That Belgian Casablanca poster
IS quite interesting!
As pointed out above, it
WAS auctioned at Heritage as R60s in the 2007 July Signature Vintage Movie Poster Auction #665 (but only after it was in the catalog as "1940s First Post-War Release Belgian")
http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=665&lotNo=28899#PhotoHowever, an incredibly similar example (same printed top) was auctioned the following year in the 2008 November Signature Vintage Movie Poster Auction #695 and now it was back to being "1940s First Post-War Release Belgian"
http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=695&lotNo=85194#PhotoTwo years later it was back again in the 2010 November Beverly Hills Signature Movie Poster Auction #7029 (this was the
EXACT same poster as from two years before, (it is typical of posters that "sell" in Signature Auctions to come back again and again) and it was again "1940s First Post-War Release Belgian"
http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7029&lotNo=83297#PhotoSo obviously their expert had a change of heart between 2007 and 2008 and decided it was NOT "R60s"!They also auctioned a mapbacked one in their 2005 November Rare Movie Poster Auction #624 and it was "1947 First Post-War Release Belgian"
http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=624&lotNo=28273#PhotoThat
EXACT same poster came back in the 2009 March Signature Vintage Movie Poster Auction #7003 and it was again "1947 First Post-War Release Belgian"
http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7003&lotNo=86439#PhotoSo it appears that in the eyes of their expert during the years 2005 through 2010, the mapbacked ones are from 1947 and are the first post-war release, but that the non-mapbacked ones are from the "1940s" and are the first post-war release (since they went back and forth on this depending on whether it is mapbacked or not, it is not a simple case of changing his mind).They also sold a really curious example in their Sunday Internet Movie Poster Auction #161336 on Sep 8, 2013. This one
LOOKS like the mapbacked ones, but no mention is made of that so it seems unlikely it could have been mapbacked, given the many other condition details they give. This one is "1947 First Post-War Release Belgian"
http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=161336&lotNo=53072#PhotoEarlier in 2013 they sold an example that is clearly
NOT mapbacked in their 2013 March 23 - 24 Vintage Movie Poster Signature Auction - Dallas #7072 and NOW the non mapbacked one has become "1947 First Post-War Release Belgian", so
it appears that by this year their expert has now concluded that both mapbacked and non-mapbacked are all from exactly 1947.http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7072&lotNo=83798#PhotoFinally, here is the most curious one of all!They sold one in their 2009 November Signature Vintage Movie Posters Auction #7014 that measures 14" X 22" (it has the same image size as the above, but has extra wide borders) and is identified as "R60s". So
it appears that in the eyes of their expert there were mapbacked ones and non-mapbacked ones printed in 1947, and then the movie was re-released there in the 1960s, and at that time they printed new posters, but used the exact same art from the 1947 release, and just added large borders.http://movieposters.ha.com/c/item.zx?saleNo=7014&lotNo=89905#PhotoI will do more research on this, to see if I can find out more that either backs up that there were mapbacked ones and non-mapbacked ones printed in 1947, and then the movie was re-released there in the 1960s, or that contradicts it, and depending what I find I will either add to the current one I am auctioning, or close the auction and re-auction it at a later time with more detailed information.