Revisiting Ellis Props & Graphics – Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) Assigned to TV and Movie Props, Set Pieces, & Costumes Circulating in the Marketplace

For reasons unknown to me, I continue to receive communications from recent buyers of memorabilia attributed to film and television productions, who believe I have something to do with various eBay sellers and/or Ellis Props (see article from one month ago today, “NOTICE: Original Prop Blog Does Not/Will Not Supply Props to Dealers “jnsmcmahan”, “jsnent”, John Tarter, Billie Null, Mark Sullivan, L.A. Prop & Wardrobe, Hollywood Prop Supply, Studio West Prop, Ellis Props, et al“).  In any event, with one of these more recent contacts, I asked the buyer of one of these pieces to send me a photo of the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) supplied with the item purchased (in this case the COA provided was one that originally appears to be from Ellis Props).  A long time trusted collector in the field was kind enough to forward to me some images of confirmed legitimate examples of Ellis Props COAs obtained during the sales/liquidation circa ’99/’00, and that COA is very different from the one just obtained by a buyer from a piece purchased on eBay.  Read more

Ellis Props “Star Wars Luke Lightsaber” Update – Additional Photos

A short update regarding the lightsaber on display at the National Firearms Museum, originally sold by Ellis Props in their liquidation sale, characterized as an original prop from the Star Wars trilogy. Read more

Ellis Props “Star Wars Luke Lightsaber” Update – Comments from Jim Supica, Director of the National Firearms Museum

Mr. Jim Supica, newly appointed Director of the National Firearms Museum, was kind enough to read the article published this week (see Ellis Props “Star Wars Luke Skywalker Lightsaber”?) about the lightsaber on display at the museum, originally sold by Ellis Props in their liquidation sale, characterized as an original prop from the Star Wars trilogy. Read more

Ellis Props “Star Wars Luke Skywalker Lightsaber”?

I recently came across a blog post about an “original prop Luke lightsaber” from Star Wars on display at the National Firearms Museum at the National Rifle Association of America (NRA) headquarters in Fairfax, Virginia. Read more

“Off The Shelf” and “Found” Props & Wardrobe

One of the most inherently problematic props, in terms of issues with authenticity, are of the “off the shelf” or “found” variety.

What are “off the shelf” props?

Props, wardrobe pieces, set pieces, and any other artifacts used in a production that are:

1) Mass produced (past or present),
2) for non-production purposes (i.e. not specifically manufactured for use in the production), and
3) are or were available for purchase from those not associated with the production. Read more