Five Ways to Collect Movie Memorabilia

 Collectors of movie memorabilia all have a story to tell about their first piece of collectible movie art. It may have started when he spotted an original lobby card from the movie that was playing on his first date and decided it would make a lovely framed art piece on his wall.  Or perhaps she couldn’t resist owning the fabulous necklace worn by the star of a favorite movie. No matter what started it, movie item collectors often suddenly find themselves with bits and pieces collected from everywhere—posters and props and cards and promotional items all mixed in willy-nilly. That’s no way to have a collection!

Whether you collect stamps, books or movie memorabilia, the most valuable and attractive collections are those that center around a central theme. Choosing a theme for your movie collection helps you focus and creates a cohesive collection that’s easier to display and sell, if and when you choose to do so. There are many ways to collect themed movie items.  These tips will help you sharpen your focus and create a more complete and attractive collection.

Focus on an Item

Choose one type of memorabilia in which to specialize – autographs, movie posters or props from mystery movies, for example. Even within those broad categories, you can narrow your focus and concentrate on things like lobby posters from romantic comedies, or autographs of Best Actress Oscar winners. A random collection of movie star autographs might be fun to own, but a collection that includes the autograph of every Best Actress of the last 25 years would be worth some serious cash , and be far more interesting to other collectors.

Focus on a Genre

Narrow your focus to items connected with movies from a particular genre.  For example, sci-fi is extremely popular because of the cool factor of special effects props. The tendency for production companies to release sequels makes it easy to narrow your collection to items connected with one particular series.  Star Wars and Harry Potter collectibles are high up on the desirability chart, but even lesser-known movies can be fun to collect.

Focus on a Celebrity

Choose a director or actor and focus on collecting props or posters from their movies. A collection of movie pieces from Hitchcock movies might include posters from all of the director’s best-known films, or iconic items from his movies. Other ideas include autographed publicity photos from each of an actress’ movies or costume pieces worn by a particular actor in each of his films.

Collecting movie memorabilia can be an interesting hobby, and specializing in specific eras, types and personalities can make it all the more interesting.

Movie Posters Top Movie Memorabilia Charts

Movie posters are among the most collectible of all movie memorabilia. Owning a piece of movie history can be rewarding and exciting, and the hunt for the perfect poster can be an exciting hobby all on its own. If you’re just getting started on your collection, there are some things you should know to protect yourself, and your precious acquisitions.

Collect What You Love

The more you know about your passion, the less likely you are to fall for a scam or buy a fake. More importantly, you should seek out those things that you’d love to put in a display, because that’s what it’s all about.

Think About Your Display Space and its Size

There are many different sizes of movie posters, and many of them are suitable for display on your walls. The most common American sizes are one sheets, which are the size most collectors want. At 27x41”, they’re the right size to hang on a wall.  Three sheets, at 41x81”, are the size of three one-sheets side by side. They’re more difficult to display, but could be a prized piece above a sofa or on a stairway wall.  Lobby cards are sets of eight cards, 11x14”, which feature scenes from the movie and were meant to be displayed in the lobby of a movie theater. The industry stopped using them in the 1980s.  Window cards are 14x22” movie posters that were hung around town in store windows to advertise the latest movie when it came to town.  And finally, insert posters were designed to fit on a sandwich board outside the theater. They measure 14x36” and can make a nice gallery display.

Specialize in Your Collection for the Best Value

Themed collections are not only more valuable, they’re also more fun to collect. Choose pieces from your favorite genre, such as sci-fi, spaghetti westerns, or the great romances, or concentrate on a particular era.  You can even collect memorabilia that focuses on your favorite star or director.

You can sign up for mailing lists from auction houses and movie collectors’ websites to find out about auctions and movie posters going up for sale.  And remember that movie posters are only one type of movie memorabilia you can collect. Other popular types of items include sports items, such as baseball cards, uniform shirts, game programs and game balls, and racing pieces.