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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IfOnly Charity Auction: Harrison Ford’s “Han Solo” Leather Jacket from “Star Wars: The Force Awakens”

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Online auction company IfOnly has a special charity offering running for two weeks – one of the original “Han Solo” production jackets worn by Harrison Ford in Star Wars: The Force Awakens, including a certificate of authenticity from Lucasfilm. Proceeds from the sale of the rare wardrobe piece will benefit NYU Langone Center and FACES (Finding A Cure for Epilepsy and Seizures). [Read more…]

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Profiles in History’s “Easy Rider” Movie Prop Captain America Motorcycle at Auction: Sold for $1.35 Million… or Not Sold?

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There was a tremendous amount of pre-auction mainstream media coverage about the motorcycle put on the auction block by Profiles in History last month, a lot of it generated from an AP story picked up by many news outlets that was titled “‘Easy Rider’ chopper at auction might be phony” (as of this time, that keyword search is resulting in 22,500 hits on Google).  The day of the auction, and for a few days following, the most used headline was a variation on proclamations that it sold for $1.35 million.  But, as a matter of public record, did it really sell?  And if not, why has no media outlet (to my knowledge) reported on the sale falling through? [Read more…]

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Pawn Stars Authentication of “Star Trek: The Original Series” TV Props (Communicator, Phaser, Tribble)

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I truly found “reality” series Pawn Stars enjoyable when it first came on the air on History back in 2009, but it has become more and more character oriented over the years.  But I always watch an episode if someone tells me that something is brought onto the show to sell that I might find interesting to watch.  This past week was one of those times, with the episode “Beam Me Up” which features a woman bringing in a collection of Star Trek memorabilia associated with the television shows and movies featuring The Original Series cast.  Obviously, the point of this show is to both entertain and educate. [Read more…]

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‘Comic Book Men’ AMC TV Series Features Laughable Star Wars Luke Skywalker Lightsaber Movie Prop Authentication & Valuation

Filmmaker Kevin Smith’s new television series on AMC, Comic Book Men, recently featured in its second episode (“Life After Clerks”) an individual bringing a prop into the comic book store, claiming it was an original lightsaber used in Star Wars: A New Hope.  The shop brought in a third party “expert” to authenticate and value the piece, though no information was provided as to who the authenticator was, or what his qualifications were in being cited as an expert.  Having reviewed the segment, in my personal opinion and subjective reaction, the entire affair was quite laughable, from the positive authentication to the assessed value of $7,000 for an original Luke Skywalker lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back. [Read more…]

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Pawn Stars Latest Episode Features Civil War Jacket – “TBS” Stamp – Inspector’s Mark or “The Burbank Studios”?

Friends and Original Prop Blog readers Jen and Bryce wrote to me today in regards to one of the latest episodes of Pawn Stars, which premiered last night. In the episode, “Late Night Chum”, a customer brings in what appears to be a Civil War jacket. Mark, the Administrator from the Clark County Museum, is called on to help authenticate it, and speculates that the stamped letters, “TBS”, might be an inspector’s mark. With an alternate assessment, and based on their experience with classic movie memorabilia, props, and wardrobe, and having found the same mark on studio-used garments, Jen and Bryce believe that it might actually be a mark indicating prior ownership by “The Burbank Studios”. [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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“Harry Potter: The Exhibition” at Museum of Science & Industry, April 30th – September 27th, 2009

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The Museum of Science & Industry in Chicago, Illinois is hosting a Harry Potter exhibition from April 30-September 27, 2009. The world premiere exhibit will include the display of over 200 original props and costumes from the Harry Potter movies. [Read more…]