Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource

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Auction House Buyer’s Premiums: On The Rise

Auction House Buyer's Premiums: On The Rise | auction house bidders premium intro 1 x380

Christie’s and Sotheby’s made news recently with announcements about raising their Buyer’s Premiums (the amount the winning bidder pays on top of the hammer price of an item at auction).

Per AntiquesAndTheHearts.com, Sotheby’s made the first announcement, characterizing the changes as follows: [Read more…]

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Book Review: The Complete Making of Indiana Jones

This is a review of The Complete Making of Indiana Jones (published May 20, 2008). This is “the” must have book for any fan of the Indiana Jones films – if you are only interested in one book on the property, this is it.

This work delves into every facet that would interest readers, including the origins of the films, interviews of all the key principals, “making of” segments, a focus on each of the four films, and tons of photos and images. Like “The Making of Star Wars” (see OPB Book Review) which was published about a year ago and by the same author – J.W. Rinzler – this is a true archive of information and visuals and should be particularly valuable to original prop collectors. [Read more…]

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Book Review: For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond

Book Review: For Your Eyes Only: Ian Fleming and James Bond

This is a review of For Your Eyes Only – Ian Fleming and James Bond (published April 7, 2008). This book is an interesting work about both James Bond and his creator, and is intended to be a companion piece to the current exhibit at the Imperial War Museum in London (see “Ian Fleming’s “James Bond” Letters Fetch Nearly $30,000 at Auction“). [Read more…]

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“Original Prop Purchase Agreement” Template

One thing many collectors do not consider are the potential (unfortunate) “what if?” possibilities we can encounter in buying and selling original props, wardrobe, and other artifacts from film and television.

In the event a problem arises, it is best that both Buyer and Seller have a common understanding of the consequences and responsibilities.

Also, there are areas in which specifics are often not addressed or clarified appropriately, such as ancillary costs and other details beyond the “purchase price” (i.e. shipping costs, shipping method, etc.).

I recently developed an “Original Prop Purchase Agreement” for one of my own purchases, so I decided to simplify it, convert it into a more basic template, and offer it here as a tool for other collectors to consider, edit, amend, and/or employ however they see fit: [Read more…]

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Studio Reseller Certificates of Authenticity: Premiere Props & Hollywood Vault

Studio Reseller Certificates of Authenticity: Premiere Props & Hollywood Vault | coa devolution intro x360

Over the past several years, the Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) issued by two of the biggest “studio resellers” – Premiere Props and Hollywood Vault – have evolved. Unfortunately, the changes made have been to the detriment of provenance and is a significant missed opportunity given that these companies are in the position of releasing props and wardrobe into the marketplace that are sourced direct from the studios in a fully authorized capacity (making the pieces both authentic and with clear title).

I thought it would be informative to compare and contrast COAs issued by Premiere Props and Hollywood Vault to see exactly what changes have been made over the years, and the current state of certification and provenance offered by these two dealers. [Read more…]

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Condé Nast Portfolio – “Reality’s Bites”

There is an article on Condé Nast Portfolio written by Cathleen MacCarthy, “Reality’s Bites“, which discusses the “topping out” of baby boomer memorabilia and the rise of high end collectibles that are a draw for Generation X, including skateboarding, videogames, and ’90s rock.

The article cites many examples from different fields reflecting the birth of the market of pop culture rising from Beatles and Rolling Stones memorabilia in the early 80s, compared with interest today in Nirvana and Guns ‘N Roses. [Read more…]