DALLAS, TX.- On March 27-28, Heritage offered the cream of a world-renowned Chicago-based movie poster collection in a single-owner auction that proved that collector Dwight Cleveland’s acumen, enthusiasm and strategy of collecting cinema’s greatest movie posters — from Golden-Age Hollywood classics such as King Kong to the esoterica of international interpretations of familiar favorites like Cabaret and Barbarella, to one-of-a-kind lobby cards dating back to the early 1900s — has landed him at the top of the collector and philanthropic hierarchy. Cleveland’s storied collection, built over 50 years, landed $1,448,180 million over 540 lots with 1,561 bidders vying for a collection distinguished by a key factor: Cleveland collects his materials based on the seduction and impact of their imagery, artistry and history rather than the more usual practice of building a collection around, say, an era, a genre or a movie star.

The auction boasted a nearly 98% sell-through rate as the bidding remained constant and lively over its two-day span. As Cleveland told Heritage, “The best posters in my mind are those that reduce the entire essence of a movie into a single, vivid sheet. My collection represents 125 years of film history and transcends global differences and even literacy through the deceptively simple universal language of the world’s most refined film art.” Collectors, both veteran and new, evidently agreed with him as they competed for their favorites.

Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s Executive Vice President, concurs. “Dwight Cleveland has single-handedly elevated movie posters from promotional materials to fine art, and this auction was a testament to his unparalleled vision. From Hollywood’s Golden Age to avant-garde international interpretations, his collection captures the very essence of cinema’s visual storytelling. This was more than an auction — it was a rare opportunity to reach for pieces that have shaped film history and inspired generations of collectors and cinephiles alike.”

The event set some Heritage auction records and saw many lots far outperforming their estimates. The top seller, the three-sheet The Adventures of Robin Hood, sold for $47,500, the highest price the auction house has ever realized for a poster for that film, and surpasses the six-sheet Heritage sold in 2013 by more than four figures. The second top seller was the 1933 James Cagney vehicle Picture Snatcher, which brought $42,500, more than doubling its high estimate, and a one-sheet The High Sign, which sold for $38,750, is the second-highest price Heritage has ever seen for a Buster Keaton poster.

Other 1930s skyscraping figures in the event include both Mickey Mouse and King Kong: Mickey Mouse in Building a Building, from 1933, climbed to $32,500 and from the same year, a Czech iteration of King Kong, in all its roaring glory, also hammered at $32,500.

Some entertaining surprises came compliments of lots far outperforming their high estimates. A title lobby card for Gold Diggers of 1933, a movie marked by Busby Berkeley choreography and a high estimate of $2,000, brought a whopping $13,750; a beautifully illustrated one sheet for the Mary Astor-starring 1928 movie Dry Martini, estimated at $2000, sold for a cool $10,000.

But a real sleeper in the auction was the 1929 iteration of Wolf of Wall Street. The striking pre-Code financial drama, directed by Rowland V. Lee, was initially conceived as a silent film, but Paramount re-filmed the entire production with sound, marking George Bancroft's first talking picture. Despite the fact that the film no longer exists, a three sheet Wolf poster that features Bancroft screaming into a telephone, with a high estimate of $2,000, sold for $30,000, and a title card for the movie, estimated at $800-$1600, hammered at an eye-watering $21,250.

“Heritage has never seen this concentration of movie poster treasures from around the world, especially ones signed by their artists,” says Zach Pogemiller, Heritage’s Associate Director of Movie Posters. “We were incredibly proud to debut them here. Dwight’s keen eye and relentless pursuit have preserved a visual language that might have otherwise been lost, and this auction offered collectors a once-in-a-lifetime chance to own a piece of that legacy."