London Defender

The Daily Mirror of the Great Britain

Star Wars poster set to fetch up to £8,000 at auction

An original Star Wars poster is expected to sell for up to £8,000 when it goes up for auction next month along with hundreds of iconic movie memorabilia.

More than 750 pieces of rare artwork will go under the hammer in the biggest collection of alternative film posters to be sold in Europe at the Prop Store’s cinema poster auction, which will run from 8 to 9 December.

The two-day auction will entice movie fans from across the world to battle it out to bid on the stash of movie memorabilia worth more than £250,000.

One of the most sought after pieces in the collection is a concept movie poster by Josh Kirby, titled Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, which is expected to sell for up to £8,000.

Film posters from the private collections of “movie-making legends” Howard Kazanjian, Bryan Fuller and Charles Lippincott were also expected to feature in the auction.

Kazanjian, the producer of Star Wars and Indiana Jones, will be auctioning off original artwork from the 1980 Star Wars film, The Empire Strikes Back, and a “Happy Birthday” style poster from the 1977 film Star Wars: A New Hope.

A Prop Store employee places a Howard Kazanjian Collection, US One-Sheet 'Happy Birthday' Style from the 1977 film 'Star Wars: Ep IV - A New Hope alongside an original full colour painted concept artwork for the 1980 film 'Star Wars: Ep V - The Empire Strikes Back' at their auction house in Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire. They are estimated to sell between £2,000 - £8,000 in the forthcoming cinema poster auction by the Prop Store. Picture date: Thursday November 4, 2021.
Image: A Prop Store employee places a Howard Kazanjian Collection, ‘Happy Birthday’ next to the Star Wars poster

Meanwhile, a UK Quad poster from the 1956 film Forbidden Planet was expected to sell for up to £10,000 at the auction – making it the event’s potential best seller.

More on Star Wars

A cinema poster for the 2005 film War Of The Worlds, autographed by Tom Cruise, Steven Spielberg and Justin Chatwin was also up for grabs, alongside a poster for the 2015 James Bond movie Spectre, signed by Daniel Craig, Lea Seydoux and others.

The Prop Store CEO Stephen Lane said: “We’re thrilled to announce our first two-day poster auction featuring another outstanding collection of posters and artwork for movie fans to enjoy.

“We’re particularly excited about the extensive collection of alternative film posters going under the hammer which will be sold as part of the 790-lot auction on 8 and 9 December.”

Mark Hochman, Prop Store’s poster expert, said the auction will see the company’s “largest dedicated movie poster sale yet with over 750 lots spread across two days including Hollywood blockbusters, familiar favourites and over 200 Alternative Movie Posters with many of the lots being offered at auction for the first time”.

He added: “Once again, we are proud to present original pieces and unique proof prints from creative design agency FEREF and film posters from the private collections of movie-making legends Howard Kazanjian, Bryan Fuller and Charles Lippincott.”

The auction will be live-streamed online and will be accepting cryptocurrency as a form of payment.