Two big stories have been making news in the mainstream media in recent days, with regards to two different pairs of original ruby slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ – one purchased for the ‘in the works’ Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences “Academy Museum of Motion Pictures”; the other going off display at the Smithsonian for conservation and an eventual “American Stories” exhibit at their “National Museum of American History”.
Friend of the Original Prop Blog – David Oliver of Propmasters – has provided some photos to share with readers of his recent visit to The National Motor Museum in the United Kingdom. The museum is currently featuring a year long exhibition of the world’s largest collection of vehicles used in James Bond films, as reported last month.
This is a continuation of my article about a visit to Mr. Steve Sansweet’s ‘Rancho Obi-Wan’ museum in Sonoma County. This second part includes additional photos from my visit yesterday – click here for Part 1. [Read more…]
This past weekend, I had an opportunity to spend some times with friends and Mr. Steve Sansweet at his ‘Rancho Obi-Wan’ museum in Sonoma County. Mr. Sansweet is famous worldwide for his incredible collection of Star Wars artifacts and memorabilia, having written and published many books, as well as having worked for Lucasfilm for over 15 years as Director of Content Management and Head of Fan Relations. His museum holds over 200,000 Star Wars items and spans over 9,000 square feet, and being able to view his diverse and comprehensive collection is truly amazing. Please note this is being broken into two parts due to the large number of photos – click here for Part 2. [Read more…]
The National Motor Museum in the United Kingdom will be featuring a year long exhibition of the world’s largest collection of vehicles used in James Bond films, celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Bond franchise, 40th anniversary of the National Motor Museum, and 60th anniversary of Beaulieu. On display will be 50 vehicles used by Sean Connery, George Lazenby, Roger Moore, Timothy Dalton, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig in their respective James Bond films. [Read more…]
As was the case in previous years (see 2007 Year in Review, 2008 Year in Review, 2009 Year in Review, 2010 Year in Review), what follows is an editorial featuring my personal observations and opinions with regards to the business of buying, collecting, selling, preserving original pop culture artifacts – looking back at the top trends, developments, and news stories of 2011. As is always the case, this is a completely subjective exercise, and merely touches on the developments and events that relate to the hobby. [Read more…]
The ‘Lord of the Rings in Concert’ tour launched last night in Glendale, Arizona with eight more dates in other cities through the rest of October. Lord of the Rings movie prop and costume collector Troika will be traveling with the symphony and putting some of his remarkable collection on display for concert attendees. Troika will be on hand at each concert to meet with fans and other original prop collectors. [Read more…]
Last night the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced plans for a museum dedicated to the history of movies, tentatively called “The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures”, it is intended to take over the former May Company Department Store building near LACMA. [Read more…]