Design Evolution, Inc.

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27x41" 1-Sheet
	This is the standard, common size and style for American movie posters and the One-Sheet is still in use at theatres today. One-Sheets usually have one vertical and three horizontal folds.
22x28" Half-Sheet
	A Half-Sheet is usually printed on thick-stock paper horizontally.
14x36" Insert
	An Insert is usually printed on thick-stock paper vertically.
14x22" Window Card
	A Window Card is printed on card-stock paper vertically. It usually has a blank area at the top designed to list play dates.
11x14" Lobby Card
	Lobby Cards are no longer used in theatres and are rarely printed for today’s films. They were often produced in sets of eight for display in the theatre foyer. A Lobby Set typically consists of a Title Card (TC) that depicts all the key stars, lists credits, and represents the entire movie, and up to seven Scene Cards (SC) that each depict a scene from the movie within a poster border and with film credits.
41x81" 3-Sheet
	The 3-Sheet is a large vertical format poster. The 3-sheet is often produced in 2-3 overlapping sections.
81x81" 6-Sheet
	The 6-sheet is a large poster that is considered quite rare.
Lobby Set
	Complete set of lobby cards for a given movie. The Lobby Set generally includes 8 Cards including the Title Card.
International Style
	International Style refers to a poster that was produced in the USA for use in a different market (like Europe or South America). An International Style poster may feature different and possibly more risqué artwork and could have a modified title.
Country of Origin
	This term refers to a poster that has the same foreign origin as the movie. For instance an Italian poster for and Italian film.
Re-releases
	Movie shown at a time after the original release. A re-released poster may have different artwork and possibly new text.
Linen Process
	These poster have been professionally mounted on linen, a reversible, archival process. The Linen Process produces a clean, flat poster similar to museum preservation.

Movie Posters and Collectibility

Stars and the Movie Poster were born overnight in the "Golden Age of Hollywood." Bold, brash, and bursting with color the Movie Poster was the dominant medium for advertising promising new movies from the turn of the century to present.

Realizing how the Movie Poster catalyzed the imagination and whet the appetite of eager movie-goers, motion picture studios went to great lengths to lure the best and brightest illustrators; names like Albert Hirschfield, Alberto Vargas, and Norman Rockwell to name a few. Movie Posters were produced in a variety of sizes designed to adorn every aspect of the theatre and engage the public.

With the release of each new picture, a series of posters were printed, folded, and distributed with the film. Because these posters were repeatedly used and handled as the picture traveled from venue to venue, many of these posters were destroyed over time. Those that survived use, war, storage, and natural calamity are often creased, tattered at the edges, or even torn. However, according to Ira Resnick, Director of the Motion Picture Arts Gallery in New York, "Posters don’t need to be in pristine condition to be valuable (Today’s Collector 7-96, p 57)." That’s because there are so few of them, he points out.

In the "Golden Age of Hollywood" there were few re-releases. The intense competition between studios fueled a forward-thinking attitude. A studio was only as good as its next picture, and there was little regard for yesterday’s success. As Resnick points out, "most studios turned out no more than 5,000 to 10,000 posters for each of its releases (p 58). So when you factor in today’s nostalgia for the big screen and subtract those posters that did not survive, the price of collectibility makes more sense.

Indeed, according to "Collecting Hollywood – The Movie Poster Price Guide," The Virginian lists for $4,000-$6,000. And Sotheby’s recently auctioned the 1940 Linen Process One-Sheet from The Mask of Zorro starring Tyrone Power and Linda Darnell for $12,650. The good news is this: you don’t have to spend a high dollar amount to find a high-quality collectable vintage poster. Here at Design Evolution, Inc., we have posters starting from under $100 up to several thousand dollars.  

Interested? Have questions? Want more info? Please e-mail us or call us toll free at (888)-779-3337 Colorado MST. And remember vintage western movie posters are more than just collectible, they are a great gift idea.

Sources:
Movie Collector’s World, #437. "An Interview with Bruce Hershenson." 1993.

Today’s Collector, July. "Movie Posters – The Ultimate Hollywood Collectible," Rod Hirsch & Steve Ellingboe. 1996.

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