ORIGINAL HORROR MOVIE POSTERS
We sell original movie posters that were issued directly by the National Screen Service (NSS), or a specific movie studio. These are NOT REPRODUCTIONS and have a much higher quality of print and color than a reprint. Prior to the 1980s, most movie posters were distributed to theatres in FOLDED condition. Rolled posters (without any fold lines) are exceedingly rare for posters pre 1980.
Many of our posters are anywhere from 30 to 80 years old, meaning that they may have experienced some damage, wear, and tear over the years. At Vintage Horror, we use specialized linen backed services to stabilize, preserve, and restore certain posters and bring them back to life.
CONDITION GRADING
Poor - Severe Rippling, Missing Paper, Various Holes, Large Tears, Obtrusive Staining, Fading/Toning, Other Damages which affect the overall appearance.
Fair - Severe Rippling, Missing Paper, Various Holes, Large Tears, Obtrusive Staining, Fading/Toning, Water Damage, Creases, Main Artwork is Somewhat Intact.
Good - Rippling, Paper Chips, Pin Holes, Small Tears, Slight Staining, Small Amounts of Fading/Toning, Small Water Damages, Small Creases, Main Artwork is Intact.
Very Good - Slight Waving, Small Pin Holes, Small Dents, Tiny Creases, Main Artwork Displays Very Well.
Fine - Artwork Displays Very Well. There are no visible damages. Upon close inspection, there may be one or two small dings, dents, or scratches. Nothing detracts from the artwork, and it is very presentable.
Mint - Perfect Condition . It is extremely rare for any vintage poster to meet this grading, as it would had to have been preserved immediately after being printed (which is nearly impossible).
We do grade some posters as Fine/Near Mint which is usually the best grading possible with a poster that was put into circulation.
PRESERVATION TYPE
Folded Posters
A poster which has been manually folded by hand, or machine folded for distribution. The linen backing process addresses these fold lines, making a poster more presentable when being displayed.
Rolled Posters
A poster which has never been folded and always rolled for storage or transportation.
Linen Backed Posters
A poster which has been put through the linen process to help with preservation or to address damages and make the poster more presentable. Linen backed posters have neutralized all acids present in the paper, preventing any further deterioration.
The linen backing process is fully reversible, meaning it is appealing to art aficionados and collectors alike.
"Ready to Frame" Posters
Framing costs are always a consideration, so posters which have been linen backed, or ones which are in near-mint to mint condition are prime candidates for framing. Generally, these grades of posters usually display best as the have no visible fold lines and little to no signs of wear / damage.
When choosing a glass to protect your poster, keep in mind that light will cause colors to fade overtime. It is best to select a glass that has a high amount of UV protection (ideally 99%). Even with the highest level of protection you should never display your poster for long periods of time in direct sunlight, as years of exposure will eventually cause colors to fade.
LINEN BACKING & RESTORATION
Linen Backing
Linen Backing is a conservation method used to mount and preserve vintage posters on acid free artists paper. Different types of paper may be used depending on size of the poster and type of restoration needed, but they are all acid free papers meant to protect and preserve the artwork.
The linen backing process starts with posters being soaked in a neutralizing bath to remove all harmful chemicals. The poster is then flatten and adhered to the artist paper using an organic buckwheat starch. Damaged posters are stabilized through this backing process, and this prevents any further deterioration. It also corrects things such as fold lines, tears, creases, etc. and makes the poster much easier to handle and more durable.
Sometimes things like missing paper, staining, pin holes, etc. can benefit from additional artist restoration (see below). Linen backing is fully reversible, and any piece can be brought back to it's original state if you choose.
Restoration
All the restorations completed on our items are done using the highest grade of artist materials. Our specialists use non-permanent tools like pencil crayon, watercolor, and air brushing, meaning that all of our restorations could be removed to return a piece to it's original state if you choose.
Basic Restorations during the linen backing process will address any missing paper in fold lines, tears, pin holes, and borders. Toning, staining, and other non-obtrusive imperfections will be left as is. This is commonly referred to as “European Style” Linen Backing.
Advanced Restorations (or American Style) is a much more in-depth restoration process. Missing paper is replaced, and color imperfections are matched This addresses all damages including stains, paper loss, tears, creases, water damage, etc. Vintage Horror uses only the best linen backing experts in Canada to perform our restorations, meaning your posters will be well preserve and gore-geous until the zombie apocalypse.