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

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‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ Fertility Idols In The Marketplace Update 2013

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With their latest “Entertainment Memorabilia” sale event in Knightsbridge on July 3rd, Bonhams is offering for public sale a second fertility idol attributed to use in Raiders of the Lost Ark with paperwork from industry veteran Kit West.  Due to public interest in discussing iconic props from the Indiana Jones films, and confusion in the marketplace with regards to the provenance and authentication of such pieces, I thought it appropriate to update my ongoing series of articles on the topic with the new information and photos (see: Raiders of the Lost Ark Fertility Idols In The Marketplace). [Read more…]

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Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Auction Extravaganza X’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event June 15 (Plus An OPB Editorial Plea For Authentication)

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Lots for Premiere Props’ sale in mid-June have been listed online with online bidding partner iCollector, as part of their “Hollywood Extravaganza X”. The one-day auction is scheduled for June 15th. As with past auctions, the sale includes general memorabilia, though, as with their last sale, there is more interesting material with this event than they’ve had in some time, although much of it does not include any substantive information (or even vague information) about history and provenance in the lot descriptions (though to their credit, some do).  Premiere Props is such a frustrating company, on so many levels, but some of their auction descriptions (if you can even call them that) are beyond unacceptable.  I can’t imagine someone wanting a piece so badly as to take such a massive leap of faith in bidding on something in which no information whatsoever is provided about *why* it is authentic. [Read more…]

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Yet Another Luke Skywalker “Screen Used” Return of the Jedi Lightsaber Movie Prop with Elstree Studios/Elstree Props/Danziger Collection Connections Surfaces on eBay

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Continuing a long line of “screen used” Luke Skywalker prop lightsabers attributed to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi with connections to Elstree Studios/Elstree Props/The Danziger Collection, yet another one has surfaced for sale on eBay.  Although there are photos of the prop and related documents and certificates of authenticity (COAs) from “Piece of the Stars Memorabilia” (a company I have never heard of before), of course the resolution of these images are limited to 500px × 375px (do cameras still exist today that shoot at such a low resolution?), rendering examination challenging, to say the least.  In the interests of public debate and discussion, Original Prop Blog has long documented the public sale offerings of other prop lightsabers attributed to Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi that have similar origins and associations, which can be found HERE. [Read more…]

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Revisiting Ellis Props & Graphics – Certificates of Authenticity (COAs) Assigned to TV and Movie Props, Set Pieces, & Costumes Circulating in the Marketplace

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For reasons unknown to me, I continue to receive communications from recent buyers of memorabilia attributed to film and television productions, who believe I have something to do with various eBay sellers and/or Ellis Props (see article from one month ago today, “NOTICE: Original Prop Blog Does Not/Will Not Supply Props to Dealers “jnsmcmahan”, “jsnent”, John Tarter, Billie Null, Mark Sullivan, L.A. Prop & Wardrobe, Hollywood Prop Supply, Studio West Prop, Ellis Props, et al“).  In any event, with one of these more recent contacts, I asked the buyer of one of these pieces to send me a photo of the Certificate of Authenticity (COA) supplied with the item purchased (in this case the COA provided was one that originally appears to be from Ellis Props).  A long time trusted collector in the field was kind enough to forward to me some images of confirmed legitimate examples of Ellis Props COAs obtained during the sales/liquidation circa ’99/’00, and that COA is very different from the one just obtained by a buyer from a piece purchased on eBay.  [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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Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Auction Extravaganza IX’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event March 2-3

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About 350 lots of the promised “over 1,000 movie props and costumes” that will comprise the online catalog for the Premiere Props “Hollywood Auction Extravaganza IX” is now listed with online bidding partners iCollector and LiveAuctioneers. The two-day auction is scheduled for March 2nd and 3rd.  As with past auctions, the sale includes general memorabilia, though there is more interesting material with this event than they’ve had in some time, although much of it does not include any substantive information about history and provenance in the lot descriptions (though to their credit, some do). [Read more…]

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Premiere Props ‘Hollywood VIP Auction III’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event January 26

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A portion of the online catalog for the Premiere Props “Hollywood VIP Auction III”, scheduled for January, is now listed via online bidding partners iCollector and LiveAuctioneers. The auction boasts “over 500 famous movie costumes and props from your favorite films”, though as of this writing, 333 items are listed.  As with past auctions, the sale includea a substantial number of replica props, and general memorabilia, as well as used toys that are more garage sale fare, which is puzzling, since it is a “Hollywood VIP Auction”. [Read more…]

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Opinion/Editorial: Free Advice for Premiere Props – Seven Tips To Improve Live Auction Business

Premiere Props has been around since 2001…  about a year longer than I have been collecting.  So they’ve been a fixture in the hobby for my collecting “lifetime”.  In fact, one of the first original props I ever purchased I bought from Premiere Props on eBay (one of The Shoveler’s shovels from Mystery Men).  While they have demonstrated longevity, I’m actually kind of surprised at how little they have evolved over the years.  Today I find myself inspired to offer some third party tips, in the form of free advice, that would make a positive impact on their business and standing in this art market.  My intention is not to be snarky, but underline some issues that have been painfully obvious over the years (to me anyway).  Seven simple changes could vastly improve the company (it was originally going to be three, but as I started writing this, it grew; still, it is not intended to be comprehensive).  The following is my list, based on my personal observations and opinions. [Read more…]