Investing in film posters


Film posters can provide blockbuster returns as well as being a fantastic addition to the home. The most collectible examples tend to be from older movies made in an era when cinema posters were thrown away once the film run had ended.

Posters for iconic pre-war movies have soared in value over the past decade and now fetch thousands of pounds each.

Tony Nourmand, 42, is co-owner of the Reel Poster Gallery in Notting Hill, west London. 'Posters of movies that have stood the test of time attract the highest values,' he says. 'If accompanied with great art, they are extra special.'

Tony points to the 1958 Alfred Hitchcock movie Vertigo as being one of the best examples. It boasts iconic artwork by Saul Bass and is now worth £5,000 - though as recently as 1990, the same poster fetched only £300.

Tony says that horror and science fiction are the best markets for investors as these have an avid fan base.

The earliest posters fetch the highest prices as extremely few have survived. The most expensive poster to date is an original for the 1926 Fritz Lang movie Metropolis that sold for £350,000 last year.

But Tony believes if one of the two surviving posters of the 1932 film The Mummy starring Boris Karloff were auctioned, it could fetch £500,000. A decade ago, the poster was worth £250,000.

The Holy Grail for collectors is the poster for the 1931 James Cagney film, The Enemy. No known examples survive.

Those on tighter budgets might look to modern iconic movies, such as an early poster for Quentin Tarantino's 1992 Reservoir Dogs, worth £500 and rising. The market is awash with forgeries, so choose a reputable dealer or auction house.

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Created July 2007


Guide: Investing in film posters

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