As a short update to yesterday’s article (see “1931″ Dracula One Sheet Poster Determined to be Fake, Pulled from Next Week’s Profiles in History Auction), Joe Maddalena of Profiles in History has sent me a statement from John Davis of Poster Mountain, who authenticated the Dracula one sheet which has been determined to be a forgery. [Read more…]
On the heels of the vintage poster scandal reported on earlier this month (see Charges of Fraud Rock The Collectible Movie Poster Market and Hobby), there has been more controversy in the collectible poster memorabilia field as yet another scandal – and altogether different kind of fraud – has been uncovered by members of that community. [Read more…]
I was in Los Angeles yesterday interviewing Joe Maddalena as part of my coverage of the upcoming Profiles in History “Hollywood Auction 37” event scheduled for next month, and took the opportunity to discuss the recent news of fraud in the poster collecting hobby. [Read more…]
Various reports have surfaced in recent weeks about a scandal involving what experts claim are counterfeit ’30s-’40s horror movie posters, window cards, and lobby cards. Some reporting on this story estimate that several million dollars worth of this material has been sold and traded into the marketplace, which has purportedly resulted in at least two lawsuits. [Read more…]
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…]
I’ve found that there are many concepts in the original prop hobby for which words do not exist. Having words to use with specific and unique meaning are powerful tools, and when there are none available that fit the need, putting together a new word with hopes it may be adopted can be productive. In this case, a term is needed to describe an instance in which the source or an entity in the chain of ownership of a prop, costume, or other artifact has a distinctive and negative impact on the authentication of such a piece. The word I plan to use to describe such a circumstance is “anti-provenance”. [Read more…]
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…]
The Prop Store of London provided information today regarding an Indiana Jones costume (fedora, jacket, and bullwhip) being offered for sale in the marketplace with a “Lucas Film Ltd.” Certificate of Authenticity which appears to be a fraudulent document made using the distinct Warner Bros. “DNA Authentic”style COA as a model along with a photo of a genuine costume from the Lucasfilm archives. [Read more…]