A pair of highly rare Frankenstein movie posters could bring top prices at Heritage Auctions next month.
First is an original poster for Frankenstein, the classic 1931 Universal horror which introduced audiences to Boris Karloff’s iconic man-made monster.
This one-sheet poster has been described as "a stunning prize collectors have always dreamed of owning", and is one of only six copies known to exist.
The poster comes with an estimate of $80,000 – $160,000, but due to its supreme rarity and the continuing growth of the market, some experts believe it could fetch a far higher price.
Back in 2004, Heritage offered the fifth-known copy of the poster for sale in Dallas, where it sold for $189,750 – making it one of the 20 most valuable movie posters in the world.
The second poster is a French ‘grande’ poster for the film’s 1935 follow-up, Bride of Frankenstein.
Once more directed by James Whale, the film remains one of the few sequels to match the success of the original, and is perhaps even more critically-acclaimed.
Featuring artwork by Joseph Koutachy, this poster is believed to be the only surviving example from the film’s original release in France in 1935.
Even rare than some of its U.S counterparts, this French poster will cross the block with an estimate of $40,000 – $80,000.
To date, the most valuable Frankenstein poster ever sold is a 1931 three-sheet design, of which there is only one known copy in existence.
Having been discovered in the 1970s, inside the long boarded-up projection booth of a converted movie theatre, it sold at Heritage in 2015 for $358,500.
Universal is set to remake Bride of Frankenstein in 2019, as part of its new Dark Universe series which seeks to reimagine the classic monsters for modern-day movie goers.
And as a new generation discovers the likes of Dracula, Frankenstein and the Wolfman, the appreciation for the remarkable originals is sure to grow – giving collectors ever more reason to treasure these posters.
