WHO ARE WE?
I am a cinema quad poster collector who offers original British cinema crown quad posters for sale. These posters were produced solely for UK cinema exhibition and are therefore not available at retail outlets. Their limited print run and unique size has made them increasingly collectable. My aim is to find cinema posters that have outstanding artwork with iconic images that are universally recognisable around the world, as well as unusual film art that simply deserves to be seen.
I try and source posters that are in the best possible condition for their age and do not display folded or badly damaged modern quad posters. It is my aim to value posters similar to or lower than other established quad poster websites. There may well however still be some posters that I am particularly fond of and consider more valuable than others, but that it part of the pleasure of collecting - everyone has very individual taste.
If you have any questions or queries please don't hesitate to e-mail me by clicking contact in the menu bar.
WHAT IS A CINEMA QUAD POSTER?
The British cinema quadruple crown poster (quad) has been the standard since the late 1930’s. It measures 30 x 40 inches and is displayed in the landscape format. Up until 1985 quad posters were almost always machine folded prior to distribution and printed on heavier matt paper stock. The most prominent printers in the U.K. at the time were Berry & Company, Lonsdale & Bartholomew and Stafford and Company.
Due to their unique ‘landscape’ orientation, artwork for every imported U.S. film had to either be altered or completely recommissioned by British commercial artists. This led to new, alternative and often more exciting artwork than the original U.S. design. As a result many British cinema quad posters have become highly sought after by collectors.
Since the early 1990s quad posters are now printed on both sides (Double Sided - DS Quad) using gloss paper stock. This increases the contrast and colour when displayed inside a cinema light box. Unlike their predecessors modern posters are unfortunately much easier to damage and almost impossible to restore.
With the advent of photo manipulation software, new cinema releases rarely get alternative UK artwork commissioned, however distributors like Park Circus and the Bfi have been reinvigorating the quad poster market by bringing classic films back into theatres along with some wonderful fresh new designs.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
I originally started collecting film memorabilia in my mid-teens, buying my first cinema quad poster at Westminster Film Fair in London. During my further education I worked at several cinemas and began to acquire many more. Unsure of what to do with them all, I stored them in my parents loft and forgot about them.
After graduating from the National Film and Television School, I continued to further my filmmaking career. Noticing that my office wall was rather bare, I decided to sell off my old collection of quad posters in order to purchase the one original quad poster that represented why I got into films in the first place - The 1977 pre-oscar Star Wars quad.
Unfortunately there were so many other fantastic quad posters out there that I couldn't help purchasing as many as I was getting rid of. I now have a wonderful collection, but unable to display them all, I decided to set up this website so that others can proudly display these fantastic pieces of film art.
I hope like me, you find the perfect cinema quad poster for you!