IT might be time to dig out your old concert posters because they could be worth up to £3.500.
Like any collectables, the value of posters can vary hugely from as little as a few quid to thousands of pounds.
Martin Hughes is a music specialist at Wessex Auction Rooms
But if you ever tore a poster from a venue wall after a gig or picked up a promotional flyer from your nearest record shop, you might just be in the money.
Martin Hughes, a music specialist at Wessex Auction Rooms, has a wealth of knowledge when it comes to music memorabilia.
He told The Sun: “I’ve been to view so many vinyl collections, only to find that the collector has a poster or flyer that is worth so much more.
“People don’t realise the wealth that they have in their own homes.”
The marketplace can be a bit of a minefield if you don’t have specialist knowledge.
If you do want to call in an expert, there are different routes to go down.
An auction house like Martin’s takes a cut after the item goes under the hammer, so he wants to achieve the best possible price for the items.
Once you’re ready to sell, you may find it pays to get some expert help.
If you’re happy to go it alone, a huge number of posters are sold on eBay.
So what are collectors looking for? The Sun picked Martin’s brain to find out his top tips on looking for value.
Festival posters
If you’re sitting on a huge collection of festival posters with big name bands on the line-up, then you could be quids in.
Original posters from festivals like The Isle of Wight festival in 1970 and The Bath Festivals of 1960 and 1970 can be particularly valuable to collectors.
This is because huge artists like Fleetwood Mac and Jimi Hendrix performed and the events themselves have gone down in musical history.
Martin said: “I visited a collector in Wales who had a poster from The Bath Festival that I had never seen before.
“It was blank at the bottom where a promoter would write something like the ticket price, for example. This sold for £3,500.”
The festival line-up also appeared in a slightly different order on this particular poster compared to others, adding even more value.
Posters from the Isle of Wight festival can be worth between £500 and £600, according to Martin.
Promotional posters
You may have noticed posters popping up in big music shops like HMV, or in independent records shops, around the time of an album’s release.
Martin said it used to be common practice for music fans to ask for these posters when the shop had finished with them.
Retailers would often hand them over for free after they served their purpose.
Martin sold a very early cardboard cut-out prompting the release of an early record by Elvis Presley for between £200 and £300.
He added: “There would have been thousands of them around, but most of them would have just ended up in the bin.
“So because so few of them have been kept, they are really difficult to get hold of now which in turn, makes them like gold dust to collectors.”
It’s also worth having a rummage for posters promoting albums from Britpop bands like Oasis, Blur and Pulp.
Martin said there is huge demand and nostalgia around nineties bands, and these two could fetch a few hundred pounds.
Big bands in small venues
If you have a poster from a band or artist’s first tour in a small venue, then you could be onto a winner.
Martin said: “Lots of big bands like The Killers start performing at small venues or doing the University circuit before they hit the big time.
“These posters from first tours by big bands can see for between £50 to £100.”
Martin said it’s also worth looking over the poster again to see if the support act is mentioned.
This is because if the act has gone on to have huge success since, fans will want to complete their collections by having memorabilia from the start of their careers.
There’s also a market for promotional posters for gigs that have taken place abroad because it’s tricky for UK buyers to get their hands on them.
For example, a poster for a performance of The Jam at a French venue fetched £1,020 at auction.
Signed posters
Having a rare poster in the first place is great, but having one with an autograph is even better.
Martin said that as long as the autograph is clearly signed – and can be authenticated – then it will definitely add value to an item.
Many are fakes, so you will need an expert to help check they are genuine.
This is something that an auctioneer like Martin can help with.
Autographs from legends can sell for thousands, for example, Martin sold a signed David Bowie album for a whopping £7,200.
While it wasn’t signed on a poster, it’s an indicator of the price you could expect to get an auction.
Condition isn’t necessarily everything
If you think you’re sitting on a valuable poster, don’t be put off if it’s not in the best condition.
Martin said that while mint condition items fetch higher prices, you won’t necessarily miss out on a sale if it’s a bit battered.
He added: “While the condition is key to achieving the best possible prices, I sell plenty of posters with tears, pinholes and creases.
“It’s amazing how much people are willing to pay for something when they don’t think they’ll find another.
“Pinholes can often be covered once they are mounted and framed, but some people don’t even care because they’re part of the item’s history.”
Meanwhile, we revealed the most valuable and rare cassette tapes worth more than £3,700 revealed – do you have one?
Plus, an antique expert told us how you could have £2,000 hidden in your attic.
Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing [email protected]