Man finds horror film posters worth five times value of his house hidden in wall
A collection of rare film posters is to go on display in London
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.A man in New Zealand bought a modest house for $100,000 dollars only to discover a hidden stash of horror film posters worth five times that amount.
The cache, which was found in a wall cavity when renovations were being done, was made up of Universal horror ‘half sheet’ posters including The Bride of Frankenstein (1935).
“Horror posters are the most collected type of movie poster on the market,” says Bruce Marchant, who amassed the works as a collector and entered into the business of selling these intriguing and, sometimes, seemingly lost posters in 1991.
He tells another unusual tale about an extremely rare American poster for The Devil is the Woman (1935) starring Marlene Dietrich.
At first he was suspicious of the poster because it had been rolled up. Apparently, until the 1970s movie posters were always folded, he reveals.
“It turns out, the poster had come direct from its printer - a gentleman who had loved the design so much he rolled it away and stored it safe from harm,” he says.
“Some 60 years later the children of the printer found it, and not knowing what it was, sent it to auction where it fetched in excess of $30,000."
Marchant’s Reel Poster Gallery is exhibiting at this year’s London Art Fair, the Business Design Centre, Islington, from 21-25 January 2015, www.londonartfair.co.uk.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments