Posters quickly communicate what you're all about, unlike other forms of home decor.

They display where you want to travel and what you like to drink. They show style preferences, from the flowery ornateness of art nouveau to the ultra-hip techy look of the computer age. Their colorful artistry can be sophisticated or whimsical.

The posters in Greg Melvin's Overland Park, Kan., home showcase his favorite movies. Three posters dominate his study, paying homage to noir films, known for their shadowy scenery and unlucky characters. His living room features three science-fiction film posters hung above the sofa. The 1956 poster of "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," with a highly stylized red handprint set against a vivid yellow background, hooked him on collecting.

"Posters provide a lot of visual appeal," Melvin said. "They're works of art."

Melvin owns only vintage posters. They're collectible because they can be tricky to find and often cost hundreds of dollars. "Vintage" means the poster was printed at the time its advertising campaign originally took place, and it doesn't refer to style or age. So the contemporary Apple iPod posters, with white MP3 players dramatically popping against dark silhouettes and colorful backgrounds, are vintage — and in demand.

Reproduction posters, on the other hand, are inexpensive and aren't valuable because they were printed long after the original ad campaign ended. Reproduction film, travel and cuisine posters are easy to come by at stores such as Z Gallerie and online at www.allposters.com.

Posters are sold mostly online these days. The most recently searched categories of vintage posters on eBay were "French," "film," "travel," "war" and "music."

Dealers see other trends. Skiing, art deco and modern 1950s posters are hot, says Jim Lapides, owner of the International Poster Gallery in Boston.

Olympic themes are also popular, says Valerie Clark, spokeswoman for the International Vintage Poster Dealers Association.

The top-selling vintage poster on eBay in August was an 1898 "Tournee du Chat Noir" ("Turn of the Black Cat") by Theophile Alexandre Steinlen for $9,200, says spokeswoman Jenny Baragary. The poster is one of the most reproduced images.

Vintage movie posters also fetch a lot of money. Last year a California man set the record when he bought a 1927 poster for the German sci-fi film "Metropolis" for $690,000 from a London gallery.

Posters became the art gallery of the street during the 1870s in Paris, ushering in the modern age of advertising. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's "Moulin Rouge" elevated the poster to fine art status during the 1890s belle epoque period.

They were printed using stone lithography until after World War II. Each color was hand drawn or painted onto a separate slab of porous stone. The vibrant colors and textures of stone lithography are more prized in the poster world than photo offset or silkscreen processes.

Butch Rigby of Kansas City says stone lithographs even make B-movies look beautiful. "Some of these movies were pretty awful," said Rigby, who displays vintage film posters in his media room and in the Screenland Theatre he owns. "These posters were about selling the sizzle, not the steak."

Rigby has learned about the nuances among movie posters. When movies were re-released, posters were reissued, often in cheaper, two-tone versions called duotones. Artists in other countries — especially communist countries such as Cuba and in Eastern Europe — created their own versions of posters for movies. Many have high-quality graphic designs.

Melvin began his vintage movie poster quest on eBay. As he was browsing, he discovered dealers who specialize in the artworks, such as Motion Picture Arts Gallery (www.mpa gallery.com) in East Rutherford, N.J.

Melvin bought posters and sent them to professional poster conservationists to be linen-backed and restored. Fold lines in posters often split the fragile paper, creating holes. He had small touch-ups made. Part of a man's head was missing in "The Narrow Margin," a 1952 noir film poster, and a letter was missing from the 1955 classic "Kiss Me Deadly" poster.

Rigby doesn't mind a few creases or rips in his vintage posters. "Part of the beauty," he said, "is in the wear and tear."