09/07/2026
The PashCo Poster Primer
Before you venture out and purchase that poster you saw at auction, or on many of the online retailers sites, there are a few important guidelines you may want to review. These tips could help you not only understand what you are buying, but also save you some money when making your decision to pull the trigger on that great piece of vintage art.
Many posters / prints were printed several times. When looking at concert venue posters you’ll typically see the pre-show advertising poster (or first/original printing), and then the post show giveaway, and after show merchandising sales poster versions. There are many ways to distinguish between these editions, and there are MANY reference tools that can be consulted. This Primer is not meant to replace those tools. In this document, we will cover some of the other terms you will want to understand in advance of your print purchase.
But for completeness, let’s establish that most collectors are looking for a FIRST PRINTING (1st Edition) also called an OP1 (Original Printing). In this collector market, these firsts continue to command higher prices - while reprints - are identified by with numbers like RP2, RP3, etc. In fact, sometimes the RP2 or subsequent posters were actually printed in smaller batches - making them more rare - while still costing significantly less than the OP1. One other point to know about before we move on, is that many REPRINTS of posters have special markings that are used as a tell tale sign that they are reprints. A dot of ink hidden somewhere on the poster, or a scratch in the margin (border of the poster), or a design pattern. Some promotors or venues have their own poster catalog number as well. You’ll see FD-X Family Dog. BG-X Bill Graham. BGP-X Bill Graham Presents. PashCoX - where x is the number of the print, typically based on the order of the concerts by date. Again, we won’t cover this here - but you will run across tools that will inform you what to look for.
There are many ways to create printed posters. For the most part your original vintage rock posters are called LITHO’s - for short. They were printed using a lithograph printing press - a specialized printing machine that transfers an image from a plate or cylinder onto paper. As an example, The Bindweed Press—a legendary San Francisco print shop operated by Frank Westlake that printed a significant amount of concert posters, used a photo-offset lithography press to produce its iconic 1960s psychedelic rock concert posters.
There were very few vintage rock posters that were executed using the SCREEN PRINT method. This technique is widely used for short-run art, and newer specialty prints. Many modern day artists use this method (think Kozik, Arminski, Emek) which can run from hand-pulled printings, to automated screen printing machines. A screen press prints many posters by securing a stenciled (art) mesh screen above a flat board (platen) and repeatedly pulling ink through the open mesh onto paper using a rubber blade. Each screen is a different part or color of the poster, and the printer / artists needs to allot time for the ink to dry between each added color/screen. Screen prints typically come in limited signed and numbered editions, and that work is represented in the higher price you will pay for them.
Two more types of prints you will run across are Giclée or Digital prints.
A giclée (pronounced zhee-clay) is a high-resolution, museum-quality fine art reproduction made using an advanced inkjet printer. A true giclée print uses pigment-based inks (instead of standard dye inks) and acid-free, archival paper or canvas and have over 100 year fade resistant inks (although I don’t know anyone that has been around long enough to prove this). Finally, most bootlegs or unauthorized prints are done on digital printers / copiers. These are similar to your home color printer, but just on a more industrial scale.
Many posters are identified by their EXACT dimensions. You may want to learn how to use and read an accurate measuring tool like a steel rule or metal ruler. And while you should never need a micrometer or digital caliper, some of the rarest original posters can be identified by their paper thickness.
Some original art, limited editions, and art with a strong production value, are sometimes stamped. These prints have a small corner of the art reserved for displaying an Estate Stamp, also called a Blindstamp. A blind stamp is an uncolored impression, design, or lettering pressed into the paper without using any ink or foil. Publishers and printmakers use a small, embossed seal to authenticate fine art prints or indicate a specific proof tier. Because they create a physical depression in the paper fibers, they are more difficult for forgers to fake. These stamps also help indicate if the print is authorized by the artist or the estate of the artist.
In the 20-plus years we have been collection and running auctions, we can’t recall one fake or forged signature by an artist. We have signed art by Conklin, Wilson, Griffin, Mouse and many others. We can tell you the BAND SIGNATURES are significantly problematic. As a matter of fact, we can almost assure you that these band member signatures on posters and albums are forged. Unless you have provenance including a picture of the band signing the print, or they signed it in front of YOU, we always lean towards these signatures as being fake. This is where it is important to trust your reputable reseller agent. We have seen dozens of auction sites where the art is signed by “band members” like Hendrix, The Doors, The Beatles and more - all in the same color marker and all with the same swooping signature lines. Caveat emptor.
Many prints come numbered, especially modern-day prints and limited editions. You won’t find numbered Fillmore, Avalon, and Winterland prints, but you will come across
prints from newer venues like Red Rocks, The Sphere, First Ave., and as an example, various summer festivals like Lollapalooza or Land’s End. These may be numbered from 1 to perhaps 1000. They are typically run in small batch print jobs. Many collectors want lower numbers, or specific numbers to match their personal preference - and sometimes you can request them. The thought being, the lower numbers were most likely touched by the artist during final review after the test prints… which we will discuss next.
You may come across several other markings on your posters. These include Artist Proof - AP. Printers Proof - PP. And even H.C. (H/C) Hors de Commerce. Hors de commerce is a French term that means "out of trade" or "not for sale” and is used more in the fine art area of collecting. HC prints may have been given to the gallery where a show might be organized - used for advertising the event. Artists Proofs and Printer Proofs are important pieces in the history of the print, as they are most certainly the very first prints off the line, and in the direct hands of the artist - so she/he can discuss the final print with the press operator, before going to print with the final run. They do come up for sale from time to time, and they are typically highly desirable. The challenge with AP/PP is that, while there are some loose guidelines, I’ve seen some misuse of this indicator. Many printers would tell you that a PP should be limited to 10 items, and we have seen this go up to 25. 25 proof prints out of a total short run of a 250 count poster is quite a large percentage in our opinion. But again, this is all open to interpretation.
Condition is important of course, but personally we have never been concerned with vintage poster edge wear and pinholes. Many collectors believe that these conditions show a “loved” and displayed poster. Your personal choices here should consider the overall body of the work. If you are going to matte and frame the item, does the fact that the poster have pinholes affect your decision? Other condition issues to look for include cracked ink on screen print posters that have been rolled. The heavy application of thicker ink on paper in the screen printing process, leaves the opportunity for mishandling of the print to cause visible cracks. Finally, take a look at the reverse of the poster to look for visible water stains, tape removal stains and paper loss, and any markings that might help with provenance. Some posters have stamps on the back indicating who distributed or sold the poster, dates, and even previous pricing. That $100 poster you just purchased was available at one time for a dollar !
A final thought. If you get a chance it’s a cool opportunity to ask the prior owner about the provenance of the poster. Who owned it before you or where it come from and all add some great history to the poster. There is always a story to tell on vintage art. And while there is not a lot of credence paid to accompanying paperwork, you can certainly ask if there is a Certificate of Authenticity (COA) or Letter of Authenticity (LOA) to go with the print. Many modern day auction houses print their own COA to go with the print, indicating that it is in fact a “real” poster - but they don’t hold up for anything legally to any real degree. Just a nice to have if they give it to you.
If you are not picking the poster up personally, from a poster show or a private local seller, you are going to need ti shipped to you. There is nothing wrong in asking how the item you are considering buying, was stored prior to you purchasing it. Was it stored in a flat file? On display? Does it come from a smoke-free home? If the item is currently in a frame, and you need it shipped - you can reduce the costs by having the seller remove the item from the frame and separating it from the matte if there was one. We have seen our fair share of broken glass when shipping posters. And if the glass breaks, it is most likely going to pe*****te the poster paper. Don’t ship framed posters! And frames are a personal choice anyway. Does the frame match your current needs, look, size, color? Most likely no.
Most of the time we recommend rolling the poster in a 3” sturdy tube, and then place the tube in a box. Either custom built box or a 4 x 4 x 25 golf club box works great.
We hope you learned at least one good tip from this quick article. You can add to this by submitting your tip or experience to us. We would love to add it in future releases. As always we hope you will consider PASHCO as one of your choices as a REPUTABLE RESELLER - along with several others that are committed to making sure this art stays alive and thrives!
Rock on!
Pash
PashCo Studio
PashCo.com
