Machine Folded Movie Posters
Old one-sheet movie posters were precision folded by machine
before they were distributed to theaters, and almost all were
folded with 1 vertical fold running down the center of the poster
and 3 horizontal folds evenly spaced, approximately 10.25 inches
apart. When folded, a 27 x 41 inch one-sheet with 3 horizontal
and 1 vertical folds would be a compact 10.25 x 13.5 inches.
Unless there are misaligned or misplaced folds the edges of the
poster should be flush with each other. The top edge should be
flush with the bottom edge when folded in half for example.
Some old posters are known to have extra folds that could
be due to a misalignment of the poster in the folding machine
or caused by theater employees improperly refolding posters after
use. Many posters were sent along with the cans of film to the
next theater, so it's not usual for old posters to have been
unfolded and refolded many times during the exhibition of a film.
Posters can be folded with the artwork in or artwork out.
If out, you will see part of the image of poster when folded.
If inward then the you will see the back of poster.
Evidence of folds is not always a guarantee that an old poster
is original, as there is nothing to prevent someone from hand
folding a reprinted poster. The difference, though, between hand
folding and precision folding by machine is usually marked and
I doubt that a seasoned collector would mistake a folded reprint
for an original poster.
Diagram:
Pattern of Folds - 27 x 41 inch Movie Poster |
