Authentication of Star Wars Poster (German Original)

Hello everyone,

This is my first post on this forum though I believe I have done my dues by searching the previous posts for similar items but if I have missed something please do let me know!

A few months ago a received an amazing and thoughtful gift from someone close to me: the framed German Star Wars posted below and in this gallery http://imgur.com/a/WHnVj (I am sorry for the quality of the photos as I do not have a macro camera but you'll have to trust me the actual poster is very sharp even up close. Also sorry about my dorky reflection in some shots)



I loved it and put it on my wall where it lives happily. However recently while searching something else regarding Star Wars movie posters I came across a webpage talking about bootlegs of the American version of this poster (the one you see here https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/8/87/StarWarsMoviePoster1977.jpg) and fakes in general. This planted a seed of doubt in my find that honestly has begun to fester a bit. The funny thing is my poster seems to pass all the tests that an original would. It is the correct size for the German poster (23"x33"). It is folded in the manner that posters of that era were. It looks aged with some ware and a slight yellowing of the paper on the back. It has none of the "hairy" belt or knee tells that fakes have. It has clearly been made with lithographs as you can see the 'dots' on the art while even the tiny font is clear and solid. It has the correct annotation in the copyright (copyright from Fox rather than Lucasfilm) and even has the correct Fox logo for this kind of poster (with a circular box around it rather than a square one).

So why am I bringing it here before a panel of experts you wonder? Well because I am hung up on a tiny detail. In the bottom left of these posters it has the Star Wars logo in English. Some pictures of this poster on the internet that I can find have a filled in R in "Star" as you can see in this example: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FItgXKGf6...EG+DER+STERNE+-+German+Poster+by+Tom+Jung.jpg while others, including mine, have that same R in "Star" not filled in, as visible in this example http://dezskinn.com/files/2010/05/Star-Wars-German-poster.jpg

So I come to you and hope someone here can pull this seed from my brain. Why are there these two very similar but slightly different versions of this poster? Could this be the tell of a very advanced fake? Do small differences like this mean that maybe it was the same poster printed at different printing locations or times? Do single runs of movie posters from this era have variances like this?

In your opinions please let me know whether you think this is an original or not? Are there even German fakes? Hopefully you can tell me with authority that I'm being outrageously pedantic and I can move on but it would mean a great deal to have some expert eyes on this. If you want any further detail please don't hesitate to ask and I shall provide it. Finally if you know of a website/place/person that'd be better suited for something like this please let me know! Thank you.

PS: I also understand that it's quite rude to be so critical of a gift that I love but I fear that unless I clear this up I'm always going to have a niggling feeling when I look at this rather than one of pure joy haha.

I'm pretty certain that your poster is genuine, a few of the US posters have been 'reproduced' but never heard of a German one being faked, and as you describe the folds, the yellowing and the litho all point to it being genuine vintage. The filled in R of Star Wars on the poster you linked to is a funny one though, I've not spotted that on a poster before. Maybe some kid filled it in with a pen, or perhaps the ink smudged?

I'll put a link to this thread on the Star Wars Poster Collector facebook group and see if anyone has a second opinion for you.

I'm here to tell you with German authority that you are utterly pedantic!

Just kidding, I can understand you have your doubt, especially with this often faked motive.
But rest assured, what you have is a 100% original German one-sheet. You listed most of the key facts yourself, and I can explain the one that irks you.
You have the first issue of this poster from the original screening in 1978, recognizable by the round Fox logo. And it is quite a beauty I might add.
The poster with the filled-in R you reference in your first link is also legit, it is the reissue from the 1980 or '81 (?) rerun of ANH, which is why it has the later, square Fox logo. I must admit I have never paid attention to the R being filled in, I'll have to check my poster to compare.

Congrats to this great poster, enjoy it and be sure to thank your friend for giving it to you.

Steve

Hi Hayt, I got this second opinion for you from Steve Karnoll, another collector:

"His poster is a legit, it's a beautiful first-issue, recognizable by the round Fox logo. The poster he is referencing in his first link (with the filled-in R) is the re-issue from the 1980 rerun"

Sounds like you are all good!

Thanks so much! I am very pleased with this outcome haha. I am very lucky you guys run such a nice community and keep up the amazing work.