Iconic movie posters go on show in the City of London
Auction house to run movie poster investment evening
The sale will feature some rare and important posters from iconic productions including Casablanca, King Kong, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Get Carter and James Bond. There will also be a collection of 1930’s advertising posters from the Far East, a wand box signed by John Hurt from the first Harry Potter film and original motor racing posters from Le Mans and other circuits.
Like cars, movie posters have become hugely important as investments in the last few years, and actually posters matching vehicles in terms of investment potential.
Chris Routledge, Managing Director at Coys, said: “More and more people are buying posters as investments and because of this we are putting some of the most important items from the sale on show at the atrium of the Grange St. Paul’s Hotel, at 10 Godliman Street, EC4, between the 20th and 30th of November. The hotel’s giant video wall will also feature more of the items.”
Chris Routledge added: “Not only that but on the evening of November 27th between 6pm and 8pm we will be holding a movie investment evening in the atrium of the Grange St Paul’s hotel, where potential purchasers will be able to join us for a drink, view the posters, hear about their investment potential and have a question and answer session with Coys poster expert Adrian Cowdry and expert restorer and framer Josh Kronenberg.”
Coys will be auctioning a 1942 US window card poster of Casablanca, one of the great Hollywood giants, with superb images of Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. This poster is in very high demand as there are only a few examples surviving. It is estimated at £7,000 to £10,000.
Adrian Cowdry, vintage poster specialist at Coys, said: “Vintage posters are going up in value and some of the examples we have on offer will certainly prove to be a very good investment. Movies are just a small part of the poster world and often inspire car lovers – where would Aston Martin be without 007? Michael Caine and Mini Cooper can often be spoken of in the same sentence. Movies and classic cars go hand in hand and Coys are proud to marry the two subjects up in one sale.”
An original 1933 King Kong French Grande poster will be offered at £20,000 to £25,000. Unlike the American paper, which has Kong on top of the Empire State, this poster is a wonderful example, showing King Kong opening the giant gates as he looks over the natives.
Motoring enthusiasts will find a series of Steve McQueen’s 1971 Le Mans movie posters. This was one of the most indulgent films ever made, yet today it is a firm favourite because McQueen insisted on the finite detail putting the audience into the driving seat. The posters are offered at different prices, ranging from £300 to £1600.
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of Goldfinger, the most popular of all the James Bond films, the UK Quad poster will be on offer from £3000 to £4000. This is possibly the most iconic 007 poster with Margaret Nolan posing in full gold body paint and a gold bikini in the famous Robert Brownjohn photographic images. A 1962 Dr. No UK Quad poster will also be sold and is estimated at £8,000 to £10,000.
The auction will also feature a 1962 Breakfast at Tiffany’s with art by Robert McGinnis, showing the beautiful Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in the Dior little black number. This is possibly one of the most desirable posters to have been published and is estimated at £1,500 to £2,000.
A Get Carter 1971 US One Sheet Pop Art Style, probably one of the most rare movie posters of the early 1970’s, will be offered at £2500-3000. This is a very much sought after version, with a distinctive design by John Van Hamersveld, which was used in small numbers in the US for the international release.
Other titles featured at the sale include Some Like it Hot, Bulitt, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Apocalypse Now, Diamonds Are Forever, Kill Bill, Pulp Fiction and the Phantom of the Opera.
There will be a huge sale of autographs from various film, music and motor racing legends, including Enzo Ferrari, Juan Manuel Fangio, Carol Shelby, Graham Hill, Jim Clark, James Hunt, Barry Sheene, Geoff Duke, The Beatles, The Who, Led Zeppelin, Jack Nicholson, Tom Hanks, Kenneth More and James Gandolfini, amongst many more.
Coys ‘True Greats’ auction takes place on Tuesday 2nd December 2014 at 7pm at the Royal Horticultural Society, Lindley Hall, Vincent Square, Westminster, London, SW1P 2PE.