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

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eBay Alert: Star Trek Original Series Tricorder Prop… Buy A Replica for $8,500?

As I’ve mentioned many, many times, there are always countless fake/replica/reproduction props and costumes listed on eBay as “authentic” and “genuine” and used on this or that television show or in a certain movie.  So even if I took it upon myself to make note of these as a full-time job, I could never cover everything.  But it is particularly irksome when someone contacts me directly to help authenticate a prop or collection – which I did for free – only to see it show up on eBay a few days after informing him it is a replica, being offered as “an original” and “not a reproduction prop” and “the real thing and very valuable”…   I informed him that my expert’s opinion was that the piece was “a replica” and explained why and that these pieces were of little value.  Not the $8,500 Buy It Now price on eBay.  I even provided links to online collecting communities for further opinion and additional resources. [Read more…]

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Bonhams & ‘TCM Presents… ‘Rock And Roll Through The Lens’ on March 27th

Bonhams is holding their next Turner Classic Movies curated auction event this month with their “TCM Presents… Rock And Roll Through The Lens” on March 27th in New York.  The sale is comprised of 213 lots of rock and roll related memorabilia. [Read more…]

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California State Assemblymember Todd Gloria Introduces AB 228 To Rectify California Assembly Bill AB 1570’s Autograph Anti-Fraud Legislation

It was nearly a year ago to the day that I wrote about California Assemblymember Ling Ling Chang’s California Assembly Bill AB 1570, created as anti-fraud legislation.  At that time, I wrote a lengthy analysis of the bill, pointing out problematic facets of the then proposed legislation that Governor Jerry Brown signed into law last October.  Once law, other businesses and mainstream media outlets began to complain about key elements of the law that would appear to have some consequences not anticipated by those who create it and enacted it into law.  Ling Ling Chang lost her bid for a State Senate seat in November, so there was uncertainty as to who would take up the responsibility of fixing the problems with the law.  It would appear that Assemblymember Todd Gloria of the 78th District (serving Coronado, Del Mar, Imperial Beach, San Diego and Solana Beach) has come forward to attempt to create a follow-up bill to resolve some of the issues that critics have identified, in the form of Assembly Bill AB 228. [Read more…]

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4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray (UHD) Discs Come Into Full Swing As Original Movie Prop & Costume Authentication Tool

Late last year I decided it was finally time to jump into 4K with a new television supporting the latest high definition format.  It usually takes some time for the standards to settle into place and pricing to become more mainstream, and it would seem that 2016 was the year for UHD/4K.  The amount of detail that can be found in the quality releases on the new 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray (UHD) can be breathtaking.  Of course, one of my reactions is imagining the impact such discs can have on authentication efforts in researching whether a particular artifact was used in a film or a specific scene by way of screen-matching what is seen in the film or television production to the piece of memorabilia from the same production.  While Blu-Ray was a huge leap from the standard definition quality DVD and laserdiscs that came before it, with 4K/UHD we have another monumental leap forward with the amount of details and pixels on screen. [Read more…]

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The 10th Annual Original Prop Blog “Year in Review” for 2016: News, Developments, and Trends in Collecting Original TV & Movie Props, Costumes and Pop Culture Memorabilia

As per tradition, (see 2007 Year in Review, 2008 Year in Review, 2009 Year in Review, 2010 Year in Review, 2011 Year in Review, 2012 Year in Review, 2013 Year in Review, 2014 Year in Review, 2015 Year in Review), what follows is an editorial featuring my personal observations and opinions with regards to the business of buying, collecting, selling, and preserving original pop culture artifacts. A look back at interesting trends, developments, and news stories from 2016. As is always the case, this is a completely subjective exercise, and merely touches on the developments and events that relate to the hobby. [Read more…]

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Bonhams & ‘TCM Presents… ‘The Estate of Maureen O’Hara’ & ‘Lights, Camera, Auction’ on November 29th & 30th

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Bonhams is holding their next set of Turner Classic Movies curated auction events this week, starting with their “The Estate of Maureen O’Hara” on November 29th and  “Lights, Camera, Auction!” on November 30th.  Both sales will be held in New York, with online bidding available. [Read more…]

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Los Angeles Times Article Picks Apart New Autograph Anti-Fraud Legislation (California Assembly Bill AB 1570)

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As a follow-up to my prior articles on the topic of the new Autograph Anti-Fraud Legislation (California Assembly Bill AB 1570) , Michael Hiltzik of the Los Angeles Times has published his own piece highlighting issues with the law and real world impacts on California businesses, independent bookstores in particular.  It is a great read and illustrates the disconnect between lawmakers and businesses in California, regardless of the pro-consumer intentions of the legislation. [Read more…]

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Autograph Anti-Fraud Legislation (California Assembly Bill AB 1570) Now Law

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Back in January, I wrote about Mark Hamill & Assemblywoman Ling Ling Chang’s efforts to pass autograph anti-fraud legislation in California in the form of Assembly Bill AB 1570.  California Governor Jerry Brown signed this into law last month.  While I applauded the intention and efforts behind the proposed law back in January, I outlined a series of issues with it.  Apparently, I am not alone with my concerns, as Brian Doherty’s piece on Reason.com also lists some problems with this new law as written. [Read more…]