Website Name: Prop Catalogs
Website URL: http://www.propcatalogs.com
Website Description: “Movie prop catalogs are a valuable record of movie memorabilia (props, costumes, models, storyboards, scripts etc.) auctioned in the past. The following pages constitute a reference archive of this material. Descriptions of each item are often very meticulous in their detail, prices realized are included where possible.”
Website Owner/Admin: PropCatalogs.com Curator
Type of Website: Online Prop & Wardrobe Auction Catalog & Results Archive
Subject Matter/Focus: Original props, wardrobe, and related memorabilia as featured in auction house catalogs
Cost: Tiered subscription options:
“Bronze” – 6 months for $9.95 (Full catalog descriptions for ‘on-ground’ auction houses)
“Silver” – 1 year for $14.95 (Full catalog descriptions for ‘on-ground’ auction houses)
“Gold” – 1 year for $19.95 (Full catalog descriptions for ‘on-ground’ and ‘online’ auction houses, limited image access)
Access/Membership/Participation Requirements: Registration required to use. Site is viewable to members only.
Participant Overview: N/A
Content/Functionality: The website provides directories based on auction house (i.e. Profiles in History, Christies, Bonhams, etc). Each lists, as available, the front and back covers and highlights of each auction, chronologically. Some show highlights or all of the lot titles, abbreviated descriptions, and estimates. Also made available are some auction results as PDF files. For “Gold” members, there is an additional section that provides some scans from the catalogs, selected from highlights.
Presentation/Quality: PropCatalogs.com features a simple layout and functionality and is very easy to use. There are 19 auction houses listed, as well as “Internet”, which features those companies and studio resellers that frequently sell in promotion of various films. There are still holes in the archive, but that is to be expected given the vast number of auctions and scarcity of some catalogs.
Time in Service: Since January 2007
Updates/Activity: This is a reference site, so there is no interaction with other members – it is like a prop catalog information library resource. I have just recently joined the service, so can’t speak to updates, though I know the owner is always acquiring new catalogs to build the site.
My Experience & Personal Review:
This is a great resource for original prop collectors.
As I’ve made the point in my articles, provenance and authenticity are critical to the hobby. There are limited ways in which one can research original props. One such resource are the catalogs published by auction houses and other entities, as part of (typically) single or multi-day events in which a number of props, costumes, and other related memorabilia are made available for sale in auction form.
Companies that hold such auctions, and are reflected in the content offered by PropCatalogs.com, include:
Antiquorum, Bonhams, Butterfields, Bonhams & Butterfields, Camden House, Christies (LA, NY, & SK), Cooper Owen, Julien Entertainment, Lelands, Odyssey, Phillips (UK & NY), Profiles in History, Sotheby’s (LA, NY, UK), and Superior, as well as Internet dealers/auction houses such as Dreamworks, Disney Auctioneers, Rainmakers / Hollywood Vault, Fox, New Line Cinema, Planet Hollywood, Premiere Props, It’s a Wrap, and Warner Brothers
This content can be of potential value to collectors seeking information about “what is out there”, in that, if something has been publicly offered for sale, one can know that it’s in the marketplace. Also of value is learning a piece of the history of ownership of a piece one might be looking to buy, or that a person already owns. As an example, I was able to use information culled from the content to confirm the authenticity of a piece I own that was not seen on screen. There is truly a lot of potential in leveraging the information provided to make more informed buying decisions as well as supplement the provenance of props you may already own.
As noted in past articles, in this hobby, information is power. While this is a “pay for use” site, with a subscription service, I feel it is well worth the nominal investment. I also collect these catalogs in hardcopy form – I love to have them as a resource and for the photos alone, in many cases – so this site is also helpful in identifying what catalogs are “out there” as well as specific content. Many times, it is difficult to determine the dates and sequence of particular auction houses, which may skip a number of a catalog or not number them at all, so I’ve found this useful in just determining what I need in regards to a particular series of catalogs, with the dates and covers show on this site.
Overall, I’m very pleased with the service and content, and I would give it my recommendation. I signed up for the “Gold” level service, so that is what I would recommend. From my perspective, it is equivalent to less than the cost of one hard copy catalog, and is much more versatile a resource. This site can be toured/previewed HERE.
Jason De Bord