Auction House Buyer’s Premiums: On The Rise

Christie’s and Sotheby’s made news recently with announcements about raising their Buyer’s Premiums (the amount the winning bidder pays on top of the hammer price of an item at auction).

Per AntiquesAndTheHearts.com, Sotheby’s made the first announcement, characterizing the changes as follows: Read more

Bill Cosby’s Charity Auction – Cosby Show Sweaters

Bill Cosby is auctioning off three of his sweaters from The Cosby Show on eBay, with proceeds benefiting the Hello Friend/Ennis William Cosby Foundation. Read more

“Global Antiques” Memorabilia Listings Pulled From eBay

As a follow-up to recent articles (see sub-category Global Antiques), it seems that there are no current offerings of Global Antiques consigned/authenticated Entertainment & Historical Memorabilia on eBay at present, from either Auction Depot LA (auctiondepotla1) or Auction Shop USA (auctionshopusa). Read more

“Paul’s Brain Trust” Fundraising Events

There are some upcoming fundraising events and auctions to make note of, all in support of Paul Prischman.

Mr. Prischman, who is married with two children, is fighting a very aggressive form of brain cancer, so efforts are underway to help Paul and his family with some financial support in the form of donations and via participation in the following events and auctions. Read more

Book Review: The Complete Making of Indiana Jones

This is a review of The Complete Making of Indiana Jones (published May 20, 2008). This is “the” must have book for any fan of the Indiana Jones films – if you are only interested in one book on the property, this is it.

This work delves into every facet that would interest readers, including the origins of the films, interviews of all the key principals, “making of” segments, a focus on each of the four films, and tons of photos and images. Like “The Making of Star Wars” (see OPB Book Review) which was published about a year ago and by the same author – J.W. Rinzler – this is a true archive of information and visuals and should be particularly valuable to original prop collectors. Read more

“Machine Gun Magic” Excerpt: Syd Stembridge, Stembridge Gun Rentals

This is a 2.5 minute excerpt from a documentary called “Machine Gun Magic”, featuring Syd Stembridge of Stembridge Gun Rentals. An interesting look at the armory circa the early 90s…

Read more

Auction Depot LA, Auction Shop USA, Global Antiques: The Lord of the Rings and “Big Lots!”

The purpose of this article is to analyze two pieces offered at auction on eBay, authenticated by “Global Antiques” and marketed by “Auction Depot LA” (auctiondepotla1) and “Auction Shop USA” (auctionshopusa) that are attributed to The Lord of the Rings film trilogy as authentic movie props.

Items that appear to match these items for sale have been found at the retail store chain “Big Lots!” in recent days.

This was brought to my attention by the winner of one of the two auctions, who came across one of several of my articles looking into the provenance and authenticity of these Global Antiques pieces sold on eBay (see subcategory “Global Antiques“).

The following is an archived auction listing and live link for the item offered for sale to the public on eBay by Auction Depot LA, with a Certificate of Authenticity from the same source/authenticator, also described as “curator” in the listings, “City of Los Angeles Global Antiques”.

This listing ended April 29th, realizing a sales price of $61.10. The winner of this auction contacted me after finding what she describes to be the same item at the retail store, “Big Lots!”. I went to one of these stores today and was able to secure the same piece for $10.00 in order to take comparison photographs. Read more

Original Prop Blog 2.0

In case you haven’t noticed, the Original Prop Blog looks very different. I am in the process of implementing a new theme and interface, which I hope will make for a better experience for readers.

I will continue applying updates and changes over the coming days, but I’ve gotten to the point where changes required of existing content are not as compatible under the old format, so I’ve decided to push the site to the new design now.

If you prefer the former linear/static blog, “newest at top” format, I plan to launch a replacement page shortly under the old interface. This will be accessed under a “Blog” button in the header.

I am also recoding existing articles by sub-categories to make it easier to find content. As an example, under “Special Interest“, there is a “Movie Guns” sub-category with a listing of relevant articles.

There are a number of other changes, such as “Prop Links” being pushed off to a dedicated page, rather than crowding the sidebar.

If you encounter any issues or problems, please contact me. It will take a little time to refine the content to the new interface, and make further tweaks and additions. I also have a number of additional enhancements in the works.

Jason De Bord

Auction Depot LA & Global Antiques: I Love Lucy, Harmony Rose, and T.J. Maxx – Part 2

This article serves as an update and companion piece to “Part 1” published a few days ago.

The purpose of this article is to analyze a current eBay auction offered by Auction Depot LA with a Global Antiques COA titled: “ORIGINAL HARMONEY ROSE CONTAINER OWNED BY LUCILLE BALL”.

With the prior article, after performing some research, it appeared that the item being offered for sale matches contemporary pieces available at the retail store T.J. Maxx. The “Part 1″ article compared the current I Love Lucy “TV Prop” with a different item from the same pattern set purchased new at retail this week.

This “Part 2″ article includes a comparison of the same item (“Milk Pitcher”) from the same pattern set (“Harmony Rose”, “Antique Foley”), which I have purchased online and received and photographed today.

As addressed in the “Part 1″ article, I could not find any historical example of “Antique Foley” released under the Harmony Rose branding, only “Old Foley”, which was somewhat similar, but certainly not match – in design, pattern, or company hallmark.

The following is the archived auction listing for the item offered for sale to the public on eBay by Auction Depot LA, with a Certificate of Authenticity from the same source/authenticator, also described as “curator” in the listings, “City of Los Angeles Global Antiques”.

This listing ended today, realizing a sales price of $67.00. Read more

Christie’s: Pop Culture – New York, June 25, 2008 – Catalog Online

Christie’s Upcoming Pop Culture auction (Sale 21633) is set for June 25th at Rockefeller Center in New York as part of their “Popular Culture” category.

The auction includes a wide range of items among its over 330 pieces, including many vintage or “classic” Hollywood pieces (Marilyn Monroe, Wizard of Oz, Gone with the Wind, King Kong), an Academy Award, Walt Disney-related pieces, and more contemporary offerings, such as a number of wardrobe pieces from The Sopranos, and a Superman III cape (no provenance noted), as well as music memorabilia (The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, etc.).

The catalog for the event is now online at Christies.com: Read more

Julien’s Auctions: Entertainment Sale Hollywood Memorabilia Auction – Las Vegas, June 21, 2008 – Catalog Online

As mentioned a few days ago (LINK), Julien’s Entertainment Sale Hollywood Memorabilia auction will be held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on June 21, 2008.

Full details can be found at JuliensAuctions.com.

The catalog for the event is now online at the Auction Network:

Auction Network Online Catalog

Jason De Bord

“PayPal Only” eBay Developments In The News

News broke internationally earlier this month when eBay announced that, beginning mid-June, PayPal would be the only method of payment permitted on eBay transactions taking place in Australia.

See Associated Press story “EBay’s PayPal rule in Australia draws fire“. Read more

Auction Depot LA & Global Antiques: I Love Lucy, Harmony Rose, and T.J. Maxx – Part 1

The purpose of this article is to analyze a current eBay auction offered by Auction Depot LA with a Global Antiques COA titled: “ORIGINAL HARMONEY ROSE CONTAINER OWNED BY LUCILLE BALL”.

After performing some research, it appears that the item being offered for sale matches contemporary pieces available at the retail store T.J. Maxx. This “Part 1″ article compares the current I Love Lucy “TV Prop” with a different item from the same pattern set purchased new at retail this week. The forthcoming “Part 2″ article will include a comparison of the same item from the same pattern set, which I have purchased online but not yet received. Read more

Bonhams “Superman IV Flying Suit” (June 2008 Auction)

The upcoming Bonhams June 18, 2008 “Entertainment Memorabilia” auction held at Knightsbridge (see article) features a Superman costume attributed to use by Christopher Reeve in the fourth installment of the film series, Superman IV: The Quest for Peace.

The Bonhams site features Flash technology so that interested parties can zoom in on the supplied photo for more detail; while time consuming, it is possible to then piece together a larger, higher resolution photo using Photoshop, which I have done to take a closer look at this costume.

It is part of Sale 15801, Lot 108: LINK Read more

Bonhams: Entertainment Memorabilia Auction – Knightsbridge, June 18, 2008

Bonhams next Entertainment Memorabilia auction will be held in Los Angeles on June 16, 2008 (as reported last week) with a second auction in Knightsbridge just a few days later on June 18, 2008.

The catalog can be viewed at Bonhams.com: Sale 15801 Read more

Egeskov Castle Superman Costume(s): “Walking”, “Flying”

I recently came across a photo of a Superman costume on display at the Egeskov castle in Denmark, and through further investigation, found additional information – on display and photographed – pertaining to its origins and provenance. Read more

Auction Depot L.A. & Global Antiques Entertainment Memorabilia – Two Weeks of eBay Listing/Sales Activity

I thought it would be interesting to analyze the public eBay sales activity of Auction Depot L.A. (auctiondepotla1 on eBay) and their Entertainment Memorabilia items consigned/authenticated by Global Antiques over the course of two weeks, using eBay’s “Search: Items By Seller” feature.

The following analysis looks at 14 days of listing/sales activity on eBay by Auction Depot L.A., with auction end dates between May 5-May 19, limited to the items listed in the category “Entertainment Memorabilia”, and limited to completed auctions only, having ended within that time period.

Within that two week time frame, eBay reports 361 listings ended.

Of the 361 listings that ended in the two week period, 330 sold and 31 (less than 10%) went unsold.

The prices realized for the 330 items sold amounts to over $15,000 (not including shipping or other charges), or an average of about $1,000 per day over the 14-day period. Read more

Julien’s Auctions: Entertainment Sale Hollywood Memorabilia Auction – Las Vegas, June 21, 2008

Julien’s Entertainment Sale Hollywood Memorabilia auction will be held at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas on June 21, 2008.

Full details can be found at JuliensAuctions.com: Read more

Indiana Jones News Features Recap: David Morgan, Bernie Pollack

There has been some great news coverage of interest to original prop collectors, prompted by the upcoming release of the new Indiana Jones film.

There is a nice feature in today’s Seattle Times, focused on David Morgan, the man who was responsible for making the iconic bull whips for the first three Indiana Jones films, as well as the upcoming fourth installment, “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”. Read more

Gremlins Prop Head on eBay: Listed Yet Again

This is one of a continuing series of articles on Gremlins props offered for sale in marketplace via eBay. Previous articles include: Read more

Superman Costume Matrix: Auction House/Dealer Website Public Offerings, Version 1.1

This work product is part of the ongoing series of articles about costumes in the marketplace attributed to use by Christopher Reeve in the Superman films of the 70s and 80s (see “Questions About Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: Authenticity, Sources, Quantity“).

What I have attempted to do is catalog the costumes offered for sale to the public by auction houses and by prop dealers on their commercial websites.

The following matrix is an update to the one published last month as version 1.0 (see Version 1.0 article). Read more

Superman, Superboy, and Disney’s Creative Costuming

Those readers who have followed the ongoing series of articles about Superman costume/costume components offered for sale, attributed to use by Christopher Reeve in the Superman films of the 70s and 80s, will have likely noted that many costumes circulating in the marketplace are marketed as having previously been used as reference pieces in the production of similar costumes for the Superboy (AKA Adventures of Superboy) television series, which ran in syndication from 1988-1992 (four seasons).

Of those costumes listed in the Superman Costume Matrix: Auction House/Dealer Website Public Offerings (ver 1.0, 04/04/08), I count nine (9) costumes which are noted (explicitly or implied by source) as reference costumes for the Superboy television series. This does not reflect the number of additional costumes circulating in the marketplace on eBay that have also been described as former reference costumes for the Superboy television series (see prior articles).

Many of the costumes that are characterized as original Berman’s & Nathan’s produced Superman costumes worn by Christopher Reeve, used as reference by Disney’s “Creative Costuming” as part of the provenance, have letters/LOAs/COAs from “Super Hollywood”, signed by either Ana Mungia or Armando Alvarez. Many are also characterized as “gifts” from the Salkinds (producers of the films and television series). Read more

Times Online: “Victims turn vigilante in hunt for eBay conmen”

There is an interesting feature published today at Times Online, written by Stewart Mitchell, discussing eBay fraud and victims of fraud working together to pool information: Read more

Entertainment Weekly Feature: “The Stuff That ‘Sex’ Was Made Of”

There is an excellent feature in this weeks Entertainment Weekly magazine #992/993 (May 23, 2008) by Lindsay Soll with photographs by Sang An, “The Stuff That Sex Was Made Of”, featuring key props and wardrobe from the HBO series, “Sex and the City”. More details on this issue can be found at EW.com (HERE): Read more

Premier Collectible Auctions – Catalog Out, Online Bidding Live

As reported in early April (see “Premier Collectible Auctions“), a new auction service has launched, with the first live auction event being held in San Diego in conjunction with the San Diego Comic Con, July 24-26, 2008. While primarily a vintage toy auction (Star Wars, G.I. Joe, Transformers, etc.), there are some original props and memorabilia included in the auction, as noted in the last article. Brian’s Toys and Collectible Investment Brokerage/Cloud City Collectibles is behind this new venture.

The PremierCollect.com website has changed significantly since the original report, and now allows for bidding participation online, via their own hosted service: Read more

Upcoming Auction Event Calendar Snapshot

Here is the latest updated list of upcoming original prop auction events. Please contact me if you are aware of any coming events of interest to original prop collectors. Read more

Superman Publicity Photo in Bonhams Auction

The upcoming Bonhams auction (see “Bonhams: Entertainment Memorabilia Auction – Los Angeles, June 16, 2008“) offers a book of original prints of Christopher Reeve as Superman in the 1978 film (see Sale 16091, Lot 3146).

With Bonhams’ Flash-based photo viewer, one is able to zoom and piece together high resolution photos, and the photo provided in the auction shows a great amount of detail in the costume, in spite of its lack of color: Read more

California Browncoats Charity Auction – Jayne’s Shirt from Serenity

The California Browncoats are running another one of their Firefly/Serenity charity auctions on eBay, with 95% of the proceeds benefiting the Marine Corps – Law Enforcement Foundation. Read more

Bonhams: Entertainment Memorabilia Auction – Los Angeles, June 16, 2008

Bonhams next Entertainment Memorabilia auction will be held in Los Angeles on June 16, 2008.

The catalog can be viewed at Bonhams.com: Sale 16091 Read more

“Modern Mechanix and Inventions” Stembridge Gun Rentals Article – Circa 1934

I was able to find a very, very old article from a long out of print magazine with a nice feature on Stembridge Gun Rentals, Inc. – circa 1934. This was published in the February 1934 issue of “Modern Mechanix and Inventions”.

It is a very interesting article with historic photos.

Along with the other Stembridge articles I have archived, it gives a great sense of history of the company: Read more

Superman Costumes in the Marketplace Round-Up: April, May

There has been a few Superman costume/costume component auctions offered publicly in the marketplace via eBay since the last OPB updates in early April. This is part of the ongoing series of articles about costumes in the marketplace attributed to use by Christopher Reeve in the Superman films of the 70s and 80s (see “Questions About Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: Authenticity, Sources, Quantity“).

These are new auction listings since the last update, about one month ago (see “Superman Costumes in the Marketplace Round-Up: February, March, April“). Some have been relisted multiple times. Read more

Book Review: For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond

Book Review: For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond

This is a review of For Your Eyes Only – Ian Fleming and James Bond (published April 7, 2008). This book is an interesting work about both James Bond and his creator, and is intended to be a companion piece to the current exhibit at the Imperial War Museum in London (see “Ian Fleming’s “James Bond” Letters Fetch Nearly $30,000 at Auction“). Read more

Gremlins Prop Head on eBay: More Recurring Auctions

This is one of a continuing series of articles on Gremlins props cycling through the marketplace via eBay. Previous articles include: Read more

Prop Store Mention on Attack of the Show: I Am Legend M4 Rifle

Olivia Munn of G4′s Attack of the Show made mention of an original prop for sale at Prop Store of London on their “Gadgets” segment last night. This featured the non-firing M4 rifle from I Am Legend, starring Will Smith. Prop Store has both a non-firing and live fire version of this prop (for $8,999.00 and $12,499.00 respectively) used prominently in the film on their site: LINK Read more

“Original Prop Purchase Agreement” Template

One thing many collectors do not consider are the potential (unfortunate) “what if?” possibilities we can encounter in buying and selling original props, wardrobe, and other artifacts from film and television.

In the event a problem arises, it is best that both Buyer and Seller have a common understanding of the consequences and responsibilities.

Also, there are areas in which specifics are often not addressed or clarified appropriately, such as ancillary costs and other details beyond the “purchase price” (i.e. shipping costs, shipping method, etc.).

I recently developed an “Original Prop Purchase Agreement” for one of my own purchases, so I decided to simplify it, convert it into a more basic template, and offer it here as a tool for other collectors to consider, edit, amend, and/or employ however they see fit: Read more

Wisconsin Historical Museum – “Chris Farley Remembered” Exhibit

The Wisconsin Historical Museum is holding an exhibit celebrating Chris Farley, which is running yesterday through mid-November (LINK): Read more

Studio Reseller Certificates of Authenticity: Premiere Props & Hollywood Vault

Over the past several years, the Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) issued by two of the biggest “studio resellers” – Premiere Props and Hollywood Vault – have evolved. Unfortunately, the changes made have been to the detriment of provenance and is a significant missed opportunity given that these companies are in the position of releasing props and wardrobe into the marketplace that are sourced direct from the studios in a fully authorized capacity (making the pieces both authentic and with clear title).

I thought it would be informative to compare and contrast COAs issued by Premiere Props and Hollywood Vault to see exactly what changes have been made over the years, and the current state of certification and provenance offered by these two dealers. Read more

Batmobile Makes Brief Appearance on eBay?

Per Jalopnik.com, one of five original Batmobiles from Tim Burton’s Batman was listed on eBay starting at $500,000. It appears that the listing has since been removed by eBay, but according to the article, “Found on eBay: Tim Burton’s Batmobile Makes You Feel Like Michael Keaton“, these are the photos and accompanying marketing description from the listing: Read more

Condé Nast Portfolio – “Reality’s Bites”

There is an article on Condé Nast Portfolio written by Cathleen MacCarthy, “Reality’s Bites“, which discusses the “topping out” of baby boomer memorabilia and the rise of high end collectibles that are a draw for Generation X, including skateboarding, videogames, and ’90s rock.

The article cites many examples from different fields reflecting the birth of the market of pop culture rising from Beatles and Rolling Stones memorabilia in the early 80s, compared with interest today in Nirvana and Guns ‘N Roses. Read more

“Star Trek: The Experience” – May Close at End of 2008

There is an interesting article by Anthony Pascale at TrekMovie.com, reporting on the state of the contract between CBS and Cedar Fair regarding the “Star Trek: The Experience” attraction at the Las Vegas Hilton:

Future of ‘Star Trek: The Experience’ In Doubt

Per the article, the current agreement ends December 31,2008, and there are “currently no plans to renew” it. A final decision is expected at the end of this month. Apparently attendance has been in decline for some time. More details are available at the above referenced article. Read more

Original Iron Man Suit On Display, Arclight Theater in Hollywood

The original Iron Man Mark III suit from the new film is on display through May 12th at the Arclight Cinema in Hollywood. The new film, starring Robert Downey Jr., is the first big blockbuster of the summer.

More details can be found at ArcLightCinemas.com: Read more

“True Magazine” Stembridge Gun Rentals Article – Circa 1969

I was able to find a very old article from a long out of print magazine with a nice feature on Stembridge Gun Rentals, Inc. – circa 1969. This was published in the January 1969 issue of “True Magazine: For Today’s Man”.

It is quite a fascinating read with a nice historic photo. As was the case with the Guns Magazine article, “Shoot For Effect”, I have shared a PDF of the article below (see “Guns Magazine” Stembridge Gun Rentals Article – Circa 1998).

Here is a link to the full article: “7,000 GUNS FOR HIRE” Read more

Original Prop Blog – April 2008 Stats

Here are the latest traffic stats for Original Prop Blog, as of April 30, 2008: Read more