Vintage Posters
From LoveToKnow Antiques
Collecting vintage posters and billboards is a profitable, worthwhile hobby. In recent years, the number of remaining posters has gone down and the number of collectors has risen, increasing the value of these items. Starting at around $200 each, the variety of vintage posters collected is extensive.
All About Posters
Some basic knowledge about value and size is required if you are looking to make a purchase or begin your collection.
Size and Frame
Posters generally come in a few standard sizes. The typical frame fits a 34 x 36 inch poster. Most new items come in this size. Collectible items exist in a larger variety of sizes than the standard, which sometimes increases their value.
Condition
In this category, items in better than fair condition are difficult to find. Don't pass up the chance to purchase a fair condition item if will add to your collection. If you find a duplicate in better condition later, you can always sell the first one.
The History of Vintage Posters
Originally large advertisements of nineteenth century Paris, the large printed posters were illustrated by known artists but were considered disposable and potentially, outdated depending on the date of the advertised event. Collectors emerged immediately, amassing large collections. Many of the posters still available today originated from these collectors and their care in preserving the items.
Lithography
Vintage posters were made through a process called lithography, developed in 1798 by Aloys Senefelder. In the process, the artist uses a grease pen and draws directly on a limestone. When presented to water, the stone absorbs water in untouched areas, but those marked with the pen repel it. The printmaker then wipes the stone clean with turpentine, making the stone appear blank, but the image has been retained. Unlike copper plates used in printing, the stones do not wear when pressed against paper multiple times to form prints. With offset lithography, printers use zinc plates to create a similar effect.
Types of Vintage Posters
You can find various types of expert-titled ‘original posters,’ ranging in age from the nineteenth century through the 1980s. General criteria exists for what can be called original:
- Not a reproduction
- Usually an advertisement
- Made with intention of advertising event or product
Folk and Rock
Billboards from the '60s are generally highly prized collectibles, particularly if they pertain to the rock music of the era. Many advertisements for concert dates feature unique psychedelic images or rainbow colors specific to the time period and appealing to concert goers.
Art Nouveau
Art nouveau as a style describes the deviation of an artist from the mainstream. The term generates an image of a specific style usually associated with vintage posters and Paris. Posters in this style, marked by curved lines and use of pattern, complement rooms with style related décor.
Advertisements
As previously mentioned, products or events are advertised on these vintage poster collectibles. Always collect based on your interests and what you know the most about.
Popular advertisers and events include:
- Guinness and other popular alcoholic beverages
- Tobacco
- Aviation
- Military recruitment
- Political ads
- Black Americana
- Coca Cola
- Foreign
- Coffee
- Films/Theatre
- Festivals or fairs
Value
Ensure the preservation of your vintage paper collectible by having it custom framed or stored by an expert. Anything hanging on a wall is subject to fading and deterioration of condition if it is not properly preserved. If you want to display your poster, hang it on a wall not directly opposite a window.
Posters of the same general type or made by the same artist are worth more if sold as a collection. Typically, value has increased tremendously due to the demand posed by an increasing number of collectors. Collections and single examples of these items are prestigious enough to sell at famous auction houses such as Christie’s.
Original vs. Reprint
Outlet and retail stores sell reprints of original posters. Because they are of recent make, they do not hold high value but are still considered collector’s items. A general guideline: as long as the intent to sell an advertised product or performance is still present, the value holds. Therefore, a non-lithographic 2001 reprint of a Beatles poster advertising a concert that took place in 1964 will eventually lose value when compared to a reprint of a Guinness advertisement, as Guinness is still sold.
Where to Buy
You’ll find these collectibles most frequently online. For the best price, try garage and estate sales, antique stores and dealers, and collectible auctions. Specialty retail and poster stores that deal in specific prints can also offer local resources.
Written by Tara Meacham
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