This latest YouTube video covers movie prop related news from the past several weeks, including a look at videos from the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, their initial charter membership opportunities, the latest auction from Icons of Pop Culture, and new announcements from Prop Store for their Harry Lange Auction, their Sicario Day of The Soldado auction, and their Marvel auction later in the year. [Read more…]
This latest YouTube video covers movie prop related news from the past week or so, including a charity raffle for a sword from Deadpool 2 by Ryan Reynolds, a local news report about a collection in Texas, a quick look at the newest auction from Ewbanks, a local media report on the restoration of a Jaws piece, a visit to another online blog about a Marilyn Monroe costume up for auction, some tweets from Peter Mayhew and Mark Hamill about a prototype Chewbacca mask from Star Wars and a quick flip through the latest Prop Store auction catalog for their first big toy auction this week. [Read more…]
Palm Beach Modern Auctions received a lot of press in the mainstream media in the past few weeks for their red jacket attributed to the classic James Dean film, Rebel Without A Cause. The $400,000-$600,000 pre-sale estimate would imply that the jacket must have been worn by the star during production of the film… Perhaps the provenance supplied by the auction house was unconvincing, since it failed to sell at auction. [Read more…]
Tribune Broadcasting’s New York flagship station, WPIX-TV (PIX11) in New Jersey, recently published a news report about the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office auctioning off memorabilia seized in 2007 – memorabilia that Prosecutor John Molinelli was warned included fake autographs. The report claims that a prior report revealed that the prosecutor’s office made false statements in an official document in order to get a no bid contract for their “handpicked” memorabilia authenticator. Purportedly, these news stories lead to refunds being offered to the buyers. One of the buyers subsequently filed a criminal complaint against the prosecutor which went to the Bergen County Policeand then to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice; the AG’s office then sent a letter to people who’d complained and it said that their information “was received and reviewed…The matter is now closed.” [Read more…]
CNN recently paid a visit to their “corporate cousin” and the Warner Bros. Archives in the UK – reported as the first such visit by mainstream media that has featured authorized video of the facility within it’s “secret London location”. While this resulted in just 23 still photos and a short 3-minute video barely touches on the 10,000 props and 3,000 costumes within the “vault”, it is worth a look for sure. [Read more…]
This pertains almost exclusively to my music photojournalism and concert reviews and photography on my sister publication, the Rock Subculture Journal, but I thought I would also mention it here, as it’s the only time I’ve really been on the other side of an interview… [Read more…]
In support of their upcoming live auction event, Prop Store has produced a number of high quality videos showcasing some of the props, costumes, vehicles, and other production items that comprise their “Live Auction of Film & Television Artefacts” sale, which will conclude on October 16th. I’ve often lamented the poor quality photos used by some of the auction houses in their respective auctions for television and movie memorabilia, so I thought the fact that Prop Store has gone to the other extreme – with extensive high definition videos – that it warranted a mention herein, as it is a positive step forward for this particular art market. [Read more…]
Prop Store will be holding their first live auction event in London on October 16th. The auction catalog is now available online via a PDF download and interactive catalog via their official website and collectors can bid through PropStore.com. Prop Store has been one of the few “quality” dealers in this market for many, many years, with a reputation to match, so seeing them get into the live auction “event” side of the business is a very positive development in my personal opinion. They have put together an excellent assortment of items for this auction (many of which have not been seen before and/or auctioned in public before) and the reserves are very, very reasonable (no “jackpot” reserves/estimates as I frequently complain about). The catalog is impressive (in design and layout), and they are including a standardized COA with each item. The online listings show many high quality images of each item. I think if you read the letter at the front of the catalog, you will see that Stephen Lane and Prop Store have a different set of experiences and perspectives on collecting compared with most other auction houses – there is passion and understanding as collectors. I wish them the best in their new endeavor. Hopefully their entrance to this arena will motivate other auction houses to improve their own businesses. I think collectors have been complaining about a number of facets of this business, and Prop Store has listened and addressed many of them with their first big auction, and I know that they are receptive to feedback and will build on what I expect will be a successful first event. [Read more…]