Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource

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Christie’s Withdraws “Prototype” Star Wars Stormtrooper Prop Helmet with Andrew Ainsworth Provenance from Upcoming Auction

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Today Christie’s has withdrawn Lot 136 from their upcoming Sale #5446, a prop attributed to Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and described as a “prototype Imperial Stormtrooper’s helmet“.   There has been ongoing public debate and controversy over movie prop Stormtrooper helmets trading for sale in the marketplace for years, and some of this debate and discussion intersected the legal battles between Lucasfilm and Andrew Ainsworth.  In the auction description, Andrew Ainsworth was named as the source of provenance for the prop withdrawn from the current Christie’s sale. [Read more…]

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Roger J. Christian Offers Some Insights Into Original Prop Lightsabers from “Star Wars: A New Hope” (Update To NRA Museum / Graflex Flash / Ellis Props Articles)

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This week Roger J. Christian, who won an Academy Award for his work as Set Decorator on Star Wars: A New Hope (1977), published a reader comment to one of my older articles concerning the prop lightsabers used in that first Original Trilogy film, and two featured at the NRA Museum acquired from Ellis Props.  I feel Mr. Christian’s information as principal production member directly involved in the props was definitely important to highlight here and memorialize as part of the ongoing dialogue concerning memorabilia in the marketplace that is characterized by some as “authentic” and “original” to the production, when that might not be the case. [Read more…]

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Yet Another Luke Skywalker “Screen Used” Return of the Jedi Lightsaber Movie Prop with Elstree Studios/Elstree Props/Danziger Collection Connections Surfaces on eBay

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Continuing a long line of “screen used” Luke Skywalker prop lightsabers attributed to Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi with connections to Elstree Studios/Elstree Props/The Danziger Collection, yet another one has surfaced for sale on eBay.  Although there are photos of the prop and related documents and certificates of authenticity (COAs) from “Piece of the Stars Memorabilia” (a company I have never heard of before), of course the resolution of these images are limited to 500px × 375px (do cameras still exist today that shoot at such a low resolution?), rendering examination challenging, to say the least.  In the interests of public debate and discussion, Original Prop Blog has long documented the public sale offerings of other prop lightsabers attributed to Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Return of the Jedi that have similar origins and associations, which can be found HERE. [Read more…]

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Revisting the Elstree Props “Return of the Jedi” Star Wars Lightsabers: The $50,000 Question (Original or Replica?)

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This is an update to a series of articles about two prop lightsabers marketed by Paul Harrison, at the time owner of Elstree Props, which were described as original pieces made for the film, Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  No such lightsabers appear in the finished film.  Though it has been some time since the last update, published in late 2007, I have obtained new information.  Included in this feature are photos of one of the props that I’ve been told were taken in late 2005, of a newly made custom replica lightsaber, prior to delivery to Paul Harrison.  The prop in these photos clearly matches one of the two Elstree Props lightsabers.  Was a newly made replica prop listed for sale to the public for $50,000.00? [Read more…]

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Shepperton Design Studios Expands Line of “Post Lawsuit” Unlicensed Replica Star Wars Props

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Following legal battles in both the United States and the United Kingdom over the sale unlicensed Stormtrooper helmets – which resulted in both Andrew Ainsworth’s Shepperton Design Studios and George Lucas’ Lucasfilm Ltd. claiming victory – Ainsworth’s SDS today announced the sale of “E11 Blasters”, that boast “all the features of the most complicated blaster used in ANH“. [Read more…]

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Another “Original” Luke Skywalker Lightsaber Offered For Sale

eBay seller biscolors has today listed for sale a prop “Luke Skywalker” lightsaber marketed as an “original prop” from Return of the Jedi and “one that was made for Mark Hamill as backup”, referencing Norman Harrison and Norank Engineering at Elstree Studios as the source. [Read more…]

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Cross-Hobby Buzz & Questions About Unfinished/Incomplete Stormtrooper Helmet

In October, there was a significant amount of buzz, discussion, and questions about a Stormtrooper helmet presented to hobbyists publicly and described as original and attributed to Star Wars: Return of the Jedi.  These debates resulted from the owner of the helmet, “JoeR”, initiating discussions about the newly acquired piece on several original and replica prop hobby discussion forums.  [Read more…]

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Ellis Props “Star Wars Luke Lightsaber” Update – Additional Photos

A short update regarding the lightsaber on display at the National Firearms Museum, originally sold by Ellis Props in their liquidation sale, characterized as an original prop from the Star Wars trilogy. [Read more…]