When Elstree Props listed their business for sale on eBay in November 2007 (see Elstree Props Retiring, Offering Business For Sale), I posed the following question with regard to the “100% unconditional guarantee”:
I am curious to know, once the business is sold, what will happen to the “100% unconditional guarantee” policy for original props, as stated on the elstreeprops.com website:
1. How do we know if props are original and genuine?
Easy, buy them directly from us at the film studios! We offer a 100% unconditional guarantee on all our pieces. We work with productions at Pinewood and Leavesden too.
I raised this question again, upon confirming the sale of the business (see Elstree Props, New Ownership, Announcement On Redesigned Website) a few weeks ago:
I will note that I do have some outstanding questions about a variety of topics, including the change of ownership (i.e. what is the status of authenticity guarantees made on props sold by the prior owners operating the same company?)…
While I have never received an answer directly, a collector posted such a querry on the newly updated and launched ElstreeProps.com website, on the “News and Events” page:
red5
10/19/2008 3:34:18 PMDanziger COA’s
Hello,
As someone who owns items with COA’s from the Danziger collection, I am concerned about whether or not you will be honoring the unconditional guarantee on those COA’s. I am always researching my props and, sometimes, new info turns up. Given that you bought the name and the collection, I’m assuming you will be honoring them, but I want to be certain. I’m sure I’m not the only one interested in the answer to this. Thanks very much and the best of luck to you all.
The Elstree Props response:
Elstreeprops
10/25/2008 9:42:43 PM
Danziger COA’sHi
Thanks for your question. With the sale of the business was also the condition that anything sold before I took over the company was still the responsibility of the previous owners. Having not known what items were sold before I took over the company, it would make sense to have this condition put into the contracts. So in summary, the Danziger collection certifcates that were issued from Feb 2008 to present will be valid by us and will hold the guarantee. The Certificates before this date are the responsibility of the previous owners.
If you have any queries, then you can contact us at [email protected] .
Many thanks
Steve
Elstreeprops.com
As there is no public statement from “the previous owners”, it remains unclear if those items sold by the company Elstree Props prior to February 2008 are still protected by the pledged “100% unconditional guarantee”, only that they are no longer guaranteed by the company, Elstree Props.
Jason De Bord