A Weekend of Records at Heritage Vintage Movie Poster Auction! Heritage Auction Galleries set a new world record for its recent auction of Vintage Movie Posters, besting its previously held world record by more than $100,000.
News-Antique.com - Jul 24,2007 - DALLAS, TEXAS: Heritage Auction Galleries set a new world record for its recent auction of Vintage Movie Posters, besting its previously held world record by more than $100,000. The latest auction, held July 20 & 21 in Dallas, Texas, realized $2,147,623 for 1,258 lots, although after auction sales are still ongoing. Heritage's previous Vintage Movie Poster auction, held in March 2007, the first auction of vintage movie posters to break the $2 million mark, realized $2,021,459.
"Going into it, we knew that this was going to be a successful auction," said Grey Smith, Director of Vintage Movie Poster Auctions for Heritage, "but we had no idea just how successful it would be. Many pieces sold for well above estimate, with strength shown in every section of the market. Bidding was fierce, as participation, on the floor, on the phone, and over the Internet, was strong. The result was a number of new records set, not only for the overall total, but for individual posters and genres as well."
"The big star of the auction was the Black Cat half sheet," Smith said, "with its eerie portraits of stars Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi. We sold this same copy in 2002, one of only three copies known to exist, for a then-impressive $32,200. This time, this exquisite piece of horror film history sold for $89,625 against an estimate of $40,000 - $60,000, nearly tripling our previous result."
"We all knew that the Stagecoach one sheet would be a standout in this auction," Smith said, "as it's not only one of the finest Westerns ever made, but also the film that catapulted director John Ford and actor John Wayne to instant stardom. Couple that with a truly rare poster that rarely comes to auction and a striking image, and you have all the makings of a real winner. The one sheet bore a pre-auction estimate of $15,000 - $20,000, but came through in the end with a staggering final price of $77,675, setting a new world record for the sale of a Western movie poster in the process."
"The one sheet for Rudolph Valentino's The Eagle was another pleasant surprise," Smith said. "Bearing a wonderful image of Valentino in Russian Cossack garb, we estimated the poster at $8,000 to $12,000. By the time the dust had settled and all the bids had been placed, this magnificent piece of silent film art had sold for $38,837."
"Another strong performer was the insert from the horror classic, Werewolf of London, the first Universal werewolf movie and one of the rarest titles in the entire horror genre," Smith said. "Extremely desirable, this wonderful insert sold for $59,750."
"There were a number of records set for the sale of individual posters as well," Smith said, "including a three sheet for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman at $21,510, a Day of the Triffids British Quad, which brought $3,346 against an estimate of $700 - $900, a wonderful lobby card from the silent classic, The Cabinet of
