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

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Premiere Props Offers Authenticated Fake Prop for Public Auction and the Hobby Says…

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As reported a few weeks ago (see “Premiere Props Now In Business Of Selling “Authenticated” Forgery, Along With Premiere Props COA? (Star Trek Mark English Communicator)“), the entertainment memorabilia dealer tried to make lemons out of lemonade after being informed by third party observers that one of the pieces listed for public auction in their latest sale was a forgery.  They changed the title and description for the lot in question, recasting the offering as an authenticated fake prop.  I have just gotten around to looking up the results of the June 15th sale, and found that the item is marked “WAS NOT SOLD” (though there was a bid of $200 – the start price).  I had characterized the sale as “a first in this art market – the open and notorious public sale offering of “authenticated” fake props, along with a COA certifying it… fake?”  Well, the hobby has apparently spoken…  I guess? [Read more…]

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Premiere Props Now In Business Of Selling “Authenticated” Forgery, Along With Premiere Props COA? (Star Trek Mark English Communicator)

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“Crew members and independent collectors have verified the authenticity of this item as a Mark English Forgery. Comes with a COA from Premiere Props”.  Wow.  I guess this is a new direction of this art market, filed under Sell At Any Cost: The Authenticated Fake Prop?  As noted in my wordy titled preview of Premiere Props upcoming regularly scheduled auction (see “Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Auction Extravaganza X’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event June 15 (Plus An OPB Editorial Plea For Authentication)“, their authentication and lot descriptions, in my personal opinion, left a lot to be desired.  I have no idea if anyone at Premiere Props reads the Original Prop Blog, but if “authenticating” a fake prop as fake and still offering it for sale is what they thought I had in mind with my public “plea for authentication”, they could not have been more wrong.  There is zero benefit to selling forgeries back into the marketplace, in my opinion, and the idea of including a COA “authenticating” a fake as a fake makes my head spin.  If the fake fooled Premiere Props, is it responsible for them to continue to facilitate the sale of a piece that is widely regarded as problematic for those of us who make efforts to keep such pieces out of the marketplace?  How about someone takes a hammer to it instead? [Read more…]

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“Movies Galore” TOS Star Trek Hand Phaser – February, March, April eBay Listings

A Star Trek: The Original Series “hand phaser”, marketed as original and from the 1966-69 classic television series with a Certificate of Authenticity from “Movies Galore”, has been offered for sale and sold, offered for sale again and sold, and is now offered for sale on eBay for a third time over the span of just three months. [Read more…]

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Star Trek: The Original Series Props – Auction House Archive, Part 1

As noted in recent articles, there are many Star Trek “Original Series” (1966-1969) era prop replicas that have been traded in the marketplace as authentic, fooling experts, dealers, and auction houses, as well as collectors.

As a result, there are profound challenges in authenticating the iconic, high value props from this classic television series, especially the Tricorder, Communicator, and Phaser. The current ’state of the marketplace’ poses a significant potential risk for Star Trek collectors who could inadvertently buy an inauthentic piece.

The most productive manner in which collectors can help other collectors to mitigate this risk is by talking to one another, sharing information, and spreading awareness of the ’state of the marketplace’ for these types of props and underscoring the importance of formal and thorough authentication.

I thought it would be productive to catalog and archive information relevant to these props. [Read more…]

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Star Trek TOS Original Series Tricorder Prop – eBay Seller Response

As written in yesterday’s article, “eBay Auction: Star Trek TOS Original Series Tricorder Prop“, an item was listed on eBay yesterday, marketed as an original tricorder prop from Star Trek: The Original Series, with an opening bid amount of $12,000, which has raised some concerns in the Star Trek collecting community as to it’s authenticity: “Star Trek TOS Original Series Tricorder Prop (1966-69)” (eBay Item #280203748990).

Alec Peters of the Star Trek Prop, Costume, and Auction Blog wrote an article about this auction on his blog today, “Alledged TOS Tricorder on ebay – Mark English replica?“. [Read more…]

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eBay Auction: Star Trek TOS Original Series Tricorder Prop

An item was listed on eBay yesterday, marketed as an original tricorder prop from Star Trek: The Original Series, with an opening bid amount of $12,000, which has raised some concerns in the Star Trek collecting community as to it’s authenticity: [Read more…]