The definition of what constitutes a "vintage" poster is surprisingly elusive, even to so-called professional traders. A vintage poster must be relatively old, but also needs to be in good condition to sell at high auction value. A gnarly, torn up version of the original "Casablanca" poster wouldn't be considered "vintage" by serious collectors--it would be considered junk. At what age does a movie poster become vintage, then? Most people agree that the poster of Boris Karloff's "The Mummy," which recently sold for more than $400,000, setting the world price record, would be considered vintage. However, is a limited edition "Godfather" poster vintage? Is an "Empire Strikes Back" movie poster vintage? Can a youthful cult classic, like "Donnie Darko," give rise to a vintage poster, even though the film is only a few years out of the theater? The question gets more complicated when you consider artwork and advertisements. 1920s ribald French liquor posters and 1930s posters, like "Monaco--August 37" by Goatamm and "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes" by Grumon are most certainly vintage. Yet, do old framed covers of "Fortune" magazine constitute vintage items? Do hand-drawn cartoons or old photographic images rise to the level of vintage? Part of the problem is that the concept of "antique" is much more well-formed. An antique by definition must be 100 years old. That said, there's room for ambiguities here, as well. Some people suggest that antiques must date from the 19th-century or earlier. Others contend that items created prior to WWII may qualify as antiques. Thus, figuring out what constitutes a "vintage" or even an "antique" poster really comes down to "you know it when you see it." |
