eMoviePoster.com

Here is a question that we receive from time to time (usually from someone buying non-U.S. posters for the first time:

"I have a question about foreign posters. I was looking at a poster from Italy and was surprised to see what looked like a postage stamp stuck to the front of the poster and right in the center. I was told that it was not a postage stamp. It was a tax stamp that is affixed to all foreign posters by the country issuing the poster. In most cases the stamp and poster are also perforated with a number so that it can be proven that tax's were paid. Most collectors of foreign posters ask if the stamp is still affixed because it is one way of proving the age and authenticity of the poster. It sounded strange to me that if they put these stamps on the poster, they would put it on the front of it instead of the back. Who would want a poster with a stamp stuck to the middle of the poster. Is this the case with all foreign posters?"

Good question! Some foreign posters (but not all) have this type of "postage-stamp" tax stamp. They are most commonly seen on Belgian and Italian posters. They put it on the FRONT and not the back, so that the authorities would immediately know that the theater showing the movie had paid the tax.
     It is definitely preferable to having THIS sort of stamp on a poster rather than an ink censor stamp (most commonly seen on U.S. posters used in Canada), as these sorts of stamps can often be more easily removed (but usually by a professional).
     There are two schools of thought on these stamps. Some collectors view them as a defect, and pay less for the poster because of the cost of having it removed. Others see these as "part of the poster's history" and see them as a cool addition to the poster (and a virtual guarantee that the poster is original).
     There is no "right or wrong" to this! It is just a question of how you personally feel, kind of like how you feel about restoration.