This article serves as an update to a number of prior articles related to Elstree Props, “The Danziger Collection” Certificates of Authenticity, “Light God” wall plaque props from Raiders of the Lost Ark, and the “Fertility Idols” marketed as authentic from the same film.
The “Light God” and “God of Light” Prop Wall Plaques
The Profiles in History “Hollywood Auction 30” catalog included a “Screen-Used God of Light Head from Raiders of the Lost Ark” (Lot 952).
Elstree Props was concurrently listing replica castings of this prop for sale on eBay (as “e11e” and “hencheese”) and Specialist Auctions (as “elstreeprops”).
The related articles can be found below:
I personally had never seen these replica castings offered for sale prior to 2007.
In fact, the November 2007 eBay auctions included the following text which is consistent with my own observations:
The original is cast from fibrous plaster and vermaculite, we have matched closely thanks to Carl the artist! We can make you one in the same materials as the original but it will cost more and be crumbly, the original plasteres are still here in the studios : )
THE IS THE FIRST TIME A SET OF THESE HAS EVER BEEN SOLD!
Sample “Light God” Replica/Casting Listing Archive (click for full listing, full resolution):
INDIANA JONES RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK FILM PROP
Full Auction Archive: Elstree Props eBay Auction Raiders Casting Replica
One significant outstanding question: When were these replica castings produced?
Who Is “N. Harrison”? – Update
A question raised in a recent article is with regards to the Elstree Props issued “Danziger Collection” Certificates of Authenticity. In that they bear the signature of “N. Harrison”, it is unclear whether this is supposed to be father Norm Harrison or son Nick Harrison (passed in 1999).
Related articles on this topic can be found below:
However, all of the “Danziger Collection” COAs I have archived copies of include one of the following bylines attributed to “N. Harrison”:
- “Licensed Prop Archivist”
- “Special Effects Supervisor and Film Archivist”
- “Special Effects Supervisor and Licensed Film Archivist”
As noted in the most recent related article (LINK), the Norm Harrison biography on the Elstree Props website has no mention of his serving in the capacity of “archivist” nor special effects.
Conversely, the Nick Harrison biography makes statements with regards to both special effects and work as a licensed archivist:
Nick Harrison joined the company Norank in 1979 after working as a Saturday boy, and took over the factory in the studios after working in special effects with Kit West and John Stears on films including Space Vampires, Big Trouble in Little China and the Last Emperor. Nick then went on to found Weird & Wonderful Ltd., specialising in prop storage and repairs, and eventually received a licence from LucasFilms and Fox for the UK. Nick unfortunately passed away at just 37 after cramming in three lifetimes of fun and madness.
Similar statements have been made in the e11e (Elstree Props) eBay listings:
Nick Harrison collected and stored props for a living. He was licenced by LucasFilm, Fox and others.
If one were to come to the most logical conclusion – that the “Danziger Collection” Certificates of Authenticity bearing the signature of “N. Harrison” are supposed to have been signed, certified, and issued by Nick Harrision – given that he passed away in 1999, all such documents would therefore have to have been produced in 1999 or earlier.
Reviewing Examples of “The Danziger Collection” Certificates of Authenticity
Below is a scan of a “Danziger Collection” Certificate of Authenticity sent to me by a collector who purchased an item with this COA directly from Paul Harrison (brother to Nick Harrison) in 2001:
This is the only “Danziger Collection” COA I’ve personally seen of this style. In fact, the other styles I’ve seen, subjectively speaking, seem much more “contemporary” when compared with this example.
This COA was issued for a prop from the film Gladiator, which was released theatrically in 2000. Per “Gladiator: The Making of the Ridley Scott Epic”, principal photography was not completed until June 1999.
Below is a second example, a scan of a “Danziger Collection” COA attached to one of the replica “Light God” props from Raiders of the Ark as discussed at the start of this article:
Note that while the embossing on the seal matches the Gladiator example, the body of the description is more standardized, the serial numbering convention more complex, the stipulation about the gold seal impression and signature has been added, and the “Elstree Film Studios” authorization has been included below the signature. More, this “Light God” COA was included with an auction from November 2007 while the first “Gladiator” example above was from 2001, as noted.
Interestingly, this “Light God” COA much more closely resembles that of the “Fertility Idol” COA that has been discussed in recent weeks (see Fertility Idol and Update):
These two documents employ the same base certificate, the same gold seal, the same font, the same byline/stipulation below “Certificate of Authenticity”.
However, there are some differences in the lower left quadrant details (“Light God” TOP, “Fertility Idol” BOTTOM):
Note the variation in the serial numbering naming convention:
- No 500022003/IJ/ROTLA/NJH/0001
- No 03166447-768/IJR/NJH
Also the difference in “N. Harrison’s” title (as mentioned earlier):
- Licensed Prop Archivist
- Special Effects Supervisor and Licensed Film Archivist
Of interest is that the seller of the “Fertility Idol” with the listing that ended on eBay yesterday stated:
“I purchased this idol in 1982 directly from Elstree Studios in London England”
The other “Light God” COA example accompanied a piece purchased in 2007 – 25 years later.
Yet the first example from the Gladiator prop purchased in 2001 is completely different from the “Fertility Idol” COA (attributed by the seller to 1982) as well as the document included with the “Light God” prop replica purchased in 2007 (middle example sizing is an estimate, based on size of foil impressions on larger examples):
Having the “Light God” COA in hand to personally examine and scan, and given the similarity to the “Fertility Idol” COA attributed by the seller to having originated in 1982, I do not see how a document of this caliber, quality, and relative complexity could have been produced in that year (1982 was the year that Word Perfect 1.0 was released and MS-DOS was the leading PC-based operating system).
Further examination of these and other example documents raises more questions in addition to those outlined in the last article. The one element that is consistent is that I’ve yet to have found an example that bears a date of any kind.
“Fertility Idol” Auction Update
The “Fertility Idol” that was the subject of two recent articles ended at auction yesterday, with 52 bids and a high bid of $2,601.00 with the unstated reserve not met.
Completed Auction Archive:
Listing Bid History Archive:
Outstanding Questions, Further Reading & Discussion
The questions raised in the prior articles remain outstanding, as do those additional questions raised within this feature.
Related Off-Site Discussions:
- Club Obi Wan: Aztec/Inca Idol? | Archives Idol confirmation from LFL archivist. | Original Golden Idol Prop Photos | Golden idol question
- Replica Prop Forum: Original Golden Idol from Raiders here…
- Movie Prop Forum: Indiana-Jones-Raiders-Production-Used-Fertility-Idol
- Original Prop Community: Raiders of the Lost Ark Fertility Idols
Related Original Prop Blog Articles:
If anyone has any further information or opinions, please publish your own “Reader Comment” below, participate in the related topic on the Original Prop Community forum, or contact me.
Jason De Bord