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

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Flash Gordon Rocketship Featured on “Pawn Stars” Listed on eBay for $100,000

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As mentioned a few days ago, the latest episode of Pawn Stars features a rocketship model claimed to have been used in the Flash Gordon serials from the 1930s.  What appears to be the same model is now listed for public sale on eBay for a $100,000 “Buy It Now” price, stating that it is “an original movie studio prop – NOT a copy or reproduction” and that “[t]he model for sale here is an 18” prototype model — possibly the only one remaining — and may have been used for still shots on the ground and used with charges“.  [Read more…]

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‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ Movie Prop Fertility Idols In The Marketplace Update 2014

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This is an update to the 2013 version of this same article.  As with that 2013 feature, this one is prompted by another Bonhams auction offering for a fertility idol attributed to use in Raiders of the Lost Ark , this one referencing back to one of their older auctions in 2005.  Due to public interest in discussing iconic props from the Indiana Jones films, and confusion in the marketplace with regards to the provenance and authentication of such pieces, I thought it appropriate to update my ongoing series of articles on the topic with the new information and photos (see: Raiders of the Lost Ark Fertility Idols In The Marketplace). [Read more…]

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Nate D. Sanders Withdraws “Prototype” Star Wars Stormtrooper Prop Helmet with Andrew Ainsworth Provenance from Upcoming Auction

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Four days ago, Original Prop Blog published an article (LINK) noting the Daily Mail wrote a piece promoting a Stormtrooper helmet auction in the Nate D. Sanders auction concluding this coming Thursday.  The helmet had been described as a “prototype” from the original 1977 Star Wars film, with provenance from Andrew Ainsworth.  Original Prop Blog has published a number of articles about these “prototype” helmets sold into the marketplace over the years, and reported in June that Christie’s withdrew one of these from their auctions at the time.  Now, Nate D. Sanders has withdrawn this one from it’s own auction (though, as reported, it failed to sell in their March auction and in subsequent eBay auctions). [Read more…]

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Daily Mail Piece on Nate D. Sanders “Super-Rare Prototype” Stormtrooper Helmet from Andrew Ainsworth’s Work on Star Wars

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The Daily Mail must be an easy get for a puff piece on movie prop memorabilia, going by their latest article on the “prototype” stormtrooper helmet being put up for auction (again) by Nate D Sanders this month.  It reads as though it was repurposed from the auction house material, without the benefit of any third party analysis or questions about the provenance of the item.  A similar helmet was pulled from auction by Christie’s last month, and their have been questions raised about the background of these “prototype” stormtrooper helmets attributed to Andrew Ainsworth’s work on Star Wars: A New Hope going back for years now. [Read more…]

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Update: Additional Images of Christie’s Withdrawn “Prototype” Star Wars Stormtrooper Helmet

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This is an update to the article published on Monday (see “Christie’s Withdraws “Prototype” Star Wars Stormtrooper Prop Helmet with Andrew Ainsworth Provenance from Upcoming Auction“).  As mentioned in that prior article, unfortunately, no images were provided of the sides and back of the helmet.  A friend in the UK previewed the upcoming Christie’s auction, and took photos of the “prototype” Storwtrooper prop helmet, which has since been withdrawn from their sale (#5446).  These additional images are important, in that the single image provided in the online lot description/catalog only included one “straight on” style image which did not show whether the lower, back side of the helmet had the “ribbed” decoration (a detail that most other “prototypes” have shared). [Read more…]

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Christie’s Withdraws “Prototype” Star Wars Stormtrooper Prop Helmet with Andrew Ainsworth Provenance from Upcoming Auction

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Today Christie’s has withdrawn Lot 136 from their upcoming Sale #5446, a prop attributed to Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and described as a “prototype Imperial Stormtrooper’s helmet“.   There has been ongoing public debate and controversy over movie prop Stormtrooper helmets trading for sale in the marketplace for years, and some of this debate and discussion intersected the legal battles between Lucasfilm and Andrew Ainsworth.  In the auction description, Andrew Ainsworth was named as the source of provenance for the prop withdrawn from the current Christie’s sale. [Read more…]

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Christie’s “Pop Culture” Live Auction June 20th in London, eCatalogue and PDF Catalog Online

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Christie’s “Pop Culture” catalog (Sale 5446) is now available online in a downloadable PDF format as well as an online eCatalogue. The entertainment memorabilia sale includes 144 lots of film, television, and music-related material. [Read more…]

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Gallerist Feature Tackles Auction House (Hidden) Reserves and Transparency – Heritage Auctions Leading in This Regard with Publicly Disclosed Reserves

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Daniel Grant, writing for Gallerist, published an interesting article a few days ago about auction houses, reserves, and transparency (see “How Low Can You Go?: Should Auction Reserve Prices Be More Transparent?”).  In his feature, he talks about how in nearly all cases, auction houses do not openly disclose the reserve (the lowest amount for which an item will sell at auction), and provides a variety of differing perspectives on how this practice impacts their respective markets and its participants.  Of the auction houses specifically discussed in the article, only one – Heritage Auction – makes it known to the public what the reserve price is for every item that they offer for sale. [Read more…]