A colour lobby card for Metropolis (1927) led the sale of the Morris Everett collection at Profiles in History.
It realised $40,000 in the June 29 auction in Los Angeles.
 Metropolis is considered a masterpiece of the silent era |
The auction house commented in the run-up to the sale: "To the best of our knowledge, this is believed to be the only existing example of this card. Virtually unhandled. The original German poster for this film has twice sold privately, for well in excess of 1 million dollars."
The film was the most expensive of all time on its release and is considered a classic work of science fiction.
Everett began compiling his collection during the early 1960s, starting with stills from Hollywood's golden era before moving on to posters and lobby cards.
He is now selling off some 196,000 posters over the coming years, which carry a combined estimate of around $8m.
Other lots in the sale included a Boris Karloff lobby card, which sold for $19,000.
The lot has been extensively retouched and renovated. It's described as being in fine condition.
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