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

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WITHDRAWN: Bonhams Pulls “A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi” from “TCM Presents… Out Of This World!” Auction

Last week The Original Prop Blog published an article about the “A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi” prop up for public auction in their current “TCM Presents … Out of This World!” event scheduled to conclude on November 21st.  The description in the online catalog had been edited to remove the (vague) details about the provenance, and the piece in question seems to match a “Return of the Jedi” lightsaber prop that I wrote about in 2013 that was offered for sale on eBay and seemed to have a connection with Elstree Props.  Today, the lot is marked as “WITHDRAWN” on the item page. [Read more…]

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“A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi” in Current Bonhams Auction Raises Questions

Bonhams has put up a piece for public auction in their current “TCM Presents … Out of This World!” event scheduled to conclude on November 21st – a prop which they describe as “A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi”.  The description in the online catalog has been edited to remove the (vague) details about the provenance, and the piece in question seems to match a “Return of the Jedi” lightsaber prop that I wrote about in 2013 that was offered for sale on eBay and seemed to have a connection with Elstree Props (and went unsold with a high bid of $5,101 not reaching the reserve).  The 2013 article about that “Return of the Jedi” lightsaber was one of a series of features published on the Original Prop Blog specifically about Elstree Props and lightsaber props attributed to Return of the Jedi (I even had an opportunity to ask Mark Hamill himself about one of these props at San Diego Comic Con in 2009). [Read more…]

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Yet Another Luke Skywalker “Screen Used” Return of the Jedi Lightsaber Movie Prop with Elstree Studios/Elstree Props/Danziger Collection Connections Surfaces on eBay

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Continuing a long line of “screen used” Luke Skywalker prop lightsabers attributed to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi with connections to Elstree Studios/Elstree Props/The Danziger Collection, yet another one has surfaced for sale on eBay.  Although there are photos of the prop and related documents and certificates of authenticity (COAs) from “Piece of the Stars Memorabilia” (a company I have never heard of before), of course the resolution of these images are limited to 500px × 375px (do cameras still exist today that shoot at such a low resolution?), rendering examination challenging, to say the least.  In the interests of public debate and discussion, Original Prop Blog has long documented the public sale offerings of other prop lightsabers attributed to Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi that have similar origins and associations, which can be found HERE. [Read more…]

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Dan Levin of Premiere Props Appears on Access Hollywood to Discuss Their “Hollywood Auction Extravaganza V”

Dan Levin from Premiere Props appeared on Access Hollywood today to talk about this weekend’s Hollywood Auction Extravaganza V sale event.  Items discussed in the segment include pieces attributed to Madonna, Liberace, and Michael Jackson.   Strangely, not only do the hosts/talent handle the auction items, one is “almost” sold during the segment, and many of the wardrobe pieces are worn by the hosts as well as they close out the episode.

[Read more…]

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Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Auction Extravaganza V’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event March 24th-25th

The online catalog for the Premiere Props “Hollywood Auction Extravaganza V”, scheduled for March 24-25, is now listed via online bidding partner iCollector as well as a traditional-style catalog in PDF format from their own website. The two-day auction includes over 1,000 lots from various film and television productions. [Read more…]

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San Diego Comic Con 2009: Short Video Interview with Mark Hamill (Return of the Jedi Lightsaber, “Lost” Tatooine Cave Scene)

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While attending San Diego Comic Con, I had an opportunity to meet and chat with Mark Hamill, who portrayed Luke Skywalker in the original Star Wars trilogy.  Based on an article written last week (see Revisting the Elstree Props “Return of the Jedi” Star Wars Lightsabers: The $50,000 Question (Original or Replica?)), and a series of articles published in 2007 (see Market Watch | Elstree Props | Return of the Jedi), I thought it would be a good opportunity to ask Mr. Hamill a few questions about the original lightsaber props he used in Return of the Jedi, as well as address the long-running controversy as to whether he filmed a scene in which he portrayed his character building his new lightsaber. [Read more…]

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Revisting the Elstree Props “Return of the Jedi” Star Wars Lightsabers: The $50,000 Question (Original or Replica?)

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This is an update to a series of articles about two prop lightsabers marketed by Paul Harrison, at the time owner of Elstree Props, which were described as original pieces made for the film, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  No such lightsabers appear in the finished film.  Though it has been some time since the last update, published in late 2007, I have obtained new information.  Included in this feature are photos of one of the props that I’ve been told were taken in late 2005, of a newly made custom replica lightsaber, prior to delivery to Paul Harrison.  The prop in these photos clearly matches one of the two Elstree Props lightsabers.  Was a newly made replica prop listed for sale to the public for $50,000.00? [Read more…]

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Harrison/Elstree Props/Norank: Raiders of the Lost Ark ‘Staff of Ra’ Headpiece Props in the Marketplace

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As a continuation of recent articles, the focus of this feature is the recent activity in the marketplace concerning the “Staff of Ra” headpiece props attributed to Raiders of the Lost Ark – all of which appear to have originated from the Harrison family (who retired from and sold the “Elstree Props” business in early 2008 and now sell unlicensed replica props as “Norank Engineering” and on eBay as “unisusu”).  With one purchased for $450 and another offered for resale for $30,000 (along with a German hat), it certainly raises a number of questions and concerns, and warrants investigation, debate, and discussion. [Read more…]