There are two new features today on Forbes.com related to the original prop collecting hobby. One, “Behind the Scenes with an Obsessive Collector”, outlines Joseph Maddalena’s origins of acquiring an interest in collecting movie memorabilia, and his own lifelong pursuit for the broomstick from The Wizard of Oz. The other, “Inside the Search for Dorothy’s Slippers”, shares the story of the ruby slippers stolen from Michael Shaw in 2005. [Read more…]
The Prada dress and Gina shoes worn by Olga Kurylenko in the latest James Bond film, Quantum of Solace, sold for £7,000 in a charity auction event to benefit the Muir Maxwell Trust. The “Casino Royale” event raised a total of £400,000 in the organization’s efforts to support to children and their families coping with severe epilepsy. [Read more…]
The electronic version of the Propworx auction catalog for their upcoming Battlestar Galactica prop auction is available for download – the live event is is scheduled for January 16-18, 2009 in Pasadena, CA. [Read more…]
Bonhams will be offering the Lotus Esprit Coupé used in the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me in their December 1, 2008 auction in Olympia, London. [Read more…]
I’ve noticed a number of trends on the rise of late, in the marketing and sale of original movie and television props and costumes in the marketplace, that are to the detriment of consumer hobbyists. [Read more…]
Rock Island Auction Company is holding their “Premiere Firearms Auction” December 6, 7, and 8 in Moline, IL. Among the 2,700 lots of “historical, rare and unique firearms” are a few pieces previously sold at the Little John’s “World Famous Stembridge Armory Collection“. [Read more…]
As has been noted in past features (see Market Watch | “stonark” / “*stoneark*” (Corner Collectibles)), eBay seller *stoneark* (recently changed from stonark) has paired Letters of Authenticity and Certificates of Authenticity from auction houses and a variety of other sources. I have been unable to verify the existence of most of these firms and individuals, which has raised a number of questions as to provenance. [Read more…]
The Profiles in History “Collectors Book Store Auction” catalog is now available (as a download in PDF) for their next auction, to be held at their offices in Calabassas Hills, CA on December 12-14, 2008. [Read more…]