A guide for those considering investing in movie posters:

This guide is intented to help anyone considering buying movie posters for investment purposes by answering some questions you may have.  If you found the guide helpful please remember to vote yes at the bottom of the guide.

What types of posters should I buy?  The answer here is simple: invest in what you have a passion for.  If you love horror films consider buying horror posters.  If you love the 60's look for posters from the 60's. 

Do fold lines decrease the value of posters?  Fold lines are normal and are not considered a defect, the posters where issued to theaters this way up until the mid 80's.  Before then some rolled posters did exist, but are much rarer and  usually sell for a premium.

How can I tell if a poster is authentic?  Once you have been dealing in posters for awhile most bootlegs are fairly easy to spot.  The type of paper, size, and print quality are the easy signs for someone who has been doing it for awhile. Until you get used to handling posters it is helpful to consider the source, and the chances that the poster would have been bootlegged.  Is it coming from a reputable dealer?  Is it coming from someone who only has "premium posters"?  If you are buying from someone who only has premium posters be leery (I am not talking here about a reputable dealer here).  Measure the poster, many bootlegs are smaller than the originals (1 sheets are almost always 27x41 or 27x40 depending on when they where produced).  Look for blurred  spots on the image, print quality is often of on bootlegs.

How should I display my posters?  This one is bit more tricky.  Linen backing is a process that can greatly increase the appearance of your poster (especially if it was originally folded) however many collectors prefer unrestored posters.  The reason many collectors prefer unrestored posters is that it is assumed that they will increase in value at a faster rate (especially those that are in excellent condition).  If you do decide to back the poster be sure to find a reputable place to have it done and be sure to keep the poster out of sunlight.  Constant exposure to sunlight will deteriorate the poster over time (if you have a high value poster consider uv resistant glass).

If you have additional questions please message me through ebay and I will do my best to help you out.  Others may have the same questions that I can later add to the guide.