Below is the latest updated list of upcoming original movie and television prop, wardrobe, and memorabilia auction events. Please contact me if you are aware of any coming events of interest to collectors.
Please also note that I update changes/additions to the calendar until the next update, in order to maintain as up to date as possible. [Read more…]
Legendary make-up artist Stuart Freeborn, best known for his work bringing iconic Star Wars characters like Yoda and Chewbacca to life, has passed away at age 98. Having worked in feature films for over 60 years, he also worked with Stanley Kubrick on Dr. Strangelove, as the creator behind the many roles played on screen by Peter Sellers, as well as the ape-like humans in 2001: A Space Odyssey. [Read more…]
This week The New York Times published an interesting article (“As Art Values Rise, So Do Concerns About Market’s Oversight”) about customs in the high end art market auction world that are not favorable to consumers. Though the article is specific to the art market and New York (and their own laws, rules, and regulations), some of the issues are very much the same ones we face in the original film and television artifacts market, and is “must” reading for anyone involved in buying and selling original TV and movie props, costumes and other production material sold in the marketplace. [Read more…]
One of the most significant scandals to hit Hollywood memorabilia collecting in the past decade was a series of discoveries in the poster community relating to purported fraudulent movie posters and one sheets. A new update was published yesterday on the MoPo Mailing List at FilmFan.com by Dianne Jeffrey, President and CEO of Studio Conservation Inc. Ms. Jeffrey was the professional who did some of the restoration work (in good faith) on the Dracula poster consigned to a Profiles in History auction in which it was featured on the cover of their “Hollywood Auction 37” sale event in 2009. Ms. Jeffrey has stated on MoPo that she received notice of a default judgment against her from Thomas Rega “in the amount of $263,312.50, plus attorney fees of $18,134.80”; she is a resident of California and the lawsuit was filed against her in New Jersey and she did not represent herself and/or her business in court. Interestingly, Profiles in History was previously awarded a default judgment against Thomas Rega in their own lawsuit filed against him in California. [Read more…]
The George Barris-designed prop batmobile from the 1960s Batman television series starring Adam West sold for $4.2 million ($4.62M with fees) to collector Rick Champagne at yesterday’s Barrett-Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. The one sold yesterday was the first of six made for the classic TV series. [Read more…]
A portion of the online catalog for the Premiere Props “Hollywood VIP Auction III”, scheduled for January, is now listed via online bidding partners iCollector and LiveAuctioneers. The auction boasts “over 500 famous movie costumes and props from your favorite films”, though as of this writing, 333 items are listed. As with past auctions, the sale includea a substantial number of replica props, and general memorabilia, as well as used toys that are more garage sale fare, which is puzzling, since it is a “Hollywood VIP Auction”. [Read more…]
Auction house Profiles in History filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court last week against one of its customers, Albert Tapper, claiming that the buyer won two items in their “Hollywood Auction 53” sale event last month, but only agreed to pay for one (“Lot 197 | Clark Gable early signed, handwritten letter to his dad”) that sold for $8,000 plus buyer’s premium, and not the more expensive lot (“Lot 422 | Charlton Heston “Moses” prop Ten Commandments tablets from The Ten Commandments”) which realized $60,000 plus buyer’s premium. [Read more…]
Prop Store will be offering original movie props, costumes, and vehicles from DNA films from the 2012 film, Dredd. Included among the 200 items offered in the auction, which will be held on eBay starting January 28th, will be a complete Judge Dredd costume, 1:1 scale Lawmaster motorcycles and more. [Read more…]