Learn About Movie Posters
Heritage Auction House
French Movie Poster

Ewbanks Auction Movie Poster Page

Film Art

Dominique Besson Silver Screen Collectibles
Hollywood Poster Frames
Posters Database

Advanced Search

Remember Me:
Movie Art of Austin
L'Imagerie Gallery
Movie Poster Archives
Movie Art GmbH
Spotlight Displays Poster Frames
Channing Posters
Bonham's Poster Auction
Original Posters
Cinema Retro Magazine


Over the last couple of years I've heard a growing amount of controversy on the topic of restoration. Some dealers and auctions, while trying to make their posters as beautiful as possible to get higher dollars, are having restorers cover their work. Which in itself is no problem at all. That's actually the mark of an expert restorer. The problem comes in when the same dealer or auction house doesn't notify the potential buyer the amount of restoration that has been done and tries to pass it as original condition.

Before the setting up of 'Condition Codes', longer and longer descriptions had to be used to let the buyer know what he was looking to purchase. Now we're going through the same thing about restoration

I have a proposal for ALL collectors that handle movie posters to consider. I have sent this proposal to several major individuals in the hobby over the past month and have received NO negatives about it except the common statement that it would be hard to get some old-timers to use it.

Our hobby (or to some of us it's more than a hobbyJ is changing quite rapidly, some for the better, but also some major obstacles are coming that's going to shake up a lot of collectors. I wanted to present the addition of a 'Restoration Code' to alert ANY buyer that some type of restoration had been done.

The criteria that I was looking at was:

1.give a simple alert that would instantly be recognizable.

2.something that would work IN ADDITION to ANY condition rating system that the
collector or dealer used. I figured that most collectors and dealers are comfortable with whatever system that they're using (some collectors use 'excellent' condition and some use fine' and 'very fine' etc)

3. It had to be simple enough without any complicated formulas to understand it or it wouldn't be used.

4. Something that had NOTHING to do with how much knowledge you needed
to implement it. I've already gotten a response that it should be broken
down a lot more and policing would have to be implemented to make it work.
This is NOT what I was trying to do with it..... there's already enough squabbling over the terms used as CONDITION codes, we don't need anything else that would produce more controversy

5. It needs to be something that ALL CAMPS can agree with so there's no stance for political purposes. Personally I wanted one code included that could also let someone know that the poster may have been cleaned or stains removed but NO paper had been replaced and NO re-painting had been done.


First, the SAME condition code that any dealer uses now would still apply. If a poster has NOT been restored in ANY way, then nothing would change….
BUT ONLY IF THE POSTER HAD ANY RESTORATION DONE - Then place a dash and a simple one letter code from A to E

No painting or holes mended in any way. Poster could be cleaned with stains, dirt or marks being removed BUT NO repairs or paint.

Any cleaning with stains dirt and marks removed PLUS minor holes smaller than a quarter and corresponding paint touch-up done. Would also include some minor repair work normally around the fold lines and edges, which is typical.

Major tears repaired and some medium size holes filled in and repainted.

Large holes with large amounts of paper replaced and painted in. About half the poster is original.

Extreme amounts of paper replaced and painted in. Only a small amount of the original poster remains.

An example of utilizing the code would be…. You have a poster in VF condition. You had some restoration done that basically repaired wear holes down the fold lines….
Then your code would be: VF-B

The use of this new code would both alert the potential buyer that a restorer had been used AND keep the honest seller from doing a growing amount of explaining.

I'm hoping that newer collectors should embrace it but some dealers won't because it would then alert everyone with this simple code that restoration had been done, unless so many of the major entities endorse it that they would feel obligated to use it:).

We as collectors could simply ask (if it's not presented with the condition) is there a restoration code with the poster?

Thanks for your time in reading my proposal.

I've made my suggestions, it's up to collectors to use it or not.
