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…]
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…]
This article marks a milestone for the Original Prop Blog – the 1,000th article. When I started the site back in April 2007, I honestly did not ever imagine that I would produce this much content. So the occasion provides an opportunity to reflect back, look forward, and thank those that have supported this endeavor. [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…]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) issued their Annual Report a few months ago. Among the highlights is that auction fraud – a frequent topic in the hobby of collecting original television and movie props and wardrobe – was reported to make up one of four complaints made to the organization. [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…]