An ultra rare movie poster of the 1927 silent classic, Metropolis, will go under the hammer once again as part of the liquidation of its owner’s assets. The poster, one of only four known surviving copies holds the record for being the most expensive ever sold. If it turns out that the estimates are accurate, the poster could fetch more than $1 million, which would make it the first poster to cross that barrier in a public sale.
The poster is painted by German artist Heinz Schulz-Neudamm (1899-1969), for the famed 1927 film directed by Fritz Lang (1890-1976). Based on the novel by Lang’s wife Thea Von Harbou, the film is about a dystopian future in the year 2000.
Kenneth Schacter, a well-known collector purchased the poster in 2005for $690,000. In March, Movieposterexchange.com offered to buy it for $850,000. And now, seized as part of a Chapter 7 liquidation bankruptcy case involving its owner Schacter, the poster could fetch $1 million. This poster is specific in compared to other, because this is the first use of the robotic woman image that has became the iconic representation of the film. Well-known poster dealer Sean Linkenback has called it the crown jewel of the poster world.
Beside this poster, Schacter’s collection includes a 1933 King Kong poster ( nearly as valuable as the Metropolis poster), and a 1933 one-sheet teaser from The Invisible Man. According to court filings, the total collection could be worth staggering $5 million, but the exact value is uncertain because Schacter has ignored court orders to provide a full and complete inventory.
