As a follow-up to the joint interview with Darren Julien and Martin Nolan of Julien’s Auctions, Martin also extended a tour of their Beverly Hills gallery and special preview of their upcoming sale of material from the Tony Curtis estate on September 17, 2011. [Read more…]
Last week I had an opportunity to spend some time with Darren Julien and Martin Nolan of Julien’s Auctions at their Beverly Hills gallery. In addition to a special preview of property from the estate of Tony Curtis from their upcoming auction event, both gentlemen took the time to sit down with me to provide some history on the company and endeavors, and a look to the future. [Read more…]
Memorabilia dealer Hake’s Americana & Collectibles is holding their 200th auction, with lots ending in late May. While the selection of original prop-related material is quite small compared with the general popular culture memorabilia comprising the auction, I thought it would be prudent to make note of an old article published by the Los Angeles Times that may prompt interested bidders to do proper due diligence on the provenance of a handful of lots. [Read more…]
David Carradine was found dead in a Bangkok hotel room today. Carridine comes from a family of actors (including father John, half brothers Keith and Robert). Carradine appeared in over 100 feature films and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award four times. [Read more…]
Picking up from the report published in January (see Oscar Statuette Legal Dispute Between Heirs & The Academy), the L.A. Times today reports that a jury has decided in favor of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), prohibiting the sale of a 1930 Oscar (Academy Award) which heirs of Mary Pickford had planned to auction, with proceeds to benefit a charity, the Buddy Rogers Youth Symphony. The Academy has the first right of refusal to buy the award – valued at hundreds of thousands – for $10. [Read more…]
There is a nice feature today by Martin A. Grove interviewing the founder of The Hollywood Museum, Donelle Dadigan. The non-profit museum, featuring over 10,000 pieces, includes “vintage photographs… collections of sets, props, costumes and the personal effects of hundreds of past and present movie stars”. [Read more…]
The Save The Earth Foundation is holding a charity auction online, including music and movie memorabilia. More details can be found at the SaveTheEarth.net website: [Read more…]
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…]