DALLAS, TX.- The only known surviving Italian issue movie poster for Casablanca sold Saturday, July 29, for a record $478,000 at a public auction of vintage movie posters held by Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. Measuring a massive 55.5 by 78.25 inches, the 1946 Casablanca Italian 4 Fogli poster matched the world record for the most valuable movie poster ever sold at public auction.

"The buyer has just set a world record and acquired what we in the poster collecting world would equate to a masterpiece," said Grey Smith, Director of Vintage Posters at Heritage Auctions. "The stunning artistry put into this poster makes is stand head and shoulders above any paper produced for the film."

Previous Italian posters for the film have sold for as much as $203,000 and U.S. issues of the poster have fetched $191,200. Each of the previous record holders were sold by Heritage Auctions, the world's largest auctioneer of vintage movie posters.

The poster is the first of its kind to surface in recent history. Featuring artwork by Luigi Martinati, the image of the cast of characters is considered the best image found in any of this film's numerous advertisements, Smith said.

The auction featured additional rare posters from the film with a half sheet poster auctioned for $65,725 and a post-war Spanish release poster selling for $35,850.