Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back - rare movie poster goes on sale

The force is strong with this piece of movie memorabilia!

An original Star Wars poster from the 1980s is among a collection of hundreds of pieces of film artwork going on sale next month.

The collection will be the largest sold in Europe and includes 750 rare movie posters, which together are worth more than £250,000.

The auction to buy the iconic posters will last for two days from 8 to 9 December, as fans from all over the world bid to buy the super-rare collectables.

The posters expected to sell for the most money include two from the original trilogy of Star Wars films, including one early concept for The Empire Strikes Back.

The concept, which was never used, was a draft idea of what a possible poster for the movie could look like. The artwork by Josh Kirby, titled Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back, is expected to sell for up to £8,000, with bids starting at £3,000.

The description of the poster on the auction website mentions the inclusion of scenes, locations and characters from the film such as Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Princess Leia, Lando Calrissian and, of course, Darth Vader - who the movie studio insisted had to be included in any promotional artwork for the movie.

Another piece of art from the film franchise set in a galaxy far, far away includes a "Happy Birthday" style poster made in 1978 for the the one year anniversary of the first Star Wars film. The poster, which is a photograph, also shows cold toys that were released after the first movie.

The auction includes other items such as this signed Avengers poster

The auction is being held by the Prop Store who sell lots of collectable movie items. Stephen Lane from the Prop Store said: "We're thrilled to announce our first two-day poster auction featuring another outstanding collection of posters and artwork for movie fans to enjoy.

"We're particularly excited about the extensive collection of alternative film posters going under the hammer."

Other items also include this Chinese poster for the classic Japanese anime film; My Neighbour Totoro

A cinema poster for the 2018 movie Avengers: Infinity War, signed by stars Robert Downey Jr., Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth, Benedict Cumberbatch and Tom Holland is also up for grabs with a starting price of £500, alongside other posters including the classic Studio Ghibili anime films Spirited Away and My Neighbour Totoro.

The auction will be live-streamed online and buyers can also use cryptocurrency as a form of payment for the posters.