Propstore’s poster auctions once again take center stage this December, with its highly anticipated December 7 & 8, 2023 Los Angeles Collectible Posters Live Auction. Boasting over 700 posters and pieces of artwork worth over $1.5 million dollars, the auction includes pieces that imbue everything from the dazzling artistry of classic film posters to the cult collectability of modern movie classics. This year’s December poster auction definitely has something for every collector or film fan out there, at all price points.

Join us as we explore our top 10 auction lots picks from Propstore’s latest poster auction…

In 1936, there were two undisputed Kings of Horror in Hollywood: Bela Lugosi, who had starred in Dracula (1931), and Boris Karloff, who played the Monster in Frankenstein (1931). It’s not surprising, then, that Universal Pictures would eventually team these two cinematic titans. The film is particularly notable for being the last of the Universal Monster films to be released under the studio’s original regime, marking the end of an important era.

The French Grande for The Invisible Ray (1936) presents a striking image of Karloff in his role as Dr. Janos Ruhk, a scientist whose touch becomes deadly after he is exposed to “Radium X”. Complete with glowing hands and an expression of glowering menace against an atmospheric orange and black background, this version of the poster artwork is visually superior to version produced for the American release. Universal Monster paper has always been highly desirable, and the material from this title has proven exceptionally elusive.

Cary Grant, Katharine Hepburn, and James Stewart are all showcased superbly in this terrific piece from the equally fantastic film – The Philadelphia Story (1940). Prior to filming, this now-classic story unfolded on a Broadway stage. Both Hepburn and Stewart were nominated for Oscars for their performances, with Stewart winning.

Of the two style one sheets for this film, this scarce version of the film poster is a preferred favorite among collectors.  

Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) was George Lucas’ ground-breaking space opera, which defied all expectations and changed the film industry forever. Inspired by Flash Gordon serials, Westerns, samurai films and World War II movies, Lucas crafted a new, hugely popular mythology in “A galaxy far, far away,” while setting a new standard for visual effects.

The unrestored copy of the British quad poster features artwork by the well-known Hildebrandt Brothers and was used only briefly in London, making it one of the rarer posters for the film.

William Powell stars in the romantic drama Man of the World (1931) as a caddish novelist based in Paris, France, who is blackmailing the uncle of a young American woman (Carole Lombard) and whose dark intentions extend to starting a relationship with her when she arrives in the city. This is a fantastic portrait of Carole Lombard and William Powell from their first onscreen team-up, and who later went on to marry in real life.

Interestingly, the source image for the artwork depicts Lombard with a cigarette in her hand and Powell is lighting with a match emitting the glow, however, in the poster artwork the artist decided to omit the cigarette.

This is the only extant copy of this poster that we are aware of and is a beautiful example of 1930’s American pre-Code movie artwork.

Directed by Guy Hamilton, Goldfinger (1964) was the third Bond movie and once again starred Sean Connery in the titular role. The film set the template for every 007 adventure that followed, with its heady cocktail of girls, gadgets, comedy, thrills, and an outlandish villain played by Gert Frobe with dubbing by British actor Michael Collins.

This is a very scarce US Subway poster advertising the immediate post-premiere release of Goldfinger in two New York cinemas, the DeMille and Coronet Theatres on the 22nd December 1964 (the film premiered at the DeMille the day before on the 21st). The print run for such a large poster for just two cinemas would have been very small, making this piece both limited and a unique find for any 007 fans or collectors out there.

Billed as “The King of the Monsters,” Toho Studios spawned a franchise that still blooms today. Godzilla played on the world’s atomic fears and started a massive craze for Japanese Kaiju that remains in high demand today. Directed by Ishiro Honda with special effects by Eiji Tsuburaya, the film was reworked for American audiences to include scenes with Raymond Burr.

This gorgeous poster, depicting one of the most significant movie monsters in cinema history, is a fast favorite among Propstore staff and collectors alike!

Abbott And Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) was the first movie to team the ’40s double act Bud Abbott and Lou Costello with Universal’s monsters – in this case, Dracula (Bela Lugosi), the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.), and Frankenstein’s Monster (Glenn Strange). It proved a huge hit, and four more monster crossover films followed.

A beautiful and bright copy of this horror/comedy favorite, the poster has been professionally restored to linen.

Directed by Ridley Scott and featuring impressive early work from Rutger Hauer, Daryl Hannah, Sean Young, and Edward James Olmos, Blade Runner (1982) is a visually stunning cult classic considered ahead of its time.

This scarce 40″ x 60″ rolled poster for Ridley Scott’s sci-fi classic is not only unique because of the format size but this poster has also been autographed by poster artist John Alvin personally just above the ALVIN sign on the side of the building on the poster right. (The autograph is authenticated and includes an additional COA from Beckett Authentication Services) A unique, must have poster for any fan of the film.

Quentin Tarantino made his directorial debut with “Reservoir Dogs,” a gripping, humorous, and intense portrayal of a failed jewel heist. The film stars Harvey Keitel, Tim Roth, Steve Buscemi, and Michael Madsen, and pays homage to classic crime films such as “The Killing,” “Kansas City Confidential,” and “City on Fire.”

This is the unique style of the Reservoir Dogs poster created for display at the illustrious Cannes Film Festival and designed for a just-starting-out Quentin Tarantino by artist Marc Zaref. It features the titular suited characters in silhouette plus adds a bloody dog print in the foreground. This rolled poster is as clean as any we’ve seen and is in excellent, rolled condition.

In 1955, Marilyn Monroe, the famous platinum blonde with a seductive voice, completed filming The Seven Year Itch (1955). After her divorce from Joe DiMaggio, she left Hollywood for New York with the intention of remaking herself as an actress. Unfortunately, the gossip columns were not supportive of her decision and heavily criticized her for attempting something that they believed was beyond her capabilities. However, reporter Peter Miller managed to secure an in-depth interview with her for The Saturday Evening Post. In addition to his own observations about Monroe, including her tendency to be late, he succeeded in getting her to open up about her life, career, and hopes for the future, which few reporters had been able to do. The resulting article was published in three parts in the Post, starting on May 5, 1956.

The poster here, with a lovely coquettish image of Marilyn in a stunning red gown, promotes his eagerly anticipated article, which appeared after Monroe’s return to Hollywood (she had filmed Bus Stop (1956) just before this article saw print, and was preparing for her marriage to Arthur Miller), and was entering on what many see as one of the most productive and successful periods of her life.

Join us on December 7 & 8, 2023 from 9:30am (PST) / 5:30pm (GMT) when the lots will begin to close, each day. And remember to get those bids in early if you want a shot at picking up some incredible pieces of visual entertainment history.

Check out the full catalogue now at here.

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