Quantum of Interest: Movie posters break investment crunch

The release of Quantum of Solace is set to boost interest in Bond movie posters as a collectors look for nostalgia and returns.

Specialist high net worth insurance broker Stackhouse Poland predicts that collectors buying original posters could see the value of such memorabilia soar over the coming five years.

Keith Hester at Stackhouse Poland, explains many movie posters have multiplied in value by up to ten times over the past five years, with poster prices typically depending on film title, rarity, condition and nationality.

"There is a growing market for vintage movie posters with the record price achieved to date set by Metropolis - director Fritz Lang’s 1927 vision of the future – with an impressive $690,000," he says.

"Movie posters have become a highly collected commodity in today’s market and reach a wide audience of collectors, movie buffs and even investors the world over."

Mr Hester also highlighted one client who bought an original UK Dr No poster for £2,000 in 2004 which later sold for £9,000.





"One of our clients also has an extremely rare copy of the advance poster for From Russia With Love which was only used at the 1964 Leicester Square premiere, currently valued at around £10,000," Mr Hester adds.

A pair of large display posters for Thunderball, used only at the premieres and the only ones known to exist, is valued at between £20,000 and £30,000.





Guide to buying Movie Posters

In very general terms a poster's overall collectability and desirability can be divided into three broad categories.

Classic Films

Classic films are the easiest category since most people agree on the really great films of all time, and the most popular poster titles are linked to these.

Most serious collectors seek all timeless classics like King Kong, Casablanca, Metropolis, The Wizard of Oz, and Citizen Kane; due to their rarity these movie posters can cost thousands, but even then it is not that simple since many different styles and nationalities exist.

The 'market' is also constantly expanding; today's 'new' buyers are collecting their nostalgia from the 60s and 70s. Films like Breakfast At Tiffany's, The Italian Job, Dirty Harry, Bullitt, and the Bond series are highly sought after, but many posters can still be bought for an affordable price of under £1,000.





Collectable Stars

Collectable Stars is a tougher category to figure out, but the true icons stand out.

Audrey Hepburn is huge in the poster world but Gina Lollobridgida is not. John Wayne in a Western would be desirable, but put him in a racing car and interest would be lost. Humphrey Bogart probably tops the league for most collected actor, followed today by Steve McQueen. The collectability of Paul Newman posters is likely to rise following his recent death.

Really expensive early stars include: Charlie Chaplin, The Marx Brothers, Errol Flynn, Humphrey Bogart, Greta Garbo, Marlene Dietrich, and Bette Davis. Later 50s and 60s favourites include Audrey Hepburn, Grace Kelly, Elvis Presley, Cary Grant, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, James Dean, Marlon Brando, Steve McQueen, Sean Connery as Bond etc.

In the 70s, it's Clint Eastwood, Michael Caine, Al Pacino, and Robert De Niro. Among directors, Alfred Hitchcock is the star, followed by Woody Allen, Frank Capra, and Tarantino.





Good Artwork

Ultimately 'beauty is in the eye of the beholder', but there is some consensus.

Certain artists such as Saul Bass, Anselmo Ballester, Roger Soubie, W. Swierzy, Tom Chantrell and Ericole Brini to name a few have produced highly collectable images and designs.





Protecting your collection

Most posters are valued at much lower than the peak of the market – but with values rising it is essentially any owned are insured for their true amount, Stackhouse Poland finds.

“Regularly updating the estimated value of possessions is crucial, especially in markets where a collection’s value increases dramatically over a short space of time,” Mr Hester explains.

“Buying an inappropriate 'off the shelf' high street policy just isn’t right for most serious collectors with valuable items. The cover is restrictive, there are normally prohibitive warranties and most people pay inflated premiums."

Stackhouse Poland estimates 80 per cent of the UK’s mass affluent are under insured on average by between 30 and 50 per cent, exposing their prized collections to risk from fire, theft or accidental damage.

"Too many people clearly do not know the value of their possessions, and therefore can often find themselves under-insured as the popularity and prices of these items rise,” he added.

“In the case of classic movie posters, which are soaring in value, many collectors could be sitting on a fortune far greater than their insurance policy limit without even realising it.

"And the upwards price momentum is likely to continue, fuelled by concerns over stock market volatility and the decline of other traditional asset classes in the face of global economic change.”