"Pre-War" Paper: Is it more special? Is it more valuable? How do you view it?

[Disheveledamethyst]

I've seen the term "Pre-War" every so often and have always deduced that it meant memorabilia that survived World War II. I've always enjoyed this concept. Something I've always wanted to own was a beautiful, ornate clock that survived one of the more battered countries of the world wars. There is something poetic about a device that kept time through the greatest disasters humanity has ever brought upon itself. But that's another story.

The idea of Pre-War paper also appeals to me. I can't imagine in the crumbling streets of Leningrad there were many Soviets making sure their movie poster collections were kept clean and dry. The very fact our chosen collectibles are made of paper pretty much guarantees they'd have been burned in times of desperation. Or rather, they were the first to go. Nobody collected movie posters back then, who are we kidding?

So for a piece of paper, believed to be worthless, to survive a global disaster in a particularly devastated country is sort of has to be some sort of miracle. We can't even hang our posters without $100 frames without risking damage. Yet there are pieces that have survived the weather, the fires, the bombing and the bloodshed. Millions of lives extinguished, but our precious little scrap of advertising survived.


So, from what countries do we consider Pre-War paper to be the most impressive? Russia? The fact that a piece of paper survives Russia even in peace-time is astonishing. I've heard people talk about Belgium, Germany, and the UK. I propose we make a comprehensive list of which countries-of-origin we consider to hold the most merit as collectibles. Taking into account not only the state of the country during the World Wars, but how many even existed to begin with.

I also propose that anybody who has Pre-War paper step forward so I can use my powers as a medium to release the spirits trapped within the artwork.

[CSM]

Actually, I think poster collecting might be one of the oldest collecting obsessions of them all!  There were many books/magazines/catalogues put out at the beginning of the 20th century in Europe (particularly France) specifically about posters (although I will concede usually NOT movie posters).

Pre-War paper IS special (usually) simply because it survived the paper drives in the countries affected by WW2.

[theartofmovieposters]

Not really pre war, but during the war aussie daybills were usually smaller...like this one 10x30 (pic borrowed from John Reid).



The larger sheet was turned to get more daybills out of them than the standard 13x30.

Oh and I love em.  I have few and there is just something about them!

[CSM]

Ves, don't you mean "there's just something less about them"?  

[MoviePosterBid.com]

in Amercia we had paper drives which turned countless comics, magazines, posters & much more into pulp to makemore paper to be used for the war effort
in European countries, you first had destruction of cultural art of all kinds when the Nazis marched into your country, and then you had the bombs and resultant fires
in Japan, you had low quantities to begin with, the war effort vertainly cannot have been a help

back then it was natural for everyone to do certain types of recycling (newspapers & magazines, glass bottles, tin cans).

the post-war years on the other hand have been decades of largesse, not just in America, so many "leftovers" are common in all kinds of products.

[MoviePosterBid.com]

Ves, don't you mean "there's just something less about them"?  

she actually meant "there's something more about them at MoviePosterBid.com this week"

[Bruce]

"The larger sheet was turned to get more daybills out of them than the standard 13x30."

This is worded incorrectly (although I know you knew the correct information, I will spell it out for newer collectors).

Before the war, daybills were 15 x 40 (we call these "long daybills"). They were printed two at a time on sheets that were 30 x 40.

During the war they lowered the size to 10 x 30, which allowed them to print 4 at a time on the same 30 x 40 sheet, meaning each had half the area of the "long daybills".

After the war they went to slightly over 13 x 30 because that meant they could print 3 at a time on the same 30 x 40 sheet.

Bruce

[paul waines]

special, Yes. Valuable... not necessarily. Value is a simple equation of supply and demand. The U.K. is a classic example of how obscure paper can be. Firstly it's a small country, so not many posters printed in the first place. We then had the paper drives, and were bombed on quite a large scale during WW2. Even in the later 40's early 50's poverty was very high in the U.K. families were even burning their own furniture to keep warm in the winters, so paper had no chance if these people needed it to get fires going.
    The up-shot of all this is there are posters out there for pre-war films I have never even seen a picture of, never mind in the flesh... And I'm talking popular titles not obscure "Z" pictures.  So to me, pre-war, and lets not forget War Period U.K. posters are Very special and the title, sometimes is irrelevant...  

[erik1925]

I would say it is more special in that, in general, it is likely to be found in less quantity, so, in a way, special might more equate with rare, for all the reasons mentioned above.

But I also had the same thought as Anthony, when looking at posters that were printed prior to WWII, in Europe) and somehow managed to survive, all the way up to today. That these pieces of paper somehow made it through is very impressive!

[paul waines]

I prise anything I have pre 1950, even early 50's. UK paper prior to this is almost extinct.