Month: July 2026

Since the topic came up with a client once again today, I figured it‘s about time to write up a few thoughts on the proper preservation and storage of your vintage movie poster collection.

A few years ago, I listened to an art consultant (if that‘s what she was) talking about storing your art collection in an interview on Deutschlandradio. First thing she said was: If you are collector, you have a storage facility. If you do not have a storage space, and everything you own can be displayed on your walls, you are a decorator.

I very much liked this approach, and ever since I have considered myself a decorator, not a collector anymore. These days, I only keep posters (plus the occasional nic nac) I can display, everything else goes up for sale. My store exbition has been ‚basically‘ completed a couple of years ago, but it is quite amazing how I still manage to add yet another small exhibit every and now then. I guess that‘s further proof of my high level of expertise.

Anyway, back to the subject at hand. First of all, let‘s talk about preservation. The necessary effort is pretty much defined by the paper stock the poster was printed on. Fortunately, most vintage US Onesheets as well as West-German posters were printed on very low acidic and very stable paper. Exceptions confirm the rule, but these posters usually do not need any special treatment.

Vintage East-German movie posters were often printed on very cheap, highly acidic paper stock. Somewhat following the example of the country that printed them, you can literally watch these posters fall apart. The only way to stop this is to hand them over to a professional paper restorer for deacifying and linen- or paperbacking. Unfortunately, the associated costs are often in no relation to the value of the poster.

Vintage Mexican posters are even worse: Not only is the paper stock highly acidic, it is also super thin. More than thirty years ago, I owned a noticeable collection of vintage Mexican movie posters and I spent a lot of money to have everything properly preserved and backed on Japanese rice paper. That‘s a very thin 28 grams acid-free paper typically used by museums worldwide. Applying a poster to ‚Japanpapier‘ takes a lot more skill and expertise than linenbacking, and the handful of restorers in the US who are able to do this usually charge brutal prices.
What I personally like about ricepaper backing is that the final result still feels like a poster. Those flimsy Mexican posters feel like ‚normal weight‘ after the backing.

Here‘s one lone survivor from my private collection that was preserved and paperbacked in the late 1990s. Graphically, it‘s one of the Top Ten Lucha Libre movie posters out there:

Fortunately, very few posters require this type of extensive treatment. In most cases, taking proper care of your collection is much, much easier.

The first question is of course: Rolled or folded? If a poster was never folded, the perhaps not so obvious answer is, store it flat. Storing rolled posters in tubes is the most common practice of course. If you do not intend to look at your rolled posters ever again, using tubes is the way to go.
Personally, I do not recommend it as handling rolled-up posters is a perfect nightmare. So unless you‘re willing to accept the fact that you own something and never ever look want to look at them again, storing unfolded posters flat is the way to go.

If a poster has been folded, it is up to you if you want to store it flat or folded, there‘s no right or wrong here.

The main advantage of storing your posters folded is that they will take up a lot less space. Other than that, a poster does not ‚hurt‘ from being stored folded.

One more important fact: Cigarette smoke is poison for vintage paper. It‘s not only the bad smell, cigarette smoke will age the paper and make it brittle. An ozone generator (available for small money from Amazon) can take care of the smell, but of course can‘t undo any other damage.

You don‘t need to build a humidor, but naturally, posters should be stored in a somewhat controlled climate, not too dry and not too moist. Obviously, vintage posters should never be exposed to direct sunlight.

While posters do not hurt from being stored folded, most active collectors like to look at their collections every now and then, and constantly folding and unfolding posters will inevitably harm them over time. For collections that are actively cared for, a flat storage is preferable. Simple acid free cardboard folders can be easily found at any art supply.

If you want to go professional, and the value of your collection justifies the expense, you could have your folders made to your requirements by an archive supplier like Beskid Plus in Poland. At the gallery I use acid-free corrugated boards I had custom made to my required sizes:

In their description, Beskid mentions that cardboard does not protect against bookworms and other insects. Which is of course true, and a major problem for large archives. In most private collections, this aspect can be perfectly neglected.

One last point regarding flat vs. folded: Once the poster has been folded, the damage has been done. I have a handful of posters that have been stored flat for decades and the fold lines have almost vanished. These are very rare exceptions. It will only work with soft, uncoated paper stock and it takes both a lot of pressure and a LONG time for the fold lines to vanish.
Starting in the late 1960s, movie posters were often printed on more or less glossy paper stock. Once these posters are folded, the top coat breaks, leaving those nasty white marks. Regardless of how long you store a glossy poster flat, this damage cannot be undone.

I frequently see ebay listings that state ‚folded but stored flat, will ship rolled.‘ Unless the poster in question is a truly vintage piece, printed on soft paper stock, there is NO advantage in shipping the darn thing rolled. On the other hand, in my experience at least 90% of the amateur and hobby sellers on ebay have NO CLUE how to pack a rolled poster properly. In the end, you will receive a folded poster with border damages and/or crush marks. Well done, ebay seller!

I have said it before, and I will say it again: Once the poster has been folded, the damage is done. So if you want to ship a folded poster that has been stored flat, fold it again, sandwich it in oversized strong cardboard, wrap it in foil in case some idiot mailman leaves it out in the rain, and place it in a cardboard book mailer. DO NOT ship a folded poster rolled unless you know exactly how to protect it.

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One of the greatest pleasure in the life of this Postcowboy is discovering vintage movie posters he never even knew existed, like this original 1961 release German cinema lobby display for FLAMING STAR I want to show you today:

The poster was printed in three slightly overlapping sections and measures an impressive 88 x 180 cm (app. 34.5 x 71 in). It shows an almost life-size portrait of Elvis Presley as Pacer Burton in FLAMING STAR. The movie opened in Germany on March 17, 1961 and this three-part poster was intended for display in the foyer of large first-run cinemas. Upon its initial release, the movie was not a big commercial success, but today it is widely considered to be Elvis‘ best film.

Unlike the standard A1 poster and the already much rarer large A0 size, this type of large cinema display was seldom used and the format is very, very rare to begin with. This type of multi-part display was printed only for a very limited number of films and exclusively sent to selected premiere cinemas. It was intended for use in the cinema lobby. These large displays hardly ever survived at all. When they had served their purpose, they were almost inevitably destroyed.

Remarkably, this example has apparently never been displayed, which may well explain why it survived at all.
I have never seen this poster before, for all I know so far it has never been offered at auction and it is not documented in any private or public collection. For the time being, I must assume that this might be the only surviving copy. A recent ‚basement find’, it is entirely unrestored and in amazing condition. To my best knowledge, no similar format was produced for this film worldwide.

The design is based on a single publicity still blown up to life-size proportions. The poster was very well printed and the effect is nothing short of stunning. Two years later, Andy Warhol used a similar image from the same photo session for his now legendary (and ridiculously expensive) Elvis series.

In an alternate universe, Andy Warhol visited Germany in the early 1960s, and was inspired to his own Elvis series when he saw this display in the cinema lobby. Unfortunately, in this world, Warhol first visited Germany in 1971, so it is rather unlikely that he ever saw this poster.

The display could very well be considered a ‘Pre Pop Art’ artifact. What certainly IS amazing is that the German distributors quite obviously saw the huge potential in this image. Two years before Andy Warhol did.

One more ‘fun fact’: Elvis was about 180 or 181 cm tall. The Elvis image on the poster measures 177 cm. Add the fact that he‘s standing in a wide stance and beckons slightly to the front, that comes very, very close to actual ‘life size’. Whether that was intentional or is just a coincidence is impossible to say today, but they certainly tried to go ‘as big as possible’.

This poster shows Elvis in his athletic prime, and even sixty-five years after it was made, it has an absolutely amazing impact on the viewer.

Imagine this display expertly assembled, linenbacked and in a simple black wooden frame. Old Magic. Still works.

And since we’ve already started dreaming here: Imagine it hanging next to an original Andy Warhol Elvis print.

Available for purchase. Price upon request.

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With my big break just around the corner, I figured it’s about time to prepare for the upcoming rush. Here’s the official Galerie filmposter.net waiting room:

So when your next appointment is due, please take a seat. Old newspapers and tab water will be served on request and once Doctor Postercowboy is in the mood to see you, he will call you in!

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Here’s perfect proof that original movie posters can be both extremely affordable and, if properly framed and displayed, extremely decorative. All of the posters shown here cost less than €100, most of them a lot less. The client decided to keep it simple and opted for identical grey frames with a discreet white matting on all of them, which perfectly allows the posters speak for themselves. Very well done indeed!

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