ET Original To Be or Not To Be

[GreenMarine]

Hey Guys!

Firstly, I'm very new to this hobby. During the last two weeks I've done some research and realized that you can't just go out and buy an advertised original poster and automatically believe it's the real thing. Well, that's exactly what I did.

I've always loved ET. I mean who doesn't. I've had the urge to purchase an original poster for awhile and finally pulled the trigger. Kind of a divorce gift to myself. Yes, just got divorced. 😬

Anywho, Holiday sent me some really good info on this poster but it's from 14 years ago so things must have changed a bit since then. I'm not totally convinced that the poster I bought is truly original and was hoping someone with expertise could assist.

I've attached pictures of measurements along with random pictures of poster. There are some imperfections to poster so threw those in as well...

Any info is greatly appreciated. I paid a pretty penny for this and I would really like to know if I should be ecstatic with my purchase or return for my money back.

Best Regards,

Jonathan

[marklawd]

Hi Jonathan

Welcome to the forum. It is generally accepted that there were two printings of this one sheet. The first run posters are 27 x 41 and are very hard to find because (I believe) most were signed by Spielberg and gifted to individuals he knew. The second run posters are 26 3/4 x 40 1/2. Your poster is slightly smaller. If this was a poster printed for theatrical use with multiple print runs and/or printed at different locations size differences like this are common. However that is not the case with this poster and sadly I think this is suspect.

Mark

[Neo]

Welcome, GM.

As Mark said, there is often some variance in the length and width measurement of posters.  For the vast majority of cases, it seems to be less than 1/16", with some formats often almost identical and not close to 1/16" difference among copies of the same title.  It was smart to measure the borders, to see if those had been trimmed on your copy.  With the popularity and relatively high price of this title, it would probably be more likely to be reproduced, and it's wise to be cautious with purchasing, selling, etc.