An original 1931 Frankenstein movie poster insert will provide a monster payday for the collector who bought it as a teenager for only a few dollars at a local antique store and later kept it in the closet for over 30 years when it crosses the block July 27-28 as part of Heritage’s Movie Poster Signature® Auction. The vibrant insert, measuring 14 inches by 36 inches, is expected to realize $100,000+.
“This is an amazing Holy Grail for collectors,” said Grey Smith, Director of Movie Posters at Heritage. “Every year it seems we uncover a rarity few people ever knew existed. We’re happy to bring these finds to light and are just thrilled when they find new homes in excellent collections.” It is one of several rarities in the auction, which is led by numerous pre-war finds, such as a one sheet from the 1934 classic The Thin Man, which could fetch $20,000+. A colorful, “style A” half sheet and partial pressbook from The Wizard of Oz is expected to break $20,000+.
A rare one sheet from The Three Stooges’ classic film “Playing the Ponies” may bring more than $20,000 to lead the largest collection of pre-1940s Three Stooges movie posters and lobby cards ever offered at auction. A scarce one sheet for the hilarious short “Mutts to You,” a rare pre-1940 Three Stooges poster highly sought after by collectors, is expected to bring $15,000+.
A dazzling six sheet from Errol Flynn’s most notable role from The Adventures of Robin Hood, is expected to reach $20,000+ and a scarce one sheet from Gold Diggers of 1933, the Depression Era movie that introduced the song “We’re in the Money,” is expected to bring $18,000+.
With online bidding underway, collectors have already zeroed in on the most colorful offerings with a one sheet from the 1956 sci-fi hit Forbidden Planet on track to bring $6,000+. It is one of three lots relating to the movie offered in the auction, with an insert expected to bring $1,500+ and a lobby card that could bring $1,000+. A captivating one sheet for Attack of the 50 Foot Woman, may realize $8,000+ and a one sheet for Breakfast at Tiffany’s could reach $5,000+. A psychedelic one sheet for 2001: A Space Odyssey is expected to sell for as much as $8,000+.
The auction holds seldom seen gems including a group of Japanese posters from classics ranging from Apocalypse Now to A Fistfull of Dollars, in addition to fantastical images only seen on post-war Polish posters. The auctions’ largest selection by category is Science Fiction followed closely by Drama and Comedy.
Collectors passionate about movie posters, may be interested in three rare lots in Heritage’s Aug. 1-3 Comic and Comic Art Auction. The auction’s offering of original art includes a remarkable movie poster painted by Frank Frazetta for The Night They Raided Minsky’s. Frazetta usually worked in much smaller sizes, making this 38-inch by 28-1/2-inch poster from 1968 an extreme rarity expected to bring $150,000+.
Two other featured lots in the comic auction are related to the Academy Award-wining film Argo. The film tells the story of how the CIA used a fake movie production crew to conceal a daring rescue mission of six Americans held in Iran. The “movie within a movie” was at one time a genuine project titled “Lord of Light,” based on the novel by Roger Zelazny. Producer Barry Geller commissioned Jack Kirby to create a set of concept drawings for the film, but the project stalled and was mostly forgotten, until the CIA used it in their top-secret mission. Two of Kirby’s original oversized concept scene drawings for the project — “Pavilions of Joy” and “Planetary Control Room (Interior)” — remain testaments to his signature style and are expected to bring $10,000+ each.
