More than 800 posters collected from the 1940s to the 1970s, mainly from cinemas around Ireland, will be auctioned by Whyte's next Saturday in the Freemasons Hall, Molesworth Street, Dublin. Auctioneer Ian Whyte said it would be Ireland's "first-ever auction devoted entirely to vintage cinema posters". The posters will be sold individually, with estimates ranging from €80 up to €5,000 each.

Famous films included are The Wizard Of Oz, Gone With The Wind, The Sound of Music, Ben Hur, Lawrence Of Arabia and Doctor Zhivago.

Some of the most interesting posters were those made to promote long-forgotten films of Irish interest, including the intriguingly-titled Dublin Nightmare (€150-€200), an English film, made in 1958, about an IRA bank raid.