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

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WPIX-TV (PIX11) News Feature: “NJ’s Attorney General Closes Case of Fraudulent Memorabilia”

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Tribune Broadcasting’s New York flagship station, WPIX-TV (PIX11) in New Jersey, recently published a news report about the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office auctioning off memorabilia seized in 2007 – memorabilia that Prosecutor John Molinelli was warned  included fake autographs.  The report claims that a prior report revealed that the prosecutor’s office made false statements in an official document in order to get a no bid contract for their “handpicked” memorabilia authenticator.  Purportedly, these news stories lead to refunds being offered to the buyers.  One of the buyers subsequently filed a criminal complaint against the prosecutor which went to the Bergen County Policeand then to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice; the AG’s office then sent a letter to people who’d complained and it said that their information “was received and reviewed…The matter is now closed.” [Read more…]

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Alteration of Historic Lincoln Document in National Archives Highlights Issues Related to Manipulation of Genuine Assets and Authentication

Earlier this year, a story broke about the discovery that a genuine document produced by Abraham Lincoln had been altered in order to make it more historically significant.  While the identification and preservation of historic documents is outside the scope of the same in the entertainment/popular culture memorabilia field, the story is instructive none the less, and highlights the ease with which genuine material can be altered to make it more important and valuable. [Read more…]

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Judge Sentences eBay Fraudster to Over One Year in Prison

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U.S. District Judge Peter C. Dorsey today sentenced a Connecticut man, who plead guilty to committing fraud on eBay, to one year and one day in prison.  He also ordered that he pay over a quarter of a million dollars in restitution, perform 150 hours of community service, and have three years of supervised release, following the completion of his prison term.  [Read more…]

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New “Global Antiques” Hollywood Memorabilia Dealer on eBay (Michael Jackson, Star Wars, Wizard of Oz)

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eBay dealer “moniemon92” – with an account created in 2007 but with no recorded transactions until a few weeks ago – has listed a number of items for sale with “Global Antiques” certificates of authenticity.  These auction offerings are dominated by listings of items owned/autographed by the recently deceased Michael Jackson.  [Read more…]

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“Global Antiques” & “Auction Depot LA” Update: Victim Secures $18,000 Settlement & Deferred Judgment Following Lawsuit

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One of the lead investigations conducted last year involved “original” memorabilia offered for sale with certificates of authenticity from “Global Antiques”, signed by Greg Jones.  Pieces were sold on eBay via  “Auction Depot LA” and “Auction Shop USA”.  These accounts were suspended by eBay, and one of the collectors who purchased a number of items from these companies/individuals filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court.  [Read more…]

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AntiqueWeek Feature on “Global Antiques”

The latest edition of AntiqueWeek includes a front page feature by Eric C. Rodenberg on the Global Antiques props sold on eBay by Auction Depot LA, Auction Shop USA, and Historic Souvenirs.  Per their website, AntiqueWeek has “the largest paid circulation of any antiques and collectibles newspaper in the United States”.  The full story can be read online at antiqueweek.com – “Sales of bogus movie props lead to suspensions on eBay” – also archived below: [Read more…]

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More From the Los Angeles Times: “Scammers Exploit Online Trust Factor”

David Colker of the Los Angeles Times has written a follow-up story to Harriet Ryan’s piece published on the front page Wednesday (see Los Angeles Times Feature on Global Antiques, Thoughts on Los Angeles Times “Global Antiques” Feature).  The new article, “Scammers exploit online trust factor“, opens quoting the core value that eBay was founded on – “people are basically good” – and laments the “good old days”. [Read more…]

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Thoughts on Los Angeles Times “Global Antiques” Feature

I wanted to share some thoughts and reactions to this week’s feature in the Los Angeles Times about the “Global Antiques” auctions on eBay.  Overall, I am very pleased to see the issue presented to a huge audience, and I think the reporter, Ms. Ryan, did an excellent job of giving voice and perspective to a wide array of principals and relevant third parties.  My interest is to look at each of those contributions and responses (or lack thereof) to determine outstanding questions. [Read more…]