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

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Daily Mail Piece on Nate D. Sanders “Super-Rare Prototype” Stormtrooper Helmet from Andrew Ainsworth’s Work on Star Wars

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The Daily Mail must be an easy get for a puff piece on movie prop memorabilia, going by their latest article on the “prototype” stormtrooper helmet being put up for auction (again) by Nate D Sanders this month.  It reads as though it was repurposed from the auction house material, without the benefit of any third party analysis or questions about the provenance of the item.  A similar helmet was pulled from auction by Christie’s last month, and their have been questions raised about the background of these “prototype” stormtrooper helmets attributed to Andrew Ainsworth’s work on Star Wars: A New Hope going back for years now. [Read more…]

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Update: Additional Images of Christie’s Withdrawn “Prototype” Star Wars Stormtrooper Helmet

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This is an update to the article published on Monday (see “Christie’s Withdraws “Prototype” Star Wars Stormtrooper Prop Helmet with Andrew Ainsworth Provenance from Upcoming Auction“).  As mentioned in that prior article, unfortunately, no images were provided of the sides and back of the helmet.  A friend in the UK previewed the upcoming Christie’s auction, and took photos of the “prototype” Storwtrooper prop helmet, which has since been withdrawn from their sale (#5446).  These additional images are important, in that the single image provided in the online lot description/catalog only included one “straight on” style image which did not show whether the lower, back side of the helmet had the “ribbed” decoration (a detail that most other “prototypes” have shared). [Read more…]

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Christie’s Withdraws “Prototype” Star Wars Stormtrooper Prop Helmet with Andrew Ainsworth Provenance from Upcoming Auction

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Today Christie’s has withdrawn Lot 136 from their upcoming Sale #5446, a prop attributed to Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and described as a “prototype Imperial Stormtrooper’s helmet“.   There has been ongoing public debate and controversy over movie prop Stormtrooper helmets trading for sale in the marketplace for years, and some of this debate and discussion intersected the legal battles between Lucasfilm and Andrew Ainsworth.  In the auction description, Andrew Ainsworth was named as the source of provenance for the prop withdrawn from the current Christie’s sale. [Read more…]

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Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Extravaganza XIV’ Auction Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event June 21-22

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Premiere Props have listed their next auction with online bidding partners iCollector, LiveAuctioneers, and Invaluable (formerly ArtFact) as part of their “Hollywood Extravaganza XIV”. The two-day auction is scheduled for June 21-22. As per usual, with less than a month before the sale, presumably a fraction of the full list of items have been put online as part of these auction catalogs. As with past auctions, the sale includes a mix of original props, costumes, and other film and television artifacts, as well as general Hollywood Memorabilia. “Movie Props DNA (MPDNA)”, which appeared absent in recent sales, is back and noted within some of the lot descriptions. [Read more…]

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“Bond in Motion” 007 James Bond Movie Prop Car Exhibition at the London Film Museum at Covent Garden

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I am in London currently, and had an opportunity to drop by the fantastic new “Bond in Motion” exhibit at London Film Museum in Covent Garden.  The brilliant exhibition features cars used in James Bond films over the past 50 years, as well as some key movie props and costumes from the 007 franchise.  I’ve always been a huge fan of London Film Museum and their mission, and as always they have put together a great collection of film memorabilia in a classy and artful way – they are really the best in the business when it comes to displaying pop culture artifacts. [Read more…]

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Profiles in History Gobbles Up “Hollywood Parts”, Refashions as “Hollywood P.R.I.M.E.”, and Takes Aim at Premiere Props?

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Mike Filonczuk today announced the closure of his business, Hollywood Parts, and his new venture with industry heavyweight Profiles History: Hollywood P.R.I.M.E. (Production Resources International Management for Entertainment).  While details are sparse and the former company’s website is now gone, based on their own description, it looks like the event auction house is looking to move into territory and business models more akin to competitors like VIP Fan Auctions and Premiere Props (while Premiere Props has become more Profiles in History-like with their off-eBay event auctions with consignor material in recent years).  It will be interesting to see how it all plays out over the coming years, assuming Hollywood P.R.I.M.E. has more longevity than other efforts to branch out by both auction houses (such as the Hollywood Treasure cable television series, authentication efforts launched by Profiles years ago with the Dracula poster debacle, and Premiere Props and their own Movie Props DNA quietly launched and quickly abandoned last year). [Read more…]

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Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Extravaganza XIII’ Auction Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event March 22-23

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Premiere Props have listed their next auction with online bidding partners iCollector, LiveAuctioneers, and Invaluable (formerly ArtFact) as part of their “Hollywood Extravaganza XIII”. The two-day auction is scheduled for this weekend, March 22-23.  The sale advertises over 1,000 lots (which includes a lot of autographed, posters, baseballs, and other memorabilia). As with past auctions, the sale includes a mix of original props, costumes, and other film and television artifacts, as well as general Hollywood Memorabilia. There are many vintage off the shelf antiques attributed to film and television productions with no explanation as to how and why such claims are made (like an ice cream scooper attributed to Back to the Future, a starfish from Jaws 2, or a Happy Days wooden box).  Can someone produce a screencap of this helmet used in Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers? [Read more…]

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Massive Ongoing Dexter TV Prop Auction Features Hundreds of Lots from the Showtime Cable Series

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This might be one of the worst publicized auctions in some time, since it has been going on since November and I didn’t hear of it until I came across an article on Collider tonight.  Per a press release from a few months ago, they’ve been holding online auctions since that time.  While it is heavy on set pieces and short on the wardrobe material (that VIP Fan Auctions has been selling off for many months now on eBay), there are some really nice pieces offered in the mix. [Read more…]