This is a preview of my extensive interview with Joe Maddalena, owner of Profiles in History.
The full interview will be posted some time in the next week or so, as well as a complimentary article featuring a pictorial preview of items upcoming in their next event, Hollywood Memorabilia Auction 28, in August.
Given the timeliness of the Stembridge auction event this past Tuesday, I thought I would share the portion of our discussion showcasing Mr. Maddalena’s views of the event and collecting real firearms.
Joe Maddalena, Profiles in History – Interview Preview – A Discussion of Original Props and Firearms
I had never before had an opportunity to meet Mr. Maddalena, owner of Profiles in History, prior to the event. Appropriately enough, my first impressions of him are now borne of the excitement and drama surrounding the historic auction of Han Solo’s blaster, recounted in the article, Stembridge Auction Report, Part 2: Star Wars Han Solo Blaster Excitement & Drama.
Mr. Maddalena’s participation in the auction truly made an impact on the sale and the event overall. He knows the auction business.
I was kindly invited to visit the new Profiles in History offices some weeks ago to perform an extensive interview with Mr. Maddalena as well as learn of the upcoming auction in August.
Because I couldn’t help but to immediately discuss with him the amazing Stembridge auction the preceding day, I thought it might be interesting to the readers to have a preview of that full length interview by sharing that discussion…
The Stembridge Auction
Q. So I saw you took a run at the Han Solo blaster…
I figured at $150,000 I’d buy it and just put it in my auction. That prop guy wanted it more, but I don’t know what he’s going to do with it.
Q. It’s a cool piece though…
Yeah, but you know, that’s kind of like the upper stratosphere of what it’s worth, I think.
Q. Definitely, definitely… I agree with that. I thought it would definitely break $100,000, but then it just comes down to a matter of who’s there at the auction.
I think it’s like a Luke lightsaber. It’s one of those things where if you want a definitive piece from one of those films… I can’t imagine a more famous gun – a science fiction gun – where you instantly know what it is, like a Buck Rogers ray gun.
Q. Was there any other piece there that you thought was particularly interesting?
The Raiders gun was great, because it was screen-matched. You could actually see-
Q. Yeah, that mark on the grip…
Yeah, yeah, so think when you get a piece like that that you can absolutely match.
I won the Schultz rifle [Lot 7, Model 1898 Krag bolt action rifle,Carried by John Banner as “Sgt. Schultz” from the Classic TV series “Hogan’s Heroes”] which was a steal for four grand, you can absolutely identify it – all the marking, and cracks, it’s for sure his gun. Cool stuff.
Q. I noticed a lot of the prices at that auction, the really good prices that were realized, were the vintage pieces. Do you think that’s consistent with other original props – highest values on the classics?
The gun market is different, because I don’t think you had many prop collectors buying there are all. There were three dealers there [Prop Store of London, ScreenUsed, Back Lot Props] that were buying, and I think [the rest] are all gun collectors. See, I don’t think it had anything to do with the prop hobby.
To the prop world, a John Wayne Stagecoach rifle, I think, is worth $100,000, and I bid $80,000. I don’t think, to the prop collecting universe, $115,000, plus the bidder’s premium, that’s $130,000, I don’t think that’s the buyer. I don’t think it’s “our crowd”. I think it’s the gun guys.
Q. I noticed walking around – I got there pretty early – just overhearing conversations, it sounded like gun collectors that go to gun shows. I didn’t encounter any other collectors, outside of the dealers.
So it’s almost impossible to even compare. Because you have Bonanza – I bid on all the guns – but, you know $50,000 a whack, you know, that’s not prop collectors, that’s gun collectors, who want a piece of history.
Those are huge, huge, huge iconic television shows.
Stagecoach… you’re talking about Bonanza… Outlaw Josie Wales… You’re appealing to a whole different person. They’re real guns. They’re part of Americana. So I don’t think it had anything to do with the prop hobby.
Q. Do you think, in the future, there’ll be more crossover, with collectors, that collect original props, becoming interested in real firearms used in film and television?
I don’t think they can afford it. I don’t think our crowd… that’s stuff is expensive. Guns are very expensive – guns sell for millions of dollars; gun collecting is a very expensive hobby. They do 20, 30, 40 million dollar gun auctions. It’s a big, big field. I think it’s a much more well-heeled group of people. You can still get a lot more for your money in our hobby than in that hobby.
You have a T2 Arnold shotgun. You have the reservoir scene, the twirling around one. That went for what, $20,000? I think I bid $18,000? $20,000, plus the premium, you’re at $23,000. What’s it worth? $5,000 more? Maybe you’ll find someone willing to pay $30,000? At the absolute most. But, again, more to gun collectors. I don’t see that being a $50,000 gun in our hobby. I don’t see it happening, at least any time soon. Maybe in decades, but not right now.
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As noted, more of this interview, and the preview of Auction 28 in August, coming soon…
Jason De Bord