All in all, 400 posters dating from 1918 to the early 80s and ranging from �200 to �5,000 were going under the hammer.

Vertigo was a Hitchcock classic

They encompass every film genre and include original posters for classic movies such as The Graduate, Breakfast at Tiffany's, The Italian Job and Alfred Hitchcock's thrillers.

This is the second consecutive year that Christie's has held the movie poster sale. The last one proved successful, making more than �158,000.

Monroe

In this year's sale, organisers expect a poster from Hitchcock's 1958 thriller Vertigo to be among the most prized and is expected to make around �1,000.

Another from Hitchcock's 1960 chiller Psycho was also expected to fetch in the region of �1,000.

Screen goddess Marilyn Monroe had her own dedicated section of the sale with 20 lots of offer.

Monroe memorabilia is always a popular collector's item

They cover most of her major films from 1950 to her last movie The Misfits in 1961.

Sale price estimates ranged from �250 up to �3,000.

Movies from the 60s had their own section as posters from this decade are increasingly sought after.

An American and a British poster for Michael Caine's 1969 classic British crime movie The Italian Job were expected to sell for �500 each.

A poster for Jane Fonda's 1968 sci-fi movie Barbarella was expected to go for around �400. And one for Dustin Hoffman's coming of age satire The Graduate may have fetched �500.

Drive-in

Another collector's favourite, James Bond, was also well represented in the sale.

There were two British posters for sale, one for From Russia With Love, from 1963, and another for Goldfinger, from1964. Each were estimated to make up to �1,200.

The Breakfast at Tiffany's drive-in poster is rare

Breakfast At Tiffany's, starring Audrey Hepburn in 1961, is also a highly collectable and popular film poster.

The sale had several examples up for grabs, including one designed especially to be displayed outside drive-in cinemas.

It is considered rare as these posters seldom survived due to the tough conditions of outdoor cinema hoardings. This one could have made up to �5,000.

Collectors of early film classics were also well catered for.

A US poster from the first talking film The Jazz Singer, made in 1927 and featuring Al Jolson singing Mammy, was expected to raise up to �1,500.