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Old Posters

Old Posters have been with us since somewhere in the mid 1800's. True, they had a different purpose back then, than they do now!

Back then, they were mostly used for community information...now, they are mostly used for advertising and entertainment. And that's our primary focus here...

We're willing to bet that you have an old poster somewhere in your home...almost everyone does!

True, (if you're like us) your poster is probably not from the mid-1800's. If it is, you definitely need to have it protected and professionally appraised. (antique appraiser) Rather, most of what you will find are posters from your childhood memories.

We're going to take a look at a few of our old posters. But first, let's take a quick look back at how old posters got their start!

a (very brief) history...

Once again, our intention is not to bore you with historical facts, dates, and other misc. information.

Still, it is important to at least have a general understanding of how these old posters come about.

Through the years, posters have generally been classified into three basic categories: Announcements, Advertising, and Entertainment.

Announcements -

Many early posters were simply announcements to the community!
Take this Old Wanted poster, for example. It was a definite statement to the locals that they weren't messing around with this gentleman!
The same idea could be applied for any purpose; a town meeting, an upcoming street fair, and many other general reminders.
These types of posters varied in size, based on the size of the local printing press.

Likewise, they varied in color.
Gradually, as time went on, a rather generic poster could be "livened-up" a little bit with the addition of colors.

This poster is also a general announcement of sorts. It's still very basic and to the point. However, with a little extra color, it is much more appealing to the eye!
This process is still used today in various forms. Although, nowadays, it is more likely that the local copy store, versus a printing press, is more widely accepted, (and much cheaper!)
Advertising - As one might imagine, the local merchant quickly picked up on the poster concept!
The printing methods continued to improve through the late 1800's and into the next century. As such, local retailers used posters more and more to advertise their store and products.

Modern day grocery stores and markets are the best example of a retailer utilizing the poster concept!
It could be a "Grand Opening Sale" or (like the above) a "Going Out Of Business Sale". Or, perhaps it was as simple as advertising the price of the basics: bread, eggs, and milk!
Entertainment - Other than announcements and advertising, the most common modern-day posters are geared towards the kids and entertainment.
Teen posters and celebrity posters are what you are most likely to find at your local Wal Mart.

They have been a huge selling item for many years and continue to show no signs of letting up!
This (as most people know)is Taylor Swift, a hugely popular Country Music Star...especially with the teenagers!

This poster is yet another example of how modern day posters continue to evolve. The pin-up poster!
Though not new to the magazine world, the pin-up poster is simply a folded-up poster inserted into the middle of a magazine, in this case, Tiger Beat Magazine! (There are other magazines much more famous for this practice!)

A Quick Word On Old Prints

We have focused mainly on old posters. But, what about old prints of Art? Well, quite frankly, We do not have the knowledge, time, or space to handle such a topic.

Collecting valuable prints of art, whether it's vintage or modern-day, is a serious business! We recommend consulting with a true professional when evaluating your personal collection.

The value can be, and often is, influenced by many factors including: condition, age, subject, the popularity of the artist, whether it is hand-signed, limited editions, framing, and on and on...

Before you purchase such a piece, it is a good idea to do your homework first! Learn as much as you can, ,before you make that purchase. Choose something that you like, but choose wisely!

Protecting Those Old Posters

Handle with care - Try to avoid handling the poster as much as possible! Use cotton gloves to prevent those oily hands of yours from damaging the poster.

Store Horizontally - If at all possible, store your poster in the horizontal position, spread out evenly and flat. Acid free tubes can be purchased for storing posters in the rolled up position.

Buffer Sheets - If you plan on storing more than one poster together, MAKE SURE that you use acid-free buffer sheets in between each poster. YOU DO NOT want your valuable and collectible posters to stick together or bleed on one another.

Tears/Crinkled Edges - Be extremely careful when handling tears or damaged edges. Use acid-free paper to protect them and consider using a backer board (acid-free, of course) to add additional support!

Storing Those Old Posters

Whether your old posters are rolled up or laid out flat, you will want to protect and store them safely! They are many choices; though you may have to shop around a little bit to find one that will work for you!

Basically, they are two options: tubes or flat boxes. Poster tubes are usually 4-5" square by 30-32" in length. There are various qualities available. Entry level tubes are made of basic corrugated cardboard and run about $2-3.00 each.

Or, you may opt for an Archival quality tube with reinforced sides, lined with acid-free paper. These tubes are for those special posters of value and run around $20.00 each.

Flat storage boxes also vary greatly in quality and price. A good quality corrugated flat storage box can hold up to 25 posters. These types of boxes will run you approximately $25.00 each.

However, keep in mind one thing! If you are making the effort to preserve your posters, then you will also want to separate each individual poster with a polyethylene sleeve. These sleeves will cost between $1-2.00 each depending on the thickness. Thickness size is usually 2mil or 4 mil.

In addition to that, you may also want to consider using backer boards for those fragile posters. Backer boards also vary greatly. You may purchase a simple corrugated backer board for around $2.00 each.

Or again, you may opt for an Archival quality acid-free foam board for around $10.00 each. These boards will support and protect your posters for a long time to come!

Are They Worth Anything?

Sure! But, like any paper collectible, it largely depends on the age, condition, and topic of your poster!

First, how old is your poster? In general, if your poster is over 20 years old, then, it may be worth preserving.

Is it in good condition? Really? Has your poster seen every wall in your room? Tape, pushpins, glue? Use any of these? How bad is that damage? Be honest...

Elvis Presley Poster

And finally, what is you poster all about; What does it say? Is it topic related, or is it just for entertainment (like Elvis Presley)?

Perhaps, you collect old movie posters. We just visited an antique mall where these posters were selling for a minimum of $20-25.00 each! The posters average age was approximately 30-40 years old.

A vintage movie poster from the early 1900's could sell for much, much, more! And, if you have a popular title, you poster may be worth hundreds of dollars! Take good care of it!

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Random Notes...

Take a good look at your poster collection. What exactly do you have? Suppose you have one vintage poster that you really want to save and several others that are nice, maybe fun, but not neccessarily valuable.

Our Advice?

Our advice would be to spend the money on the Archival quality tubes, sleeves, and backer boards to properly preserve the vintage poster. And, if you have the extra cash to spend, do the same with the others as well.

But, if you're looking to budget yourself somewhat, perhaps you can still protect the other posters with the corrugated tubes which are less expensive. We would still suggest purchasing the polyethylene sleeves to separate your posters, because they are fairly inexpensive.

Look, if you only have a couple of posters to preserve, then do it right and buy the proper supplies for the job. It will definitely be worth it in the long run. And, it will be worth it when you pass them down to your family members later on.

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SBI!