When the first films were made many years ago, they had no idea to actually make a profit with them. They initially decided to sell projectors and film prints as a home movie  playback system. They then decided to actually go on the road with the projector and film and charging an admission fee to the audience. Since those early days, movie posters have been available.

While the idea of selling a projector and film was cost prohibitive, it was actually that same model that was used to market DVDs and videotapes years later. Since there was no way to actually let an audience know that a particular movie was coming or even what it was about, they had to develop a way to advertise. Vintage posters where utilized as the first concept of poster advertisements. These turned out to be extremely successful which laid the foundation for the way business would be done ever since.

Classic Films

Vintage posters that were produced for films that are considered a classic today are worth quite a bit of money. Collectors prize these type of posters and will pay a high price to get them. However, they aren't interested in the reproduced copies that are available everywhere, but instead, the actual movie poster that was printed when the film first came out.

Four of the most famous and successful films were King Kong, Casablanca, Frankenstein and Gone with the Wind. These films were so influential that they are now among the most valuable vintage posters that collectors want to get their hands on. If you come across original vintage posters from any of these films, you will be able to get a small fortune for them.

The movie Gone with the Wind brought in close to $39 million when it was first released to the box office. However, the movie Casablanca was only able to bring in $2 million. And at $5 million a piece, the movies Frankenstein and King Kong. It's pretty ironic they became classics at all.

When these vintage posters are found at auctions, they routinely bring in thousands of dollars for ones that have been properly taken care of. Collectors love to get their hands on any of those types of vintage posters and will pay a hefty premium to get one. You can be sure that they are well taken care of and at the very least will have a durable and expensive frame.

Unfortunately, most of us can't afford the high price of the original vintage posters. However, the reproduction vintage posters are very inexpensive and look really cool, too. Avid movie fans will always keep these reproduced versions in circulation and you can be sure that the collectors will always keep the prices high on the originals.

By: Jason Helminth