I have many thoughts and reactions to the WFAA Television investigative report that aired last night, as covered in the article posted this morning, (see WFAA Television News Report on Heritage Auction Galleries, L.A. Prop and Wardrobe: “Systematic Misrepresentation of Provenance”).
WFAA’s Report, “Dallas auction house sold questionable Hollywood items”
First, I thought that the WFAA reporter, David Schechter, produced a world-class investigative product. This is the finest reporting I’ve seen in the mainstream media on a complicated original prop hobby issue. Not only did Mr. Schechter fully comprehend the issue, he had his own findings, he presented the information in a manner in which non-hobbyists could understand, and his work led to public revelations and reactions/consequences.
The Heritage Auction Galleries Reaction
Second, I found the official response from Mr. Steve Ivy, CEO and Co-Chairman of Heritage (as posted in the above referenced article) to be of interest, as well as the reaction in the context of the broadcast.
As noted in the WFAA report, Charles Heard, in expressing concerns about his auction win with Heritage directly, prior to the investigation by Mr. Schechter, was “getting the run around from this firm”, with the official response from Heritage being, “we cannot see any issue or area of concern”.
Once confronted with the compelling evidence, by WFAA-TV’s Mr. Schechter, Heritage’s President Greg Rohan stated, “[w]e are mortified and embarrassed about this”.
Interestingly, in their official written statement, Heritage makes a pledge to offer refunds only to those buyers of items from the Ann Southern lots, with stated intentions to “carefully review all other questionable items consigned by [L.A. Prop & Wardrobe Co.]”. I would have hoped the issues clearly identified in the WFAA broadcast, which exceeds the scope of the Ann Southern lots, would have prompted Heritage to make a much stronger commitment to it’s customers, given that they characterize their own role in this as having “suffered what [they] believe to be a systematic misrepresentation of provenance by a consignor”. If accurate, that would make any and all items from consignor L.A. Prop & Wardrobe not only suspect, but of little to no value, in terms of provenance, in the hobby.
Also, while Heritage claims to have been a victim of “systematic misrepresentation of provenance”, collectors are relying on the auction house to perform due diligence on both sources/consignors as well as specific pieces.
Who Is L.A. Prop & Wardrobe?
There is still a lack of clarity as to who L.A. Prop & Wardrobe Company actually are, and who is involved in this firm.
The WFAA report characterizes Billie Null, who was interviewed for the report, as “co-owner of LA Prop”.
Back when I published my article on these issues in April of last year, there was a “Reader Comment” on my blog from someone under the username “sonyman”. This comment can be found HERE.
The anonymous comment was posted as follows (reposted here for analysis, not as facts):
sonyman Says:
April 25th, 2007 at 1:04 pm eI have been associated with the Motion Picture Industry for more then 35 years directly and indirectly. After reading Rick Spector’s accusations about L. A. Prop, there are a number of misinforming facts that should be corrected. This by no means is an attack on anyone’s character only a clarification of facts and hopefully an insight to some of the Industries inner workings. Before addressing the L. A. Prop issue there are a few issue’s I would like to address.
After following various Movie Prop Forum’s over the years. I have learned one thing most of the information posted by so called experts is not only misleading and wrong, it is also libelous. Many postings are made by the same posters who discredit good honest people while praising others whose credibility can easily be considered suspect. This hobby as most is very cliquish and well as incestuous as a reader with average intelligence could conclude.
Case in point a well respected dealer and member of many Forum’s sold (2) swords from “Braveheart” used by Mel Gibson and (2) Holy Grail Cups from “The Last Crusade.” The problem here is that Mel Gibson auctioned off the Sword he used in “Braveheart” a few years back accompanied by a letter from him stating that this was the only sword he carried in the production. The proceeds of the auction were donated to “Unicef.” This doesn’t mean that there weren’t (2) other swords and possibly more made for the production, but they were not screen used by Gibson as represented. In reference to the Grail Cup’s, you might remember that “Profiles In History,” sold one approximately 2 auctions ago. Provenance the prop maker who made it. Once again this doesn’t mean there was only one, but the one that was sold by Profiles was the one used on screen. Many times duplicate props are made it is only a rare occasion that there is only one of an item. With the costs of production it only makes sense to have back ups in the case that an item is misplaced, stolen, or damage. It also maintains continuity in the filming sequences. All of the backup props are authentic but ethically should be disclosed as a backup not as screen used. I know both parties involved, each are highly respected by all. No names need to be mentioned here they know who they are.
Now on to Rick Spector’s and Jason’s L. A. Prop issues. Let’s talk only facts.
Hollywood Prop Supply, L. A. Prop and Wardrobe, and The Costume Collection are (3) different companies.
Hollywood Prop Supply LLC was founded by Mark Sullivan and his wife along with John Tarter a number of years ago. This is a matter of Public record and can easily be verified.
After several years of doing business Mark and John split with John forming his own Company L. A. Prop and Wardrobe Co. Once again a matter of Public record and a simple investigation can easily prove this.
The Costume Collection was a supplier of wardrobe to the industry for years. It was owned and operated by Hollywood Costumers. I believe they were located on Cleon Avenue in North Hollywood California. In 2001 they were liquidated by “Remarketing Associates,” the very same company that liquidated the “Ellis Prop and Graphics” assets. 90 days Prior to Costume Collections liquidation they had a private sale to maximize the return on their investment. 30 days prior to their public auction (June 2001) their wardrobe facility was opened to the public. John Tarter and Mark Sullivan were never owners in any part of this company. They did however purchase large quantities of wardrobe items as well as props and accessories during the private sale days. The Costume Collection had items in their inventory from every major Studio as well as Industry Costumers dating back to the Golden Era and prior. There were a large number of Star worn and used pieces in their inventory which were purchased at substantial savings. Those of you who are familiar with Jim Live (Eastern Costume) or Eddie Marks (Western Costume) can verify this as well as a number of other Hollywood Costumers. Or simply check with the business license agency in Los Angeles and these records can be acquired.
I have personally met Mark Sullivan and his wife, John Tarter, and Billie Null.
Mark and his wife are retired and run Hollywood Prop Supply solely acquiring new inventory on trips to the west coast directly from Prop Company’s or the Studios. When Mark and John were partners they operated one of the only working Prop House’s in the South. Those of you in touch with the industry should be familiar with the “Debbie’s Book” one of the most highly used publications used in the motion picture industry. Mark and John ran their Ad for the Prop House in this publication to support Southern productions. Proof of this can be obtained through “Debbie’s” in Los Angeles.
John Tarter originally a Los Angeles native grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1960’s, and lived in the L A area until he moved to Mississippi in 2001 where it was easier for Mark and John to conduct business. Growing up John was very fortunate to live in an area filled with family friends that worked in the business. He started collecting at a very young age many of his items came directly from the stars, directors, producers, and other industry related friends. At the time John started collecting provenance was not an issue, these items were a gift. You simply didn’t ask someone you knew for a “Letter of Authenticity” or to have a photo of the person giving you the item. “Letter’s of Authenticity” are recent additions to the collecting marketplace. As little as 15 years ago props and wardrobe were considered virtually worthless by many Studios and were often thrown away or taken by the employees who worked on the production.
In recent years John, Mark, and more recently Billie have spent 100’s of thousands of dollars at the Studios, Wardrobe Companies, and other respected members of the community acquiring assets for their respective businesses. John’s reputation with the Studios is impeccable. Studio sources have told me he has liquidated 1,000,000’s of dollars of assets for them without signing his name to a single contract. The trust he has earned and his word has always been enough of a contract.
When a production is completed the assets are handled in different ways by various companies. Recently the Studios after following various auction houses and seeing the prices realized for items have began to look at these items more seriously. Depending on the company or Studio thee is an order to the way things are done. A number of “Hero” pieces go directly to “Archives”; other Hero items are given to in house or related auction companies. After this process is completed if the Studio has a prop department they go through the production items and replace items in their inventory which have become worn. Studios employees are also allowed to purchase items from the Studio at 75% of their original cost. Sometimes this is excessive others it is a real value. The remaining items are usually held in a holding area until some executive tells the prop or wardrobe department to liquidate or donate these items to charity. Space is a premium in Los Angeles and this happens on a regular basis. At times Archives are gone through and many vintage items used in Classic productions are liquidated in the same manner. One of the Studios as little as 5 years ago went through their archives and physically threw away unopened boxes of Movie Posters that went all of the way back to the 30’s at an executives request to clean up an area and make room.
Billie Null is a retired Sheriff Deputy with over 20 years in law enforcement. Growing up his grandfather Edward Null was a golf course designer and a close friend of Jackie Gleason. Billie spent a great deal of time with his grandfather on weekends and during the summer months and was very well acquainted with Jackie and his circle of friends. Billie’s personal collection of items is impressive and mostly acquired from the Star’s themselves. His integrity as an individual is true to his word and goes without question in my book. He is a hard working man who has served his country in the armed forces and community as a Law Enforcement Officer. The phone number which was wrongfully placed on the net is his home number. All one had to do is dial it and they would find that true. Since Billie moved from another state to Mississippi I am sure this number was used prior to Billie having acquired it, therefore a different name and address is indicated. It is common practice for members both retired and active in Law Enforcement to have unpublished numbers for their protection. Your posting of this number is completely irresponsible and could cause him personal harm by someone seeking retaliation from his past occupation. After speaking to Billie today he has yet to have any messages left by anyone involved in this blog on his phone. Shame on you for this!
Let’s address this Ebay purchase issue that is so alarming to you Rick. The following is not meant to anger you it is simply observation. I saw the photo comparison you have posted and it is not even close. How many of these hats were produced by the same company? Your excuse of differences due to lighting is that nothing more then an excuse. It is either exactly the same or not. Did we consider they were not the same or were we too involved in trying to expose something that we did not look at it constructively? As for any other similar items purchased that resembled pieces in the Heritage Auction could they have been acquired for repair purposes? Props are commonly restored, by the Studios, Collectors, and even Dealers. Or could any of these items been purchased for another purpose? I would think I would exhaust every avenue before I accused someone for if any reason I was wrong it would be an awful thing to have on my conscience.
On to the quantity of pieces that have been sold. How pieces do Reel Clothes, Movieprop King, Stairway to the Stairs, Starwares, etc. have in inventory? How many pieces are sold by various entities at each memorabilia auction throughout the year? How many pieces are there in existence? The Ellis Auction took 5 full days to liquidate. The MGM auction took as long or longer. So without question there are millions of props out there and new ones being added everyday. To my count L.A. Prop has auctioned about 180 pieces which is probably not a 1/10th of 1% of all of the props that have been used over the years.
The statement all roads lead to Meridian is also another that confuses me. Why can’t business associates and friends live in the same area? Housing and warehouse costs in the South are considerably less then Los Angeles. I know this for a fact. The L.A. Prop 20,000 sq ft warehouse in Mississippi cost pennies on the dollar compared to the facilities they have in the Los Angeles area. John provided me with these figures and it is amazing what a difference a location makes. Even with transportation involved the cost is significantly lower.
Another thing that I found odd was that reviewing various web pages including Rick Spector’s the only way to contact them was through email. No telephone numbers were provided on these pages. I can understand the lack of address for insurance purposes but every now and then it is nice to hear the tone of one’s voice. Hollywood Prop and L.A. Prop have always been reachable by phone.
In my industry there are a lot of people. As much as one would like to think they know everyone they don’t. Many people keep a low profile and do their job. It is like this in every business. I meet new people everyday, some I like others I don’t.
Finally having met all of these men I can tell you they are humble, have little to no ego, and are giving individuals. When charity opportunities present themselves they are the first to jump on the band wagon. Cost is not a consideration for a worthy cause!
The above narration is not meant to offend anyone as this is not my intent. It is a compilation of first hand facts on individuals I respect and have met. This is my first and last post as I will not enter into argumentative theory with those who consider someone guilty without completely researching all of the facts.
“sonyman” never identified himself by name, nor posted any response to any direct questions posed in response to his statement above.
Following these events, I did notice some items on eBay with letters and COAs from L.A. Prop, which I archived out of interest of understanding this company and it’s offerings. Below are a few samples:
Sample Letter #1: L.A. Prop & Wardrobe Co. – January 2006
Higher Resolution Archive: LINK
Sample Letter #2: L.A. Prop & Wardrobe Co. – January 2007
Higher Resolution Archive: LINK
Sample Letter #3: Hollywood Prop Supply – October 2004
Higher Resolution Archive: LINK
In comparing the John Tarter L.A. Prop & Wardrobe letter from 2006 with the “sonyman” Reader Comment posted on the Original Prop Blog from 2007, I noted many similarities:
“sonyman”: “When Mark and John were partners they operated one of the only working Prop House’s in the South.”
John Tarter: “L.A. Prop & Wardrobe continues to acquire pieces on a regular basis and is also one of the only working Prop House’s located in southern United States”
Observation: Not only is the content/references similar, but the unusual use of title case for “Prop House’s” as well as the grammatical error (should be the plural “houses” not the possessive “house’s”).
“sonyman” consistent employment of stylistic grammatical error (improper use of possessive):
“After following various Movie Prop Forum’s over the years.”
“Case in point a well respected dealer and member of many Forum’s sold (2)…”
“In reference to the Grail Cup’s, you might remember that…”
“…solely acquiring new inventory on trips to the west coast directly from Prop Company’s or the Studios.”
John Tarter consistent employment of stylistic grammatical error (improper use of possessive):
“…fellow prop handler’s and investor’s…”
“…and now with the above-mentioned partner’s are the owner’s…
“…Studios, Costumers, Studio Employee’s and Executives.”
“…to collector’s, dealers, and the most prestigious Auction House’s in the US.
There are other similarities as well, such as favored use of certain words (“acquire”, “assets”), as well as reference to “John Tarter” in the third person in both examples. Also of interest is the personal/biographical detail which the unidentified “sonyman” shares about Mr. Tarter, as illustrated in this excerpt from “sonyman’s” posted statements:
John Tarter originally a Los Angeles native grew up in the San Fernando Valley in the 1960’s, and lived in the L A area until he moved to Mississippi in 2001 where it was easier for Mark and John to conduct business. Growing up John was very fortunate to live in an area filled with family friends that worked in the business. He started collecting at a very young age many of his items came directly from the stars, directors, producers, and other industry related friends. At the time John started collecting provenance was not an issue, these items were a gift.
I do not understand the relationship between L.A. Prop and Wardrobe and Hollywood Prop Supply, though John Tarter serves as an “Issuing Authority” on the letterhead of both LOA examples above.
hollywoodpropsupply is currently an active eBay “Power Seller” based out of Mississippi. They have an eBay “ME” page describing their business:
My wife and I founded the company in the late 1990’s with a rental truck full of items from Ellis Props and Graphics. Ellis was the oldest and the largest Prop House in California until it’s liquidation. We expanded into wardrobe sales a short time later after purchasing a substantial amount of inventory from the Costume Collection. The Costume Collection was actually a group of wardrobe houses, designers and costumers that liquidated their inventory in 2000. We continue to purchase prop and wardrobe items directly from celebrity estates, auctions, the studios and trusted collectors.
Since our modest beginning, we have slowly expanded and have developed a working relationship with trusted industry leaders such as SONY, Hollywood CPR, Eastern Costume, Reel Clothes, Premiere Props, Rainmaker, Starwares, Hollywood Movie Costumes, etc. In addition to our EBay sales, our items have been sold through such auction houses as Profiles In History, Heritage Auction Gallery, Universal Rarities, Vintage Authentics, Sotheby’s of New York, etc. We are a state licensed LLC and we are listed in Hollywood film directories as a prop and wardrobe sales and rental company. Happy Collecting !
Heritage Auction Galleries Superman Costume Consigned By L.A. Prop & Wardrobe
Circa April 2007, in addition to Rick Spector’s research and findings in regards to vintage pieces offered by Heritage Auction Galleries, consigned by L.A. Prop & Wardrobe, I was also interested in learning more about the ‘Christopher Reeve Superman III Costume”. This also included an L.A. Prop & Wardrobe Company Letter of Authenticity, and as readers of the OPB will know, there are many questionable Superman III costumes that resemble this one in the marketplace (see “Questions About Superman Costumes in the Marketplace: Authenticity, Sources, Quantity“, “Update“, “Update 2“, “Update 3“). I made a direct reference to the Superman costume in my e-mail to Heritage, leading up to the auction (referenced in the WFAA broadcast).
The Superman costume (Lot 21073, Auction 647), per the Heritage auction archive, realized $14,340.00 including Buyer’s Premium:
Higher Resolution Archive: LINK
More Mainstream Media Coverage, Heritage Preparing to Sue L.A. Prop and Wardrobe Company
Tomorrow morning’s Dallas Morning News has a report, now available online at DallasNews.com, following up on the investigation broadcast by WFAA-TV Tuesday night: “Dallas’ Heritage Auction Galleries: Hollywood items were bogus”
The article, by Roy Appleton, reports “Billie Null and John Tarter, LA Prop’s owners, could not be reached for comment”.
Per the report, Greg Rohan, Heritage President, indicated that the auction house is preparing to sue L.A. Prop and Wardrobe “for defaming our good name” and that Heritage “will cooperate with authorities” investigating the sale.
It is stated in the article that Heritage sold more than 200 L.A. Prop pieces at auction in the past two years, for over $340,000.
More from Mr. Rohan, per the Morning News article:
“We stand behind everything we sell – always have,” he said, adding that the concerns are “being blown way out of proportion. “I’m shocked we got duped, but every auction house gets duped,” he said. “It makes you better, more careful.”
I will continue to follow-up on this story as it develops.
Jason De Bord
Additional Related Articles: Market Watch | Superman