Subject appeal, however, can change dramatically. For example, there is new interest in the cigar poster today while there is diminished interest in cigarette advertising. Those that were posted normally did not survive, so we are left with those that were saved by artists, collectors, clients or museums, or were left over in a printer's warehouse. The number of surviving posters varies tremendously by artist, country, client and printer. Rare posters attract more interest, and may therefore sell for a considerably higher price.
Rarity can be difficult to determine, as no one generally knows how many of an image still exist.
And as museums and collectors take a poster out of the market, availability can change dramatically. When a poster is rare, collectors often will consider it even in poor condition. In some instances condition can make the difference of thousands of dollars in price. Today most posters are mounted on canvas or rice paper using conservation methods. Often touch-up restoration is done with watercolor pencils and is reversible.