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

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‘Comic Book Men’ AMC TV Series Features Laughable Star Wars Luke Skywalker Lightsaber Movie Prop Authentication & Valuation

Filmmaker Kevin Smith’s new television series on AMC, Comic Book Men, recently featured in its second episode (“Life After Clerks”) an individual bringing a prop into the comic book store, claiming it was an original lightsaber used in Star Wars: A New Hope.  The shop brought in a third party “expert” to authenticate and value the piece, though no information was provided as to who the authenticator was, or what his qualifications were in being cited as an expert.  Having reviewed the segment, in my personal opinion and subjective reaction, the entire affair was quite laughable, from the positive authentication to the assessed value of $7,000 for an original Luke Skywalker lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back. [Read more…]

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Congratulations to Tom Spina Designs on ‘The Dog Strikes Back’ 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial (Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina Creatures)

I just wanted to give a public congratulations to my friend Tom Spina and all his cohorts over at Tom Spina Designs for their outstanding work on the new Star Wars themed commercial produced for the Superbowl this month.  The ad, “The Dog Strikes Back: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial” features a cut to a stunning recreation of the A New Hope Mos Eisley Cantina, with creature masks, prosthetics, and some costumes made by the Tom Spina Designs team (10 aliens in total).  Incredible. [Read more…]

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Tour of ‘Rancho Obi-Wan’, Steve Sansweet’s Star Wars Memorabilia Collection and Museum, Part 2 of 2

This is a continuation of my article about a visit to Mr. Steve Sansweet’s ‘Rancho Obi-Wan’ museum in Sonoma County.  This second part includes additional photos from my visit yesterday – click here for Part 1. [Read more…]

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Tour of ‘Rancho Obi-Wan’, Steve Sansweet’s Star Wars Memorabilia Collection and Museum, Part 1 of 2

This past weekend, I had an opportunity to spend some times with friends and Mr. Steve Sansweet at his ‘Rancho Obi-Wan’ museum in Sonoma County. Mr. Sansweet is famous worldwide for his incredible collection of Star Wars artifacts and memorabilia, having written and published many books, as well as having worked for Lucasfilm for over 15 years as Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations.  His museum holds over 200,000 Star Wars items and spans over 9,000 square feet, and being able to view his diverse and comprehensive collection is truly amazing.  Please note this is being broken into two parts due to the large number of photos – click here for Part 2. [Read more…]

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The Original Prop Blog 2011 Year in Review: News, Developments, and Trends in Collecting Original TV & Movie Props, Costumes and Pop Culture Memorabilia

As was the case in previous years (see 2007 Year in Review, 2008 Year in Review, 2009 Year in Review, 2010 Year in Review), what follows is an editorial featuring my personal observations and opinions with regards to the business of buying, collecting, selling, preserving original pop culture artifacts – looking back at the top trends, developments, and news stories of 2011. As is always the case, this is a completely subjective exercise, and merely touches on the developments and events that relate to the hobby. [Read more…]

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Bonhams Entertainment Memorabilia Auction to be Held in Knightsbridge, England on December 15th, Catalog Available Online

The second of two Entertainment Memorabilia auctions to be held by Bonhams in the month of December has published its catalog online. This event will be held at their Knightsbridge location in England on December 15th for their “Entertainment Memorabilia” auction (Sale 19037). The first auction will be held in Los Angeles on December 14th. [Read more…]

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Profiles in History ‘Icons of Hollywood Auction′ TV & Movie Prop Catalog Available Online for Sale Event December 15th and 16th

The Profiles in History ‘Icons of Hollywood Auction’ catalog does away with the traditional “Hollywood Auction” numbering format (which ended with 44?), and is now available as a free PDF download on their official site, with hardcopies available for purchase as well. Their next auction will be held December 15-16 at The Paley Center in Beverly Hills. [Read more…]

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Christie’s Entertainment Memorabilia Auction November 23rd In London, Catalog Available Online

Christie’s next “Pop Culture: Film and Entertainment” auction (Sale 6214) will be held November 23rd at South Kensington, London. The catalog for this event can now be viewed online. One of this year’s most talked about lots will likely be the Stormtrooper costume (sans helmet), described as “a collection of Stormtrooper costume components, with elements made for both of the first two films of the original [Star Wars] trilogy.”  [Read more…]