Collectibles: Tom Tyler movie banners

Of the different vintage film poster sizes, one of the rarest is the banner. Usually made of canvas weight fabric with bright colored painted designs and lettering, these banners were displayed in the front of a cinema near the box office. Meant to be eye-catching to the movie patron, these banners were often manufactured in limited quantities which means that very few of them survive today, particularly those from the 1930's to early 1940's. Banners from these two decades on average measured from 119” x 36” to 117” x 35” in size, with some variation in size. These movie banners had a total of eight grommets along the top and bottom edges, which were then tied to a bar and displayed so that it hung flat without sagging. When a cinema was lucky enough to acquire a banner, it would arrive rolled up, and would be stored the same way after the movie it was advertised for ended its run.

There are three Tom Tyler movie banners that are confirmed to exist: “Phantom of the West”, “Battling with Buffalo Bill”, and “Adventure of Captain Marvel”. In very good to excellent condition, these banners can command up to $1000.00 upwards in price.