The online catalog for the Premiere Props “Hollywood Movie Costume Live Auction”, scheduled for March 10th and 11th, is now listed online via bidding partners iCollector and LiveAuctioneers. The two-day auction includes “85,000 rental costumes”. Perusing the catalog, the bulk of the material has no attribution to any film or television productions within the lot descriptions; the only specific attributions are a relative handful described as from a variety of stage productions and musicals. I would not ordinarily publish an article alerting readers to an auction which appears to contain no material actually used in a film or television productions, but given that Premiere Props has historically offered such material – and since the very title of this auction would lead one to expect “Hollywood movie costumes” and it is unclear as to whether this sale actually offers any – I thought it was important to try to identify exactly what is being offered, or at the very least raise the question so as to solicit additional information from the auction house.
Looking at the sale more closely, taking the first lot (Lot 101) simply titled “Lot of Mardi Gras Costumes”, there are no claims that any of these were used in film and/or television production, and no attributions to any particular movie or television program. More, no information is provided as to the original source of the costumes, apart from the overall marketing reference for the sale at large, which makes vague reference to “two of the biggest costume rental and theater shops on the east coast”.
As another example, there is lot (Lot 1406) which is titled “Lot of ‘Star Trek’ Shirts”, and the full description is “Lot of 7 “Star Trek” shirts, one with Enterprise Logo on front”. Similar (obviously not Paramount production) Star Trek costumes can be found at the Costume Bazaar website, the company that serves as the venue for the auction event. Given that Premiere Props has a reputation as an original prop and costume dealer, and the minimalist descriptions and lack of information for this auction, it is easy to see how potential buyers may be confused by this sale.
As such, the very title of the auction is a bit of a misnomer; with no further information, it is unknown whether any of the material was used in Hollywood productions, and may have little to nothing to do with either “Hollywood” or “Movies”, except for the few lots that are identified as from musicals or stage shows based upon movies. Though perhaps some of the costumes were rented to film and television productions? It is entirely unclear in viewing the marketing material and auctions themselves what precisely is being offered for sale.
I did attempt to reach someone at Premiere Props via telephone today, but there was no one available at customer service, and I could not leave Dan Levin a voicemail, as his voicemail box was full.
In any event, the catalog can be found online at iCollector.com:
Below are marketing remarks about the sale from the official Premiere Props website (see also www.HollywoodLiveAuctions.com):
REGISTER NOW:
Premiere Props, The World’s Largest Entertainment Memorabilia Store and auction house, has combined forces with two of the biggest costume rental and theater shops on the east coast and will auction over 85,000 rental costumes. Thousands of handmade costumes up for auction that were used for such classic shows as “Gone With The Wind”, “My Fair Lady”, “The Wizard of Oz, “Into the Woods”, “The Music Man” and many more. This will be the biggest costume auction in decades and will take place live in Connecticut over 2 days! Saturday and Sunday, March 10-11th at 10am EST.
The Biggest Costume Auction in Decades!
Star studded memorabilia directly from Hollywood – including “Mirror Mirror” costumes and props, starring Julia Roberts, Screenworn Armor from “Immortals”, Michael Jackson’s HIStory Tour era White Fedora, Michael Jackson’s Worn & Signed Custom Military Jacket, and original, hand painted Michael Jackson Costume Sketch, Jack Nicholson’s Screenworn Jacket and Vest from “Ironweed” and much more!
Absolute Auction!
Period costumes, Mardi Gras costumes, Mascots, Weapons, Props, Hats and Thousands of Accessories.
We invite you to be part of our exciting HollywoodMovie Costume Live Auction event and registering online is simple. Premiere Props offers in-person bidding, phone bidding and online bidding from anywhere in the world. You must register in order to place bids on all available items. There are three ways to place bids.
To add to the confusion, the marketing remarks on the Premiere Props website and the iCollector online catalog advertise specific material as “[s]tar studded memorabilia directly from Hollywood…” that does not currently appear in the catalog, less than a week before the auction is scheduled to take place.
The two-day auction event is scheduled to take place at the Costume Bazaar, 1565 Boston Post Road, Milford, CT 06460 – go to www.CostumeBazaar.com for their official website.
Jason DeBord