Lots of people collect one sheet posters, but when they're done with them, they usually turn to foreign posters, and in particular to UK Quads and french posters. Now there a few things you need to know about french posters, and this review is meant to help you buying the right stuff.

First of all french posters come is different sizes:

• "Grande" (Large)  is what buyers usually prefer, its size is 47x63 inches (120x160 cm).
• "Moyen" (Medium) is 24x32 inches (60x80 cm).
• "Petite" (Small) is 16x24 inches (40x60 cm)
• "Pantalon" (Door Panel) is 24x63 inches (60x160 cm)

These are the most common sizes, but here are some other sizes you can find:

• 16x32 inches (40x80 cm)
• 32x46 inches (80x120 cm)
• 63x126  inches (160x240 cm) in 2 panels
• 94x126 (240x320 cm) in 4 panels
• 120x160 inches (300x400 cm) in 8 panels

Now, french posters are folded, at least the oldest ones. Nowadays, movie theaters receive their posters either rolled or folded. Here is what the folds look like:

 Babette Goes to War (1959) Set of 3 16x32 inches

 Batman (1966) "Petite"

 Casino Royale (1967) "Moyenne"

 Some Like it Hot (1959) 32x46 inches

 The Lone Ranger (1956) "Grande"

Now, how do we know these posters are original? You won't find any help on the right bottom corner of the poster, like in US one sheets. The only help is the name of printer and their adress. There are lots of printers who have worked for movie companies, just to name a few:

• Saint Martin
• Lalande
• Bedos
• Gaillard
• Cinemato
• Karcher
• Henon

And many more... Like everyone, printers move, and we know exactly where they were settled at each moment of their carrier. For example, Saint Martin used to be in Paris:

Depending on the moment, the address was or was not appearing, and the phone number changed from POR 10 10 to KEL 05 95. In the 70's they moved to Asnieres and in the 80's to Wissous.

If you know that, you know when the poster was produced, that means you know if the poster is original. Of course it takes time to learn all that, but nobody makes a collection in a day. Sometimes it's even easier, the rereleased posters are printed by another company, the image is different, or there is a "hint" on the poster, like "the movie that received 10 oscars!" when you know the movie has been released before the ceremony.

But remember, knowing the name of the printer isn't enough, you need to know who and where to know when.

To be continued....

Miss Peggy's French Posters store