I happened to be watching a YouTube video about a firm that restores vintage posters (as you do) and they posted a link to a place called Japan Poster Shop - who sell original movie theatre posters at surprisingly reasonable prices (plus a few very expensive collectors’ items).
So I took a punt and ordered this original 1983 B2 sized poster for “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi”.
It arrived unframed and rolled up so I got it framed locally and collected it this afternoon:
The poster cost me £158 including shipping from Japan, and I spent about the same again on having it framed.
I just liked the idea of owning an original Star Wars poster, instead of a knock-off reprint, and it being Japanese adds an extra element of interest I think.
Here is the website I got it from - but beware - you may be seduced by the Dark Side of the Force!
Very cool. I have a few Star Wars bits about. A life sized R2D2 and C3PO cardboard promo (middle daughter kindly added graffiti and some precious memories from being in Monaco at the time of the premiere (I think it was IV). I bumped into George Lucas in a back street cafe. Selfies weren’t really a thing then and I was aware that I was interrupting. He did sign my Grand Prix program which at least helps to authenticate it by the timing. 2005 I think.
Given your profession I’m sure you know about framing prices, but from here, where we have a lot of stuff framed every year, that looked rather expensive.
Apropos the Japanese angle - have a friend in Boston who’s a big Godzilla and Japanese popular culture fan - he’s got a Datsun 240Z with a Japanese license plate on the front and in the interior there’s a Japanese dashboard with all the switches and dials in Japanese
