When Is a Poster Worth Real Money? How to Tell an Original From a Reprint

Most old posters are worth little, but some bring thousands or more. Here is which posters collectors want, how to spot a reprint, and the mistakes that cost you money.

SebastianCharles Auctions

Most old posters are worth very little. A few are worth thousands, and the best sell for six figures. The difference usually comes down to what the poster is, when it was printed and what shape it is in. We recently sold a Shepard Fairey "Hope" Barack Obama lithograph for $12,500, against an estimate of $3,000 to $5,000. Here is how to tell whether the poster in your closet belongs in that conversation.

The kinds of posters that bring real money

• Original movie posters. Early horror and classic Hollywood titles lead the market. A 1931 Universal "Dracula" one sheet sold at Heritage Auctions for $525,800 in 2017.
• Travel and advertising posters. A. M. Cassandre's 1928 "L.M.S. Best Way" railway poster sold at Swann Galleries for $162,500, a record for a travel poster at the time.
• Art Nouveau posters. Alphonse Mucha's decorative panels regularly bring five figures.
• WPA posters. Only about 2,000 of the posters made under the Works Progress Administration from 1936 to 1943 are known to survive, and the Library of Congress holds 907 of them.
• Concert posters. First printings of 1960s Fillmore and Family Dog posters from San Francisco have a dedicated collector base.
• Political and wartime posters. A World War II propaganda poster set a category record at Heritage at $45,600.
• Artist made posters and prints. Shepard Fairey, Keith Haring and other artists who started in street art and pop culture.

The Shepard Fairey "Hope" poster, version by version

The "Hope" image is a perfect example of why the details matter. Fairey made the first screenprints in early 2008, and the very first version read "PROGRESS," not "HOPE." He sold some, pasted others up in public and then made thousands more that were handed out at rallies. By October 2008, about 300,000 posters had been printed, and most were given away free.

So "a Hope poster" can mean very different things:

• Unsigned campaign posters. These were mass produced and usually trade for about $50 to $300.
• Signed offset lithographs. Fairey signed and dated some 36 by 24 inch offset prints in pencil. These sell for several thousand dollars.
• Signed and numbered 2008 screenprints. These bring the most of the printed versions, often well into four and five figures.
• The hand finished originals. Fairey made three unique mixed media collages. One is in the Smithsonian's National Portrait Gallery, and another sold at Heritage for $735,000 in 2022.

The signature, the printing method and the edition number decide which category you have.

How to tell an original from a reprint

• Size. A standard US movie one sheet measures 27 by 41 inches, or 27 by 40 for later posters. Reproductions often come in 24 by 36 or 20 by 30.
• Folds. Most original movie posters made before about 1985 were shipped folded. A "vintage" one sheet that has always been rolled deserves a closer look.
• Studio and printer marks. Most older movie posters carry a National Screen Service number and a printer credit. Reproductions sometimes copy these, so a mark alone does not prove anything, but a missing one is a warning sign.
• The printing itself. Look at the image under a magnifying glass. Modern offset printing shows a regular pattern of tiny dots. Older stone lithographs do not. The printing method should match the date the poster claims.
• Paper and card stock. Concert posters are often identified by paper. On the first Fillmore poster, the first printing is on yellow stock with a specific printer credit, while later printings are on white stock with a different printer named.

Condition and the mistakes that cost money

Fold lines on an old movie poster are normal and expected. Tears, stains, missing pieces and fading are what hurt value. Professional linen backing can flatten folds and stabilize tears, and on older posters it often helps the price. Any restoration should be disclosed when you sell.

The damage we see most often is done by owners trying to help. Avoid these:

• Tape. It stains and pulls paper away when removed. The Library of Congress recommends hinges or pins and acid free mats instead.
• Sunlight. Light fades and yellows paper permanently. Use UV filtering glass, or keep the poster out of direct sun.
• Trimming. Cutting off margins or borders to fit a frame removes printer credits and edition numbers and lowers the value.
• Laminating or dry mounting. Both are hard or impossible to reverse.

Find out what your poster is worth

If you think you have something good, leave it in its frame or tube and do not try to clean or flatten it. Measure it, then take photos of the front, the back, the margins, any signature and any printing marks or numbers. Send them through our free estimate form. Sebastian reviews every inquiry personally and will tell you whether it is a reprint, a decorative piece or a poster worth putting in front of our national and international bidders. You can see more prints and posters we have sold on our auction highlights page and in our prints department.