One topic that comes up with original prop collectors now and again is the notion of “marketplace oversight”. Given the nature of these collectibles, where value is intrinsically tied to provenance and authenticity, how do we, as a hobby, move away from the “Wild West” environment, and perhaps implement some sort of oversight (whether organized or informal) to help guide and share information with new and seasoned collectors and identify those individuals or entities that trade in inauthentic pieces?
The most successful development has been the advent of the Internet, which fosters extensive communications: private, semi-private, and public. The best overall use of leveraging the power of the Internet in the hobby has been the Movie Prop Forum, which has become, as I call it, the “hub” of the hobby.
To run with these analogies, assuming the hobby is the “Wild West”, the Movie Prop Forum is akin to the “Town Square”, where the community gathers to discuss issues and enjoy one another’s company. By the same token, prop dealers are no different from retail stores, and different people in the hobby serve various functions (at times, this blog may be viewed as a newspaper, with both news and editorials/opinions).
There has been periodic talk about the development of formal organizations to provide oversight for the hobby, as well as various attempts to actually do so, but, in my view, none have had the foundational elements and participation necessary to be effective. One such organized attempt, more along the lines of “self-policing” as well as a collective set of policies, is The Movie Props Association. The content and member’s list of the site appears to be down at the moment, but details can be found on several of the Dealer Member’s websites, such as MovieBits (Movie Props Association Details). While I can’t disagree with many of the policies and goals of this organization, I do feel it alone cannot fulfill the needs of the community. My view is, because it is made up of dealers, and dealer-centric, and is from the perspective of dealers, and is in many ways a self-promotional marketing tool, I think it is inherently problematic to have these individuals and companies provide oversight over their own business and business practices. It is a conflict of interest.
Self promotion and self policing do not go hand in hand.
Most to all dealers adopt the standard of believing the issuance of a COA, sans material details, history of ownership, etc., that this is enough to demonstrate authenticity to the satisfaction of any buyer. In short, once “certified”, unless and until proven fraudulent, it is assumed authentic, whereas I would characterize many such pieces as “Inconclusive” (see Authenticity & Burden of Proof, Part II). By rallying around one or more organizations that support and rely upon this notion of the COA being the end all for the consumer – which often severs source and history of such props, is counter-intuitive to the needs of the consumer as well as the integrity of the history of the prop artifact itself. The hobby is built upon a fallacy of the COA being the pinnacle of authenticity when, in my opinion, given the “State of the COA” in use and practice in the hobby, COAs are more often than not a problem for the hobby, not a solution.
I firmly believe that, for the hobby to mature and grow beyond a niche business with a limited number of collectors, that these notions of what is “good enough” need to be thrown out and revisited (see Work in Progress: The Ultimate Original Prop COA, Part I, Part II).
More, not only do dealers placed in a position of oversight have a conflict of interest with their own business, but such framework also introduces issues related to hobby politics and competition. In other words, in trying to address one set of problems, with dealers adopting this role, an entirely new set of complexities and conflicts come into play.
In my mind, the only formal or informal oversight that would be successful would require that participation is limited to individuals that are not dealers or closely affiliated with dealers. There needs to be objectivity in reviewing these issues that crop up in the hobby. Money and profit needs to be divorced from the oversight-related activities.
Having said all that, I think that the development of some sort of model to serve in such a capacity likely needs to happen informally at first, and have time to find itself and evolve naturally. I’d like to think that this is currently and has been happening, via frank and honest discourse, on the Movie Prop Forum. My hope is that, over time, successes and failures will inform the future, and this process will evolve and grow. But that the beginnings are found with collectors sharing with one another in the pursuit of truth and facts.
Time will tell.
Jason De Bord