Movie posters
Collecting movie posters is a very popular hobby among movie buffs. Thousands of movie posters are available for sale online and at auctions. But if you decide to collect posters, you'll need to decide what direction you want to follow so you don't get a piecemeal collection where the posters have no relation to each other.
There are several different ways you can begin your poster collection. Perhaps you are looking for posters depicting a certain art style or certain colors to go with your home décor. Movie posters can make very nice art pieces when framed. Others may opt to collect from a specific genre, like science fiction or foreign films, or collect posters featuring a certain actor or actress. Still others may prefer to collect the posters from their favorite movies. It can be a fun way to document your favorites throughout your life.
Or you can choose to collect movie posters that have are valuable. Some of the old movie posters sell for a lot of money and make a good investment. Old horror movie posters come to mind or vintage posters of movie classics. Or perhaps you would prefer to collect posters signed by the actors in the film. A hint on signed items: you want to be sure the signatures are originals, and not stamped, printed or copied. That makes the difference between what could be a very valuable poster and one that is a dime a dozen.
You'll want to learn more about the publicity kits the studios would send out to the movie theatres for these old movies to know what to seek out. Posters were made in many different sizes, from the large 27 x 41 inch posters to smaller versions like lobby cards and window cards. Posters were often made in sets that included all the various sizes. If you can find a complete set, or manage to collect a complete set, that raises the value of your collection immensely.
Next, no matter what kind of movie posters you have decided to collect, you need to know where to find them. Some do their shopping on eBay or other online movie memorabilia sites. Other collectors go to auctions or estate sales. If you are buying posters for newly released movies, there are many discount movie poster outlets online.
Once you have your posters, you will want to preserve them so they don't deteriorate. Posters are usually printed on cheap acidified paper, and you can search online for ways to balance the pH and frame your posters using acid-free elements. Once your posters are framed, you will want to keep them out of the direct sunlight, as that will fade them.
If you are collecting valuable old movie posters and they are damaged, there are experts who can repair them for you. They can remove any handwriting that is on them, remove stains, tape residue, repair tears, bleeding, creases, wrinkles and fading. They can also do other major repair work. This will cost some money, but if you are building a collection of valuable posters, it may be worth the investment.