movie memorabilia

Don't let anyone ever tell you that collecting movie memorabilia is a waste of time. Hold onto that action figure, lobby card, or poster long enough and it some day may be worth more than the house you grew up in. Case in point a poster for the The Black Cat, that 1934 film adaptation of Edgar Allen Poe's classic story starring Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi directed by Edgar G. Ulmer, which was recently opened for bidding by the Heritage Auction Galleries before closing on a final price of $334,600.

Yes, that comma is in the right place. Why'd it sell for such a high price? Because it is the only known Style B, one-sheet poster for The Black Cat known in existence. Auction Central News explains:

"The graphically spectacular red, black and white stone lithograph Black Cat movie poster is that rare collectible that transcends its genre," said Grey Smith, director of Vintage Movie Posters at Heritage. "Yes, it's a gorgeous movie poster, but it also carries great appeal as a piece of art, as a piece of pop culture and as an important piece of cinematic history. There's no other movie poster like it in the world, as far as we know, and it's worth every cent paid for it."