Movie Posters Australia

Movie Posters Australia sells original cinema release movie posters and ephemera, which includes movie window cards, movie lobby cards, heralds, movie glass slides, movie programs, movie press books, from all over the world. We may also have limited edition movie poster art releases by movie studios / movie production companies / known movie poster artists.

We have been collecting movie posters since the mid-1980's and dealing in movie posters for over ten years. Movie posters can be both a passion and an addiction. But we are here to help preserve this precious artwork form that both helps create and evoke memories of movies and their stories. These pieces were originally printed to display for a limited time and then throw away. Because of this, very few movie posters remain for some movie titles.

We are located in Melbourne, Australia, but we hold a range of desirable original vintage movie posters, and movie posters with fantastic artwork and design, from all over the world. We also buy original movie posters and collections. If you are wanting to sell some original movie posters, or a movie poster collection, please contact is through our contact page for private discussion.

Not at this time. But we are considering offering this service in the future. In rare circumstances, some movie posters may be offered for sale already framed. You can use a local framer to do this for you but we recommend using a framer that provides 99% UV glass/acrylic, have the poster set back from the glass, and preferably use archival/acid free materials. The posters longevity would best be served by having it linen backed first to make framing easier but the linen backing process will also help neutralise any acid held in the paper fibres, stabilise the poster to prevent foxing, and ensure your poster maintains its appearance and value.

There are a number of factors that can help to authenticate if a movie poster is an original vintage release used by movie theatres, drive-in theatres, and for other movie promotion locations. These can be a mix of size, paper stock, printing process, identifying marks, age and condition, and comparison of printed artwork to other known original examples.
Size – Each movie poster size is known and most posters will measure to within 1-2mm of their expected size. But there are some exceptions and sometimes a comparison to other known original examples may be needed. It is also possible that a poster may have been trimmed by an owner at some point in an attempt to clean up worn or ratty edges and to improve its condition for sale. Trimming unnecessarily reduces the value of a poster more so than edge damage itself and is not recommended. But resource shortages also impacted size and during the second world war saw the change of size for Australia Long Daybills change from 15″ x 40″ to smaller War Time Daybill size of 10″ x 30″ to get four daybills cut from a single sheet and reduce paper usage. After World War 2, it increased to a Post-War size of 13″ x 30″, and later in the 1980’s the Daybill size was reduced again to 13″ x 26″.
Paper Stock – Weight, quality, finish, and acid content, has changed over the decades. As a short term and disposable advertising medium, the choice of paper in certain decades was impacted by availability of natural resources, type of printing process used, intended location etc. Window Cards, Lobby Cards, US Inserts, were printed on a card stock instead of paper. Pre-1960’s posters were printed using matte paper stock and during war time were impacted by resource shortages as discussed above. Measuring paper thickness (GSM) with a micrometer and comparing this with other known examples can also help authenticate a poster. The quality and finish of the paper can also be compared to other known examples from the period or printer.
Printing Process – From the 1910’s to the 1950’s, most printers used a stone lithograph process for printing movie posters in Australia and a stone litho print has a different texture, feel and under magnification will show the grain of the litho crayon and stone that makes the print. The more common offset printing process, and sometimes in reproductions of pre-1960’s posters that are printed on large format digital printers, under magnification you will see a mixture of overlapping dots (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black) creating a pattern that make up the colours you see. The printing process used can sometimes help authenticate the
Identifying Marks – The printing process itself is not always perfect. Printers rely on the registration (or alignment) of multiple colours printed over each other. Visible registration marks, their location, can also help authenticate a poster. Sometimes, printing errors, plate imperfections, can add unique and small defects to a print run (for example, the Australian Daybill for James Dean’s Rebel Without a Cause has some imperfect printing of ink for the Warner Brothers logo. Other identifying marks might be seen on USA posters printed by the NSS (National Screen Service) up to the mid-80’s that show a year of release and a number allocated to that film title released that year (eg. ’66/102′ with first numbers the year of release and last 3 numbers being release number in that year for the film title – numbers were allocated consecutively, so early numbers signify a release early in the year).
Age, Condition, Signs of Restoration – generally, the older the poster, paper stock will show signs on wear and tear from handling or use. Paper stock may discolour from sun damage, dust, acid in the paper. Foxing marks may start to appear on older posters. Fold wear is common with age. Multiple signs of age and wear can often help to authenticate the general age of a poster even though these condition factors may reduce it’s value. Restoration to damage or older posters has also become fairly common and during the process of linen or paper backing a poster. Linen backing is a great way to stabilise a poster from further deterioration but restoration can be hard to identify. But all forms of damage, wear, and age deterioration can help authenticate a movie posters general age.
Comparison of Printed Artwork to Other Known Original Examples – if there is still doubt about a posters authenticity a thorough comparison to authenticated known examples, or high resolution images of authenticated examples, can also help resolve any doubts and authenticate a poster.
But if you have any doubts please feel free to contact us at Movie Posters Australia and we will be happy to help.

An original movie poster is one that was printed at the time of the film’s release. Although, there are also cinema re-release versions that are released in later years, usually with slight artwork and/or print colour differences. The posters that are generally considered more valuable and collectible are the first release movie posters due to their rarity, age, higher budget in artwork production and print run. Reprint posters, on the other hand, are newer versions of the original poster that have been reproduced for various reasons such as special anniversary releases or limited edition prints or consumer demand. While they may look very similar to originals in some cases, they are not as valuable.

We want our customers to be completely satisfied with their purchase. If for any reason you are not happy with your movie poster, we offer a 30-day return policy. Simply contact our customer service team and they will guide you through the process.
Please note that all returns must be in their original condition, with no tears, folds, or damage to the poster itself. We also require a copy of your receipt or proof of purchase for returns to be processed.
If you would like to exchange your movie poster for a different one, please follow the same process as a return and specify which poster you would like instead. Please note that any price differences between posters will need to be paid by the customer.
Our goal is to make sure every customer is happy with their purchase and we will do our best to accommodate any concerns or issues.
Thank you for choosing Movie Posters Australia!

Assessing the value of a vintage movie poster requires considering factors such as rarity, condition, demand, and market trends. Researching similar posters and their realised prices at auctions, or through reputable dealers, can provide insights into current market values. Consulting with professional appraisers, dealers like Movie Posters Australia, or specialized collectors’ communities can also help in determining the worth of a specific movie poster. If you would like some assistance on a valuation for insurance purposes for replacement value, or you have a poster or collection that you would like appraised, feel free to contact us and we would be happy to help.

Yes. We are always looking to expand our dealer collection for sale, as well as add desirable titles to our own collection. If you have original movie posters that you are looking to part with please contact us with some details, or feel free to give us a call on +61 3 9005 0000 for a confidential discussion.