The Most Important Tool in Poster Collecting (That No One Talks About)

finepostervault

Many of you will probably laugh and say, “I’ve been using one of these since shortly after the invention of the wheel.” But for me as a rookie, this was new.

One thing is clear: people who professionally ship vintage movie posters mean business. They prepare that valuable cargo for everything that ever happened in a 1950s B-movie — alien invasions, volcanic eruptions, shifts of the Earth’s axis, you name it.

Then the package arrives at your door… and you grab a carpet knife. That’s when you either cut straight into the poster — or into arteries you’ve grown rather attached to.

This cutter (or similar models) is a complete game changer. It cuts only the cardboard. Or the bubble wrap. What it does not do is reach the poster — unless you handle it in a truly spectacularly stupid way.

To quote the Greeks: Eureka.

There are five big boxes full, of Posters waiting to be opened here. Unfortunately, I don’t really know where to put the posters yet because my Baroque portfolios still haven’t arrived. I’ve been waiting for weeks. Horrible. 

Anyway. This is the knife.

Sven

I still bear a scare on my knee from opening a box a little too quickly , so will check this out! 

finepostervault

You'll love it!

Charlie

I’ve never cut a poster in 30 years. I tore one once that was rolled in paper oddly. 

Baroque’s are a fad I am thinking - too much handling to get them in and then you’ll dent them (mostly a worry for new modern posters) turning the pages. They will get heavy when you fill them and then you still have to find a flat place to store it.

Just bite the bullet and get flat files.

I painfully went through this with full size poly bags - they make the poster heavier and dent modern posters.

I just keep theme between acid free paper. Stacked for
days. But I have no idea where anything is.

Bruce

Flat files are the way to go. Brand new ones are expensive, used ones are often available.

Architect's offices used to be filled with them to store blueprints (mostly wooden ones). As they stop using them (no more physical blueprints), that makes tons available, but not all fit one-sheets.

I once lucked out and got one that easily holds 40x60s!