Lots for Premiere Props’ July auction have been listed online with online bidding partner iCollector, as part of their “Hollywood VIP Auction IV”. The one-day auction is scheduled for July 27th, currently featuring over 300 lots. As with past auctions, the sale includes general memorabilia, along with some out of left lots like used Wizard magazines, Alf comic books, Star Trek talking lunchboxes, and other strangeness, that in my opinion undercuts their reputation as a dealer in this art market. Thankfully, it appears that a bulk of the material in the first few hundred lots are lots obtained from direct sources. [Read more…]
Premiere Props Offers Authenticated Fake Prop for Public Auction and the Hobby Says…
As reported a few weeks ago (see “Premiere Props Now In Business Of Selling “Authenticated” Forgery, Along With Premiere Props COA? (Star Trek Mark English Communicator)“), the entertainment memorabilia dealer tried to make lemons out of lemonade after being informed by third party observers that one of the pieces listed for public auction in their latest sale was a forgery. They changed the title and description for the lot in question, recasting the offering as an authenticated fake prop. I have just gotten around to looking up the results of the June 15th sale, and found that the item is marked “WAS NOT SOLD” (though there was a bid of $200 – the start price). I had characterized the sale as “a first in this art market – the open and notorious public sale offering of “authenticated” fake props, along with a COA certifying it… fake?” Well, the hobby has apparently spoken… I guess? [Read more…]
Premiere Props Now In Business Of Selling “Authenticated” Forgery, Along With Premiere Props COA? (Star Trek Mark English Communicator)
“Crew members and independent collectors have verified the authenticity of this item as a Mark English Forgery. Comes with a COA from Premiere Props”. Wow. I guess this is a new direction of this art market, filed under Sell At Any Cost: The Authenticated Fake Prop? As noted in my wordy titled preview of Premiere Props upcoming regularly scheduled auction (see “Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Auction Extravaganza X’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event June 15 (Plus An OPB Editorial Plea For Authentication)“, their authentication and lot descriptions, in my personal opinion, left a lot to be desired. I have no idea if anyone at Premiere Props reads the Original Prop Blog, but if “authenticating” a fake prop as fake and still offering it for sale is what they thought I had in mind with my public “plea for authentication”, they could not have been more wrong. There is zero benefit to selling forgeries back into the marketplace, in my opinion, and the idea of including a COA “authenticating” a fake as a fake makes my head spin. If the fake fooled Premiere Props, is it responsible for them to continue to facilitate the sale of a piece that is widely regarded as problematic for those of us who make efforts to keep such pieces out of the marketplace? How about someone takes a hammer to it instead? [Read more…]
Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Auction Extravaganza X’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event June 15 (Plus An OPB Editorial Plea For Authentication)
Lots for Premiere Props’ sale in mid-June have been listed online with online bidding partner iCollector, as part of their “Hollywood Extravaganza X”. The one-day auction is scheduled for June 15th. As with past auctions, the sale includes general memorabilia, though, as with their last sale, there is more interesting material with this event than they’ve had in some time, although much of it does not include any substantive information (or even vague information) about history and provenance in the lot descriptions (though to their credit, some do). Premiere Props is such a frustrating company, on so many levels, but some of their auction descriptions (if you can even call them that) are beyond unacceptable. I can’t imagine someone wanting a piece so badly as to take such a massive leap of faith in bidding on something in which no information whatsoever is provided about *why* it is authentic. [Read more…]
Amazon.com Launches “Entertainment Collectibles Store”, Puts Hollywood and Pop Culture Third Party Memorabilia Offerings Under New Marketplace Brand/Umbrella
Today many of the financial-types of news sites are reporting on a “Entertainment Collectibles Store” on the popular online retailer website Amazon.com, purported to offer “more than 350,000 unique and rare collectibles”. Much of this material has been listed for sale in Amazon’s Marketplace for some time, so it seems more like an effort to brand and better coordinate these third party memorabilia offerings. [Read more…]
Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Auction Extravaganza IX’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event March 2-3
About 350 lots of the promised “over 1,000 movie props and costumes” that will comprise the online catalog for the Premiere Props “Hollywood Auction Extravaganza IX” is now listed with online bidding partners iCollector and LiveAuctioneers. The two-day auction is scheduled for March 2nd and 3rd. As with past auctions, the sale includes general memorabilia, though there is more interesting material with this event than they’ve had in some time, although much of it does not include any substantive information about history and provenance in the lot descriptions (though to their credit, some do). [Read more…]
Premiere Props ‘Hollywood VIP Auction III’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event January 26
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…]
Opinion/Editorial: Free Advice for Premiere Props – Seven Tips To Improve Live Auction Business
Premiere Props has been around since 2001… about a year longer than I have been collecting. So they’ve been a fixture in the hobby for my collecting “lifetime”. In fact, one of the first original props I ever purchased I bought from Premiere Props on eBay (one of The Shoveler’s shovels from Mystery Men). While they have demonstrated longevity, I’m actually kind of surprised at how little they have evolved over the years. Today I find myself inspired to offer some third party tips, in the form of free advice, that would make a positive impact on their business and standing in this art market. My intention is not to be snarky, but underline some issues that have been painfully obvious over the years (to me anyway). Seven simple changes could vastly improve the company (it was originally going to be three, but as I started writing this, it grew; still, it is not intended to be comprehensive). The following is my list, based on my personal observations and opinions. [Read more…]