My collection has been in storage for a long time and I recently photographed it all.
There are many gems but one poster, a half sheet, has always piqued my curiosity. As far as I know, it’s the only surviving copy of a US poster for “Homers Odyssey” (L'Odissea 1911) from 1912.

What's made this a curiosity is the suspicion that this may be one of the earliest, if not the earliest, surviving example of a movie poster prominently featuring a monster or creature. In my research I found that posters exist for Georges Méliès "The House of the Devil " (1896) and "L'Inferno" (1911), but in both cases the monsters depicted are ghosts or demons and thus theological or spiritual in nature, as opposed to the biological grounding of the giant Cyclops, which places this poster for Homer's Odyssey more in line with the likes of King Kong, Godzilla, The Lost World, etc., ie a "Creature Feature" (while The Odyssey as a story wouldn't be categorized as such, the poster for the film is advertising/presenting the film in this way). The only other piece of early movie monster ephemera I’m aware of is a trade catalog for the 1910 silent film adaptation of "Frankenstein" by Georges Méliès, which of course isn't a film poster.

Ralph C.

P.S. if this should be posted in the “General Discussion” section plmk

In the image you can see my small specialist library — mostly first editions. These books helped me quickly develop a sense for what’s genuinely desirable (and what isn’t). The single most helpful one for me was “Learn More About Movie Posters.” A couple of Hammer-related books are missing from the photo.

I’m not an old hand like many of you here. I can’t look back on 20+ years of collecting experience or claim I can grade posters by smell alone — you know what I mean.

I’ve only been actively collecting for about three months and, admittedly, I’ve spent quite a bit in a short time to build what I think is already a fairly respectable collection. My goal is to buy posters I truly like — with a realistic chance of being value-stable (and ideally appreciating) over the mid to long term. Call it my personal inflation hedge, but collecting still comes first.

As I said, I’m not an old hand. But I’m not clueless either (unless you ask my wife — she has very different views on posters than I do).

I use AI for many things. For example, I let ChatGPT translate posts like this into English after I’ve written them (my English is fine, but nowhere near my native German).

I also use both Grok and ChatGPT for poster grading (prompt below). I sometimes use AI to suggest a ballpark hammer-price range for auctions as well. That said: you have to be careful. AI isn’t equipped with the human senses that affect what we personally find attractive, and it can be confidently wrong. Taste varies wildly, and the factors that separate a great poster from a mediocre one are complex.

AI makes mistakes, but it does provide a direction and helps me structure my thinking. I never take the output as fact — I always challenge it.

My takeaway so far: ChatGPT tends to give more realistic and balanced lot evaluations than Grok (at least with my prompts). But maybe I still haven’t found the perfect prompt.

How about you — do you use AI in your collecting?

_________________________________

Prompt below (long). Upload a high-resolution photo of a poster, paste this into ChatGPT/Grok, and compare results:

PROMPT: 

You are a professional vintage movie poster grader and paper conservation expert with deep knowledge in restoration detection, printing-era characteristics, and international auction-house grading standards (Heritage Auctions, Poster Auctions International, Sotheby’s, etc.).

Task:
Deliver a precise, evidence-based condition assessment of the uploaded vintage movie poster based exclusively on the single front image provided.

Strict Constraints:

• Only the front image is available – no back view, no physical handling, no UV light, no tactile examination.

• First evaluate technical image quality and explicitly state its impact on grading reliability.

• Assume original period printing unless clear modern reproduction signs are visible (digital halftones, pixelation, wrong paper texture, incorrect margins, missing NSS/studio data etc.).

• Actively note any visible printing-era authenticity markers (NSS numbers, studio credits, printer’s marks, union bugs, paper stock characteristics).

• Never speculate beyond clearly visible pixels. When in doubt, downgrade.

• Balance strict conservatism with realistic auction-house standards and visual presentation impact.

• If title, rarity or demand are unknown, assume mid-demand title and base value commentary solely on condition.

Grading Standards:

• Traditional: Near Mint (NM), Very Fine (VF), Fine (FN), Very Good (VG), Good (G), Fair (FR), Poor (PR) with +/- where justified.

• C-Scale (“Learn About Movie Posters”): C10 (Mint) to C1 (Poor).

Response Structure – Use exactly these headings and order:

A) Technical Image Evaluation

• Resolution and clarity

• Lighting and shadow interference

• Angle and distortion

• Overall image reliability for grading

Technical Visual Analysis

• Paper tone and aging (white, cream, toned, browned, foxing – uniformity & severity)

• Edge condition (nicks, chips, tears, trimming – exact locations & approximate lengths)

• Fold lines (factory folds, crossfolds, fold wear, separations – count & precise locations)

• Surface defects (creases, dents, waves, scuffing – size, direction & locations)

• Pinholes (quantity, size & exact placement)

• Tape, adhesive residue and stains (type, color shift, bleed-through if visible)

• Other staining (water, foxing clusters, grease, mildew – type, distribution)

• Restoration indicators (overpainting, color touch, airbrushing, fill work, linen texture bleed, inpainting patterns – visible evidence only)

• Print registration, ink density, color fading, contrast strength

• Signs of linen backing or other mounting (if visible)

C) Severity Assessment
List every notable defect individually and classify as: Minor / Moderate / Significant / Structural
Clearly distinguish cosmetic from structural paper-integrity issues.

D) Overall Eye Appeal

• Rating: Low / Moderate / Strong / Exceptional

• Brief explanation how visible defects affect display impact.

E) Overall Professional Grade

• Traditional Grade: [e.g. Very Fine-]

• C-Scale Grade: [e.g. C7]

• Justification: (maximum 3–5 concise sentences, strictly evidence-based, referencing specific defects and eye appeal)

F) Market Impact
Explain the effect on auction/retail value compared to a true Near Mint / C9–C10 example of the same title.
Give a realistic, conservative value retention range (e.g. “62–72 % of NM value”). Base strictly on condition (mid-demand assumed).

G) Confidence Level & Limitations

• Confidence: High / Moderate / Low

• Specify all limitations (single front image, missing back, no physical exam, image-quality constraints).

Maintain a strictly objective, professional auction-house tone. Prioritize precision over optimism. Never inflate the grade.

I have been researching this type of daybill for many years but what has remained in my mind is that RKO were very scant in printing duotone daybills up until they ceased operating in the late 1950s. Up until I joined VMPFI was only aware of one duotone RKO daybill and this being Cry Danger. Ves posted a duotone Marchant Joan Of Paris and David posted a The Fallen Sparrow today. This now makes three I am aware of.

Does anyone have any other examples they can post on this thread and if so It would be very appreciated.

Hondo

This is another piece of concept art related to MGM films with an unknown artist. Initially, it seemed very similar to a 4-cent stamp, but the initials are different from the artist, and it has no connection to MGM, right?  It's meticulously crafted and seems to reflect the artist's personality, so I'm really curious about who it might be. 🤔

Hondo

Koya No Toseinin, or The Drifting Avenger, is a 1968 revenge tale starring legendary Japanese actor Ken Takakura. The story is set in America during the cowboy era and follows the son of a former samurai on a mission to avenge his parents after they are killed by stagecoach robbers.  ( NFSA ).

Seeing the film is set in  America I find it odd that the following two posters. one in Japanese and a similar design in English have an image of Australia appearing on them. 

Style A. Note the censorship rating overprint happened at the time of printing and not later on.

The Australian pressbook shows two styles in A and B.  Style A is rare and an image and the only one I have sighted but where is style B which apparently to my knowledge has never had an image displayed on the internet or been advertised for sale or auction. Has anyone ever sighted style B ?

Hondo