We all need a little TLC at times and that applies to movie posters too.  They have a tough working life before they are retired to the wall of an admiring collector or aficionado in a beautiful frame and may need some restoration.

First they are pinned up and taken down, folded one way, then another, slotted behind a Perspex cover and perhaps removed with a heavy hand. Inevitably some movie posters, particularly vintage ones, will become damaged.  There may be tears, fold lines, corners missing, pin holes…. but do not despair because help is at hand.  Even heavily damaged movie posters can be restored to their shining glory.

Using a restoration process which involves soaking the damaged poster onto a linen backing, cleaning via a de-acidifying bath and finally having an artist make the poster as new, we are able to bring back to life such wonderful pieces of art like this Spartacus poster from 1960.

The photos below show the poster before restoration, during the process and finally as good as new.

There’s no rule but we only restore posters which are in need of work and we will always advise our clients if it is worth doing.  Of course there are posters which clients love so much that they want to get them restored whether it is economically viable or not.  Fabulous vintage movie posters tend to have an effect on collectors.

And of course there’s no right or wrong here. Some people prefer their movie posters without restoration and that is fine too!