About the Condition Criteria
The ABCs of Valuation
As already mentioned, posters were not intended to be preserved. They were functional materials, printed to be displayed in public spaces, where they were soon destroyed by wind and weather, covered up, or torn down. The posters that have nevertheless survived over the decades—or even an entire century—to the present day are those that served as proof copies for the creator, printer, or client; those that were simply left lying around; and/or those acquired by the first collectors.
Given these circumstances, the same strict criteria are not applied when describing the condition of posters as are, for example, in the case of lithographs by Picasso, Léger, or Le Corbusier.
The most important criterion in assessing the condition of a poster is, rather, its appearance, which means that its classification depends on the answer to the following question: How well does the poster in question reflect the original design concept and intended effect? It is important to note that faded colors cannot be restored to their original vibrancy, whereas tears or even missing sections can be repaired fairly well or even very well.
Meanwhile, the following categories have become established for classification, with a minus or plus sign appended to indicate a slightly worse or better condition, respectively. It goes without saying that this assessment is not an exact science; the boundaries between, say, an A and a B+ cannot be drawn with absolute precision and are in the eye of the beholder—especially when the seller and the prospective buyer are examining a poster together.
Condition A
«A» refers to a poster that is in virtually mint condition. The colors are vibrant; minimal paper loss and/or tears are visible only at the edges of the sheet, as are creases, folds, slightly worn areas, or minor dents. An «A» poster shows hardly any such imperfections, while a poster graded «A-» has a few more. Restoration is possible, but given the only minor damage, it is not noticeable.
In the image of a detail from Emil Cardinaux’s 1924 Jungfrau Railway poster, there is a flaw that is not immediately apparent at first glance: It is a scuff on the lower left edge and constitutes a minor flaw that by no means turns the poster—which is classified as an ’A«—into an »A-.«.
Condition B
«B» denotes a poster in good to (in the case of a «B+») very good condition. Some areas—such as tears that extend a few centimeters into the image—may have been restored or, in cases of severe wear, retouched, though this is not obvious. If these imperfections are accompanied by faded colors or even replaced paper losses, the item is classified as «B-.» On the other hand, a poster that appears fresh apart from a small, now expertly replaced missing section in the image is, despite this loss, more of an «A-» than a «B+.».
The Jelmoli poster by Hugo Laubi from 1933, shown here as an example, is missing its upper left corner—a much more significant form of damage than the abrasion described above. Nevertheless, this loss is not a major issue, as it does not affect a central area and can be repaired by an experienced restorer in such a way that only a very attentive viewer would notice it. Without such a repair, the poster would be graded a «B+»; after repair, it would be graded an «A-,» provided—as in this case—that no other damage is present, whether restored or not.
Condition C
“C” refers to a poster that has suffered severe damage and is virtually impossible to salvage—or can only be salvaged with a disproportionately high amount of effort—and/or that has already been obviously, extensively, and carelessly restored. Cracks and tears run through large sections of the sheet, the colors are in some places severely faded, and numerous bubbles have formed as a result of improper mounting, etc. Placart does not offer any “C” posters.
About Putting Up Posters
One issue on which opinions differ is the mounting of posters. Some prefer the—strictly reversible!—stabilization of a poster using Japanese paper or even linen fabric, often including a wide border around the poster, while others consider this to diminish the poster’s originality. At Placart, we believe that professionally and reversibly mounting a poster on Japanese paper can actually benefit it, as it offers some protection against tears, creases, and wrinkles. However, we also advise against preventively mounting a poster in excellent condition that is going to be framed (soon) anyway.