCTIONS. Some (not all) of the bootlegs have been stamped on the back with an authentic looking "Miramax" stamp. Some bozo in Rochester N.Y. got the bright idea of putting a Miramax stamp on them to try and make them appear more authentic. The problem is that MIRAMAX HAS NEVER PUT A STAMP ON ANY MOVIE POSTER. THIS IS A COLD HARD FACT!! See if you can find another Miramax film with a stamp on the back of its poster....you can't. And, these "Miramax stamped" bootlegs are IDENTICAL to the reproduction poster. The printing quality is also very poor when compared side by side with a known original.

The original measures EXACTLY 27 1/8" x just over 40" and the paper is on a heavier stock than the bootleg/repro. If you look closely at the top edge of the original poster there are white "crackles". On the bootleg these are cut off slightly. Also, on the bootleg there are white "specks" on Uma's cleavage. The bootleg is smaller and measures exactly 26 7/8" x 39 13/16".

BEWARE OF FAKE SCARFACE ONE SHEETS and INSERTS

There are a TON of fake Scarface US one sheets out there. They usually appear rolled and have been sold on Ebay continuously by the same criminals for years. They have recently been folding them to make them appear more authentic. There are very subtle differences, but a fake is easy to spot if you know what to look for. The quality is SPECTACULAR!! Even many professional dealers have been deceived. If one doesn't know what to look for, they can easily be fooled.

On the fakes, the printer's "L" shaped guide/hash marks are missing from all four corners and from the top center. This is the easiest way to spot them.

The paper on the fakes is slightly thicker, slightly whiter, and slightly glossier than the originals. It just doesn't feel right. We have handled hundreds (yes, hundreds!) of originals and these fakes are just not the same. The exact size of the fakes are either 26 15/16" x 40 7/8" or exactly 27" x just over 41". Real Scarface one sheets measure exactly 27 1/16" x 41".

The gold ink around the title letters is slightly brighter on the original. On the top left corner of the fake there is a little splotch of black ink on the black corner.

The guys who sell the fakes will tell you they are just a different printing or they are a "printing abnormality" or something similar. They will deny they are selling bootlegs until the end of time, and frankly, there is no way anyone can prove they are lying. All knowledgeable dealers and long time collectors know better. They know which dealers on ebay to stay away from. These guys have an endless supply. If it looks too good to be true, it probably is.

The fake one sheets originated in Europe and come from the same bootlegger responsible for the fake Spiderman recalled US one sheets. He sells them in bulk to dishonest dealers all over the world. The fake 14" x 36" inserts come from the minty white guys in Rochester. Please see our articles page for more details on these fake inserts.

In the top two photos, the original is shown on top of the fake. On the bottom left is the fake, and on the right is the original. Please click on images for extreme close ups.

BEWARE OF FAKE JAWS INSERTS!

There are FAKE Jaws inserts. They are ALL OVER eBay! They usually appear "minty white" like new and have been sold by the same unscrupulous sellers since the mid 1990's. The quality is FANTASTIC! This is because they are unauthorized restrikes printed by NSS in the mid to late 1980's (long after the film was in theaters). In mid 2007 we got burned on one. These "minty whites" are starting to age and in some cases are no longer bright white, and if not looked at very carefully can be mistaken for an original.

There are two kinds of originals, with and without the PG ratings box. The version with the ratings box has no known convincing bootlegs, the version without the ratings box is the one that has a minty white knockoff.

The fake insert has cropped artwork. In the original (without the ratings box) the shark is "longer" and you can see a series of more bubbles on the lower right. Also, most of the fakes have a "hair" - flaw that is to the right and below of the swimmer.

Picture of original with ratings box. Another picture.

Picture of original without ratings box.

Picture of "minty white" unauthorized restrike/bootleg.

BEWARE OF FAKE BLADE RUNNER INSERTS AND ONE SHEETS

There are fake "re strike" inserts for many titles. Blade Runner is one of them. (Jaws, Star Wars, The Empire Strikes Back, and Scarface are a few of the other popular ones). They usually look brand new and are printed on a "minty white" card stock paper. This bootleg has fooled practically every poster dealer/expert out there, including some of the major auction houses! The quality is superior to most fakes. This is because it came from the same NSS printing facility as the originals. Sometime in the mid to late 1980's there was an unauthorized print run done after hours by some shady employees. They collaborated with some criminal poster dealers/distributors.....and now they are everywhere!!!

If you look carefully at the two photos you can see where the artwork is slightly cropped on the outer edges of the re strike/bootleg.

Regardless.....whatever one wishes to call them.....they are NOT original movie posters!! All collectors should avoid these fakes like the plague!!

Here is a fake/reproduction one sheet for Blade Runner. Notice that it does have all the NSS info. at the bottom. It is rolled, undersized at 26 5/8" x 39". Real ones measure a full 27" x 41".

I Have Some Old Movie Posters and I'm Thinking of Selling Them: What Can I Expect?

By David A. Lieberman

You have a collection of posters and you'd like to find out more about them and possibly sell them and get the best possible price.

This is what usually happens: When a group of posters is sent to us for evaluation, usually 50-60% of them have little if any value, 20-30% have some real value, and about 10% are very valuable.

Please realize that there are many movie posters that are just not worth a lot. Just because something is old does not make it very valuable.

Please also be aware that many non U.S. posters are not very valuable and often do not sell for much when they are auctioned. Sometimes they do sell for a lot, but sometimes they don't.

If your posters have unattractive defects like tape, stains, holes, etc., the value of them will be severely diminished (in most cases).

If your collection was compiled over the years by a person with discerning taste, most of the posters will likely have significant value.

If you have Disney rerelease posters from the 70's and 80's or Disney titles from not very popular films from the 60s, 70s and 80's, DO NOT SEND THEM to us. We do not want them. They usually sell for very little when they are auctioned. Plenty of them are out there and there is very little demand for them.

"You said my poster is "low value" (it would likely sell for $5.00 to $20.00 if it were auctioned with no reserve) but you have the same one listed for a lot on your website. I do not understand."

Please understand that this is a retail website and we sell posters for profit to make a living. Just because we have a poster listed for $200.00 does not mean that we will offer you $100.00 for it. Many posters that we have listed under $200.00 can generally be bought by us from wholesalers, at auctions, and from other sources for considerably less. That is just the way it is. We would not be in business very long selling low value posters for 2x or 3x mark up. Sorry, but we will not go into detail and reveal to you our sources. Try walking into a Mall store and asking them where they get their merchandise because you would like to bypass them and buy it for less.

We often acquire low value posters in bulk lots and pay just pennies for them. The only way to recoup our investment is to price them the way we do. Remember, we are talking about posters that virtually NOBODY wants. For every 10 of these that we take the time to list, maybe one of them will actually sell. Remember, each poster we try and sell is unique. It must be photographed, described in detail with any defects, and cataloged and put up for sale. Each poster takes us at least 30 minutes to an hour to completely process before it becomes part of our inventory.

If you have a collection of posters acquired from someone who used to work at a movie theater, please understand that many movie posters from the 1950's to present day are just not worth a lot. Many of them will sell for less than $10.00 each if they are auctioned. These low value posters we do not want, they are just not worth the time to try and sell them. However, usually within a collection of posters there are some that are quite valuable. These are the posters we are interested in.

If your collection comes from the attic of an old theater, or if it was compiled by a theater employee in the 1980's and 90's, most of the collection will usually have little or no real value. Of course, there will always be some "gold" in there. Some of them will be true treasures and be worth a lot, but the majority of them will not.

If you only have posters from the year 2000 until now, please do not bother to contact us. We are sorry, but we will not be interested in them at all.

If you are sending us your posters for Auction Consignment, please do not expect us to get retail prices for them (prices similar to those on this website). Sometimes we can achieve these prices, but please don't count on it. When we auction posters there is no guarantee that they will sell for what you might think they are worth.

3 PRICE TIERS

When you decide to sell your posters, depending on how you go about it, there are generally 3 price tiers for movie poster prices/values. For comparison purposes, lets look at two completely different U.S. one sheets graded Excellent to Near Mint C8-C9: Risky Business and Breakfast at Tiffany's.

1. LOW-CASH: The price you get when you sell for CASH to another dealer or sell it yourself on ebay. We can usually pick up a Breakfast at Tiffany's one sheet for $1200.00 to $2500.00 from an inexperienced ebay seller (one of our clients recently found one on ebay for about $350.00!!). We can usually pick up a Risky Business one sheet for $10.00 to $25.00 from an inexperienced ebay seller.

2. MEDIUM-AUCTION: The price you get when you have us, a professional auction company, auction it for you. A Breakfast at Tiffany's one sheet sold by us in a NO RESERVE auction will probably sell for $4000.00 to $6500.00. After our commission you would get about $3200.00 to $5200.00. A Risky Business one sheet sold by us in a NO RESERVE auction will probably sell for $50.00 to $175.00. After our commission you would get about $30.00 to $125.00. Please read all about our AUCTION CONSIGNMENT program where we show how we are able to get much higher prices than others.

3. HIGH-FIXED PRICE: The price you get with our FIXED PRICE ON SITE CONSIGNMENT program. We are the only major company that is HIGHLY VISIBLE in the movie poster world to offer this service and that is capable of consistently achieving full retail prices. We get much higher prices than any of the major auction houses. We will advertise your poster for sale at a FIXED RETAIL PRICE on our website and in our ebay store. A Breakfast at Tiffany's one sheet will sell at retail for $7000.00 to $9000.00. After our commission you would get about $5250.00 to $6750.00. (A Risky Business one sheet does not qualify for ON SITE CONSIGNMENT as this service is reserved for posters valued at a minimum of $500.00). The only real potential downside to fixed price on site consignment is that it may take a long time for your items to sell. If you are willing to wait, this is definitely the way to get TOP DOLLAR for your items.

So........what are your posters worth? Your posters are worth whatever amount YOU can sell them for, or the amount you receive after you have a professional sell them for you.

How much will we offer you in cash for your posters?

Our cash offer price will depend on several criteria: What condition is it in? How rare is the poster? How much can we buy it for on eBay or other auction sites when it becomes available? Do we have a waiting buyer for it? Do we already have one or more in stock? Is it a desirable poster that moves quickly? Generally (but not always) if we want a poster for our inventory we will pay what the poster normally sells for at auction. This price could be as low as 30% of our website retail price or as high as 80% of our website retail price.

Please note that if you send us posters that we do not want (posters that are undesirable because they are unattractive, or because they are in bad shape), posters that are slow sellers, multiple copies of the same poster, newer titles, or if we already have one or more in our inventory, our cash offer may be less.

Please note that posters with unattractive defects like large tears, stains, water damage, missing paper, fading, etc. will be worth just a fraction of what they would be without these defects. Posters in this condition may or may not be suitable for linen backing/restoration.

Please realize that we offer 3 options for selling your posters:

1. Auction Consignment

2. Fixed Price On Site Consignment

3. Cash

PLEASE BE AWARE: If you send us posters valued at less than $500.00 for Auction Consignment, please do NOT expect us to achieve a "retail" price for them when we auction them. Sometimes we do achieve retail (prices comparable to posters we have for sale at a fixed price on this site), but usually auction results are much less than these prices.

PLEASE DO NOT BE "DELUSIONAL" Collectors sometimes think their posters are worth much more than they really are. Often times when we offer to buy posters for cash we hear "But that is half of what I bought it for" or "I saw it for sale on ebay for twice that amount". Please understand that anyone can put a high price on anything and try to sell it. Just because someone is asking $1000.00 for an item doesn't mean they won't sell it for $500.00. Also please understand that if we are buying your posters for cash we will be re selling them and need to make a profit.

Please be aware that most people with collections to sell do choose Auction or Fixed Price CONSIGNMENT rather than CASH because they will usually get MORE MONEY than if we purchase them.

After we evaluate your posters and quote you a price, in the unlikely event that you do not wish to sell us your posters or have us sell them for you, we will gladly ship them back to you.

If you only have posters from the year 2000 until now, please do not bother to contact us. We are sorry, but we will not be interested in them at all.

Please email or call us at 602 309 0500 if you wish to submit your posters for a quick cash sale.

Typical Prices Realized for Some Popular One Sheet Movie Posters: (After commission, in C8-C9 EX-NM condition or better.)	CASH - LOW	AUCTION - MEDIUM	FIXED PRICE - HIGH

Risky Business 1983	$10-$25	$30-$125	n/a
Breakfast at Tiffany's 1961	$350-$2500	$3200-$5200	$5250-$6750
Star Wars Style D 1977	$40-$100	$100-$350	n/a
Jaws 1975	$100-$250	$200-$550	n/a
Pulp Fiction (Regular) 1994	$40-$125	$150-$375	n/a
Vertigo 1958	$1500-$2500	$2500-$5000	$4500-$7500
The Terminator 1984	$20-$100	$50-$250	n/a
Forbidden Planet 1956	$3500-$7500	$6500-$12000	$11500-$15000

Please note: The above price ranges are estimates and are not set in stone. Accurate as of July 2009.

What are your posters worth? Are they original? Will you buy my posters?

By David A. Lieberman

Hello fellow movie poster collectors!

If we have responded to your inquiry by pointing you to this link, please forgive us.

On a daily basis we get several emails and phone calls from all over the world asking:

"What are my original movie posters worth?"

"Will you buy my posters?"

"Can you tell me more about my posters, are they original, real, authentic?"

"How much will you give me for my posters?"

"If I consign my posters with your company, how much can I expect to get?"

YES! We buy posters all the time from people all over the world. We also accept posters on Consignment. The first step is for you to compile a list of exactly what you have and email it to cinemasterpieces@gmail.com. Include the title, year, size, and condition of each poster. You can also email us some photos if you'd like. We will then let you know if we are interested in them for purchase and/or consignment.

Many who contact us simply want to know what their item is worth, they want a free appraisal.

Before we can give you a value, we must first examine your posters in person. Once they are shipped to us, we will evaluate your posters. We will gladly tell you what they will likely sell for at Auction, what we will pay for them in Cash, and if they qualify what price we will sell them for on our website in our Fixed Price On Site Consignment program.

It is not possible to give free appraisals and/or accurately evaluate posters on the phone or through email. We need to see posters in person to see what condition they are in (and to see if they are authentic or not) before we will quote a buy price.

If you email us pictures and ask "What will you pay for these?", we will ask you to please send them to us for an evaluation.

If you email us a list of your posters with condition descriptions for each one and ask "What will you pay for these?", we will still ask you to please send them to us for an evaluation.

If you would like a "ball park" estimate of what your posters are worth BEFORE sending them in.....please understand that we can't even do that without examining them in person.

Please send us pictures with the prices you want, or you can send your posters to us for an appraisal/evaluation.

Please understand that it is just not possible for us to appraise/evaluate posters accurately or to say if they are original or not on the phone or through email.

Please also understand that we are constantly bombarded with poster questions from people who have no intention of doing business with us.

We will be more than happy to assist you once your posters are here.

We will be more than fair with you. Please see our Testimonials page.

How do you know you can trust us with your consigned posters?

Sorry, but we will no longer give free movie poster authentication tips by phone or by email.

Please don't ask us "I saw this other poster for sale from someone else, can you tell me if it is real?" or "Can you tell me how to tell if this poster is real/original?"

We get questions like this several times a day. We honestly just do not have the time to walk people through authenticating a poster. If you'd like to send posters to us to authenticate so we can buy them from you or put them on consignment, please do!

If we have it in our possession, we can authenticate it.

I'd like to send my posters to you, how do I proceed?

How much will we offer you in cash for your posters?

Please note that if you send us posters that we do not want (posters that are undesirable because they are unattractive, or because they are in bad shape), posters that are slow sellers, multiple copies of the same poster, or if we already have one or more in our inventory, our cash offer may be less.

Please note that posters with unattractive defects like large tears, stains, water damage, missing paper, fading, mounted to foam or hard board, etc. will be worth just a fraction of what they would be without these defects. Posters in this condition may or may not be suitable for linen backing/restoration.

Please realize that we offer 3 options for selling your posters:

1. Auction Consignment

2. Fixed Price On Site Consignment

3. Cash

PLEASE DO NOT BE "DELUSIONAL" Collectors sometimes think their posters are worth much more than they really are. Often times when we offer to buy posters for cash we hear "But that is half of what I bought it for" or "I saw it for sale on eBay for twice that amount". Please understand that anyone can put a high price on anything and try to sell it. Just because someone is asking $1000.00 for an item doesn't mean they won't sell it for $200.00. Also please understand that if we are buying your posters for cash we will be re selling them and need to make a profit.

Please be aware that most people with collections to sell do choose Auction or Fixed Price CONSIGNMENT rather than CASH because they will usually get MORE MONEY than if we purchase them.

After we evaluate your posters and quote you a price, in the unlikely event that you do not wish to sell us your posters or have us sell them for you, we will gladly ship them back to you.

If you have mostly "newer" posters from the 1980's until now, please be aware that most (about 75%) of them will have little if any real value.

If you only have posters from the mid 1990's until now, please do not bother to contact us. We are sorry, but we will not be interested in them at all.

Please email or call us at 602 309 0500 if you wish to submit your posters for a quick cash sale.

Please also read these articles:

I Have Some Old Movie Posters and I'm Thinking of Selling Them: What Can I Expect?

I'd like to send my posters to you for sale or consignment, how do I proceed?

How can you tell if a movie poster is "original" "real" "authentic"?

If you have a lot of posters and/or they are extremely valuable, please call us at 602 309 0500, we may come to you!

Anyone is welcome to send us photos of their posters at anytime, and sometimes we can give a quick "ballpark" value estimate. Usually though, we can't answer without seeing them in person. The photos we receive through email are frequently not detailed enough for us to judge the true condition of a poster, and VALUE GREATLY DEPENDS ON CONDITION. There are also many REPRODUCTION posters that have little if any value, and these are sometimes very hard to distinguish from originals with just a photo. Unless you are willing to ship them to us for evaluation and/or consignment, it is impossible to answer with an exact figure or to tell you if they are authentic/original or not. Before being evaluated, POSTERS MUST BE REMOVED FROM ANY FRAMES. When we give appraisals or make offers we usually have to see the posters in person.

If you are a collector of movie posters you may have come across one or more of the many price guides that are out there. Jon Warren's, Poster Price, etc.. All of these sources for prices are good, but they are just GUIDES to value, not exact prices. Many times they are quite accurate in helping you determine the value of a poster, many times they are not! Some have data that is quite old and hasn't been updated in many years. None of these guides are 100% complete and none should be used as a single source in determining the value of a poster.

Unlike other collectibles like coins, comics, stamps, baseball cards, etc. where you can get almost an exact value for your items using price guides, the world of movie posters is VERY different.

There are thousands of posters that I can use as an example, but lets take the Jaws 1975 US one sheet in Excellent-Near Mint unrestored C8-C9 condition. I have bought one of these on eBay in Excellent-Near Mint C8-C9 condition for $25.00. I have also sold more than a few on eBay in the same condition for over $700.00. I have sold a few here on this website for over $1000.00. I monitor eBay and these usually sell for $150.00 to $300.00 from other sellers. If someone came to me with one to sell I would probably offer them $200.00 to $300.00. Back in 1999 one of the price guides shows Sotheby's sold one for $1092.00 (on linen).

Lets also look at the Revenge of the Jedi 1983 US one sheet in Excellent C8 condition. I have sold this poster on this website for over $1000.00 more than a few times. I have sold it on eBay many times with prices ranging from $450.00 to over $1000.00. I have bought it on eBay for as little as as $80.00 and as much as $300.00.

So, what is the current value of these posters? If you don't have one and want one it is worth whatever you are willing to pay for it. If you have one and wish to sell it, it is worth whatever you are willing to take for it. Many people do not like this answer, and I don't blame them. This is just the way it is in the world of collectible vintage movie posters!

The above examples show that a movie poster can bring vastly different prices when marketed and sold by different people. A poorly marketed poster with an incomplete description, poor photos, and sold by someone with no track record will bring MUCH less than someone who is an expert at selling movie posters.

EBay has completely changed the world of collectible movie posters (it has changed the world of all collectibles!). We constantly buy/win posters on ebay DIRT CHEAP, and then turn around and auction them ourselves for more (usually much more!). Click here to learn how we are able to do this. In short, our expertise in marketing movie posters and our vast knowledge of them gives us a tremendous advantage over other ebayers.

If you want to sell your posters to us outright and avoid consignment:

We guarantee that if we buy your posters from you, NO ONE WILL PAY YOU MORE FOR THEM THAN WE WILL. The TRUE VALUE of any poster is primarily determined by it's condition, so we must first see your posters in person so we can see if they are original and see what shape they are in. Only then will we make you a firm offer.

Anyone is welcome to send us their posters at any time. After we receive them and have discussed them with you, in the unlikely event that you do not wish to sell us your posters or have us sell them for you, we will gladly ship them back to you.

If you consign your posters with us WE GUARANTEE WE WILL GET YOU THE MOST MONEY POSSIBLE AND WE GUARANTEE THAT WE WILL GET YOU MORE FOR THEM THAN IF YOU SOLD THEM YOURSELF.

The best way to determine the value of your posters and to get the most for them is to have us sell them for you on consignment, either on our site or on ebay. We get MUCH more than other sellers so you will get the highest amount possible if you let us sell them for you.

Please also see our Frequently Asked Questions Page.

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