Heritage Breaks Record for Highest Grossing Movie Poster Auction -- Again!

DALLAS, TEXAS: Heritage Auction Galleries' latest Signature Auction of Vintage Movie Posters and Memorabilia, held July 12 & 13 in Dallas, Texas, set a new world record for a vintage movie poster auction with $1,578,158 realized for 1,517 lots offered, with 1,211 bidders participating, handily topping the previous record of $1,569,057 set by Heritage on November 11 & 12, 2005.

"I'm thrilled by the results of this auction," said Grey Smith, Heritage's Director of Vintage Movie Poster Auctions. "This is one of our most successful auctions ever, with strong prices realized across a number of categories."

"The star of the show," Smith said, "was the rare and elusive Style B Son of Kong one sheet. From 1933, this poster, with its great image of Kiko, Kong's son, protecting Helen Mack as Robert Armstrong's guns blaze in the foreground, rarely appears for sale, and when it does, it inspires spirited bidding, as it did here on its way to a final price of $69,000."

"Speaking of Style B posters," Smith continued, "the beautiful Style B one sheet for the Orson Welles classic Citizen Kane was another standout, finally settling on a price of $57,500. Another rarely seen poster, this one had collectors champing at the bit waiting to bid."

"Once again, vintage animation posters did well for us," Smith said," with the extremely desirable one sheets for the Mickey Mouse shorts The Klondike Kid and Ye Olden Days bringing a healthy $57,500 each. The Lonesome Ghosts 30" x 40" was also a strong performer, eventually bringing $25,300 when all was said and done. There seems to be no lack of interest in early Disney material, and we're happy to keep bringing these wonderful pieces to our clients."

"The fabulous one sheet for Grand Hotel, one of only two copies known to exist, sold in a private treaty sale after the auction for $48,000," Smith revealed, "which put us over the top and enabled us to break our old record. Both buyer and seller are very pleased with the transaction, and I, of course, couldn't be happier."

"Foreign posters continued to do well for us," said Smith. "With their fabulous graphics, sometimes far better than the American paper available for a favorite title, this has become a very popular area with movie poster collectors. In particular, I'd point out the strong results for such lovely pieces as the large French Casablanca poster, which brought $16,100, and The Big Sleep Italian 4-folio which fetched $10,925."

"Of course, I'd be remiss if I failed to mention the superb selection of Swedish posters we offered in this auction," Smith said. "Almost all from the original release of the films they represent, and virtually all from the 1930s, 40s and 50s, these exquisite posters caught the imagination of many a collector. The standout from this group was The Black Cat one sheet, estimated before the auction at $4,000 - $6,000. This moody beauty, with its striking portraits of stars Lugosi and Karloff, was bid all the way up to $12,650, a very healthy price. Overall, the selection of 390 Swedish posters brought $210,539."

"This was, in effect, three auctions in one," Smith said. "The first part was our regular selection of key American and foreign titles. The second part was devoted to our Swedish poster collection, and the third part focused on The Lost Hollywood Collection, featuring still photography from the Culver Picture Service Files, all of which were grade, certified and encapsulated by CGC. These were all examples of 'special photography,' images prepared outside of the regular 'key sets' of publicity stills done for a movie. By some of the most recognizable names from Hollywood Photography's Golden Age, including George Hurrell, Clarence S. Bull, Ruth Harriet Louise, Eugene Robert Richie and more. A lovely photo of Joan Crawford by Hurrell brought $4,025, while a portrait of the same star by Ruth Harriet Louise realized $3,737. With results like these, a total of $60,571 for the CGC-graded photographs, bidders can rest assured they'll see more examples of this beautiful vintage photography in a future auction."

"We're now accepting consignments for our Fall auction," Smith said, " and we've already got some real beauties. I'd encourage anyone who is interested to contact me so that we can start the consignment process as soon as possible. November is just around the corner, and another record-setting vintage poster auction will be here before you know it!"

Son of Kong (RKO, 1933). One Sheet (27" X 41"). Style B
REALIZED: $69,000

Citizen Kane (RKO, 1941). One Sheet (27" X 41") Style B
REALIZED: $57,500

The Klondike Kid (United Artists, 1932). One Sheet (27" X 41")
REALIZED: $57,500

Ye Olden Days (United Artists, 1933). One Sheet (27" X 41")
REALIZED: $57,500

Grand Hotel (MGM, 1932). One Sheet (27" X 41")
REALIZED: $48,000

Lonesome Ghosts (RKO, 1937). Poster (30" X 40")
REALIZED: $25,300

Casablanca (Warner Brothers, 1942). French Poster (63" X 90")
REALIZED: $16,100

The Big Sleep (Warner Brothers, 1946). Italian 4 - Folio (55" X 78")
REALIZED: $10,925

The Black Cat (Universal, 1934). Swedish One Sheet (27.5" X 39.5")
REALIZED: $12,650

Joan Crawford by George Hurrell - Lost Hollywood Collection (1933). Still (10" X 12.75")
REALIZED: $4,025

Joan Crawford by Ruth Harriet Louise - Lost Hollywood Collection (1920s). Still (11" X 14")
REALIZED: $3,737

The next Heritage Vintage Movie Poster Auction will be held on November 14, 2006 in Dallas, Texas. Prospective consignors and sellers of vintage movie posters and related material should contact Grey Smith at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 367, or 214-252-4367, or email GreySm@HA.com.

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HA.com.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalog, please contact Nicole Jewell at 1-800-872-6467, ext. 272, or visit www.HA.com to order by email.