Profiles in History 30 was held yesterday and today, with the majority props being auctioned today at Profiles in Calabasas Hills, over the Internet via eBay Live Auctions, and by phone.
It appears that the key pieces originating from Stan Winston Studios performed well beyond expectations.
The cover-featured piece, the Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, realized $425,000 ($510,000 assuming 20% Buyer’s Premium). One for the record books.
The 1:1 scale T-Rex head from Jurassic Park also did extremely well, selling for $110,000 ($132,000 with premium).
The T1 Armored Drone from Terminator 3 sold for $95,000 ($114,000 with premium). The full body Terminator from T3 sold for $65,000 ($78,000 with premium). “Teddy” from AI: Artificial Intelligence sold for $45,000 ($54,000 with Buyer’s Premium) while the Insert Velociraptor Head from Jurassic Park III sold for nearly as much, $42,500 ($51,000 with Buyer’s Premium).
I think these numbers reflect the importance of provenance and clear title in the hobby, with these items coming direct from Stan Winston Studios. It also shows the strength of A-list, high profile pieces from popular science fiction blockbuster films really command the most dollars in the hobby, and that there truly is no ceiling for prices realized.
I also wonder if the ongoing Writer’s Strike will bring more pieces to light in auctions such as this, given the impact of the lack of work and activity in the industry at large.
A variety of other pieces from other sources that performed well include:
- a vintage costume – Julie Andrews signature coat from Mary Poppins selling for $55,000 ($66,000 with premium),
- a vintage photograph – Sergei Eisenstein taken by Man Ray for $70,000 ($84,000 with premium),
- a vintage poster – a six sheet poster from Bette Davis’ Jezebel also selling for $70,000 ($84,000 with premium), and
- a vintage car – Bruce Gellar’s ’71 Jaguar E-Type Convertible used in Mission: Impossible and Mannix realizing $47,500 ($57,000 with premium).
Quite a number of pieces realized prices north of the $10,000 mark.
The most high profile piece that went unsold with no bids was the Christopher Reeve Superman Walking Cape from Superman: The Movie, with an opening bid of $25,000 not achieved. This might be attributed to the great concern in the hobby of the state of the property itself, with many inauthentic suits in the marketplace and a great deal of caution and skepticism over any piece from the Superman films.
Taking a quick scan through the results, my initial reaction is that this appears to have been the most successful Profiles events in recent years, as there does not seem to be many unsold lots and of those that did sell, prices seem very strong. Props, costumes, vintage photos, and posters all seem to have performed well, with representation from all categories in the top of the list.
Auction results, as always, can be found archived at Ketzer.com: LINK
Jason De Bord