Vintage film posters to be auctioned

A man in Alberta, Canada, is auctioning 40 film posters he found in his house which date back to the days of silent cinema.

Blair Pitre came across the vintage posters two weeks after he moved into the property, back in 2007. Some of the posters date back as far as the late 1920s and early 1930s, advertising films starring the era’s luminaries such as Greta Garbo, Gary Cooper, Bela Lugosi and Warner Oland.

In total, Mr Pitre said he found around 360 posters and film title cards in the property, which had all likely been displayed in the local movie house at some point over the past century. One of the theatre’s previous owners had also at one time owned Mr Pitre’s house.

“It’s kind of neat to find actually. I knew it was kind of cool because the pictures and the colour, everything was very vibrant still,” the 39 year old construction worker told The Globe and Mail.

One of the rarest and most valuable posters in the collection is one advertising the 1929 movie The 13th Chair. The film featured Lugosi in a supporting role, two years before he made this hit film Dracula. 

Grey Smith of Heritage Auction Galleries has valued the poster at approximately $5,000. A insert and title card for the film Anna Christie which starred Greta Garbo in her first talking picture could also net Mr Pitre $5,000.

“Vintage movie posters are really very desirable,” Mr Smith said. He told The Globe and Mail that the title and star of the film, along with the poster’s images and rarity are what make a poster collectible, which will be of interest to those working in poster printing and design.

Mr Smith estimates that Mr Pitre could fetch $50,000 for his posters at the auction. Mr Pitre said any money raised would be used to renovate his home.