"King Kong" Brings a Record $70,700 at Skinner Poster Auction
Boston, MA – More than 300 people crowded into Skinner’s Boston gallery for its premier auction of major motion picture posters on November 21, a sale which drew nearly 100 absentee and telephone bidders in addition to those present. Grossing more than $270,000, the sale comprised 343 lots, offering American and European examples from the early part of this century to the present day. Top honors went to a three sheet (41 x 81 in.) of "King Kong," one of only four known to exist, which garnered $70,700, a record for a three-sheet style B.
Also selling high was a large poster from "Laughing Gas" (1914) with Charlie Chaplin. The only poster known to have survived from that film, and in excellent condition, the piece brought $12,650. Proving the breadth and depth of the sale, the prop poster for "Springtime for Hitler" from Mel Brooks’ "The Producers" drew significant interest, including eight telephone bidders, and sold far above expectations at $9,775.
The auction opened with a large selection of Marilyn Monroe material, led by a six sheet (81 x 81 in.) poster, and a rare 40 x 60 inch version from "The Seven Year Itch," that realized $3,450 and $3,220 respectively. Material featuring other actors and actresses included a one sheet version of "Breakfast at Tiffany’s" with Audrey Hepburn selling for $2,415 and a 14 x 36 inch poster from "Cat on a Hot Tin Roof" with Liz Taylor and Paul Newman going for $2,875. Orson Welles material included a profusely illustrated United States first run souvenir program for "Citizen Kane" that reached $1,495 and an 11 x 14 inch "Sunset Boulevard" that went for $1,610.
Competition was stiff for the only 40 x 60 poster ever discovered of "King Creole," bringing the price to $2,645; bidders also vied for selected westerns, with "The Santa Fe Trail" selling high at $1,495, and "Paradise Canyon" garnering $6,038. An extraordinary group of boxing material, providing examples from the 1930s to the 1970s, drew many bids and ultimately sold for $8,625.
Additional highlights included Film noir selections, with "The Postman Always Rings Twice" selling for $1,295 and "Murder My Sweet" for an impressive $1,380. A small and rare British herald for Fritz Lang’s 1926 "Metropolis" highlighted science fiction movie posters, selling above estimate for $1,495, and in the same category, a double crown for "2001: A Space Odyssey" sold for $1,150, and a banner for the same film for $690. A three sheet for "Invasion of the Saucer Men" brought $2,300, and a three-sheet for the original Godzilla $1,265. Unusual and collectible, the selection of lenticulars drew interest at the close of the sale, topped by one from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" bringing $1,840.