Mainstream Media: Television

April 30, 2020 By Jason DeBord

Dan Lanigan’s “Prop Culture” by ABC Studios & Cinema Relics Productions – Season One Streaming on Disney+ Starting May 1st

The entire first season of Prop Culture is dropping on the Disney+ streaming service starting May 1, 2020, featuring all eight episodes. The series by ABC Studios and Cinema Relics Productions and distributed by Disney+ is a documentary/docuseries featuring host and Executive Producer Dan Lanigan as he revisits popular Disney films from the perspective of learning more about the people who brought the movies to life as well as taking a closer look at the props, costumes, and other production assets, techniques and effects employed in each. [Read more…]

December 31, 2017 By Jason DeBord

KTNV13 Call For Action “Digging Into The Murky World of Memorabilia” Video Report

KTNV13 Call For Action broadcast this report on autographed and collectible memorabilia on their local ABC affiliate station in Las Vegas, and has also made the video available on their official website. The story discusses autographs and collector Steve Comolli’s purchases of memorabilia from Antiquities International in the Forum Shops at Caesars Palace. The report claims he purchased $20,000 worth of autographed memorabilia – “most” of it from Antiquities – and then tried to sell through Julien’s Auctions and Heritage Auction Galleries and that they “could not authenticate” what he wanted to sell through them. [Read more…]

June 25, 2016 By Jason DeBord

Temporary Restraining Order Stops Heritage Auctions’ Sale of Whitney Houston’s Emmy Award

U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson issued a temporary restraining ordering blocking Heritage Auctions from selling Whitney Houston’s 1986 Emmy Award for “Saving All My Love for You” at auction. Their “Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction – Beverly Hills” took place on June 24th and 25th. In spite of the piece being pulled from auction and returned to the Houston family, the remaining lots of her personal property and memorabilia brought in approximately half a million dollars. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences had filed a lawsuit against Heritage Auctions to stop the sale of the Statue, which they contend is a loan to recipients and their families, not a gift that can be offered for sale to the highest bidder. [Read more…]

June 23, 2016 By Jason DeBord

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Attempts To Stop Sale of Whitney Houston’s Emmy Award by Heritage Auctions

The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has filed a lawsuit against Heritage Auctions as well as a consignor in their current auction, Whitney Houston’s estate, in an effort to block the sale of her 1986 Emmy Award for “Saving All My Love for You”, which she performed at the Grammy’s. Heritage is fighting the efforts to pull the award from their auction. [Read more…]

August 30, 2015 By Jason DeBord

Multi-Million Dollar eBay Sports Fraud Scheme with Thousands of Victims Uncovered; Four Plead Guilty

Local mainstream media outlets in Youngstown, Ohio are reporting on “what investigators say is the biggest case of domestic fraud in the history of the online auction site eBay“. Of course, sports memorabilia is the fraud that was targeted, not entertainment memorabilia… the story by WFMJ states that the “alleged enterprise involving phony autographs on sports memorabilia… cheated 25,000 people out of more than $2-million dollars”. Hopefully, someday, law enforcement will investigate the long term eBay dealers that have been selling common antiques like plates and telephones and ashtrays attributed to classic television shows and movies (which, like the fake sports memorabilia with forged autographs, include worthless COAs from companies with the worst reputations in this art market). [Read more…]

May 15, 2015 By Jason DeBord

Jason DeBord of Original Prop Blog Featured as Memorabilia Expert Authenticator on Latest “Pawn Stars” Episode (“Rick’s Roulette”) for Flash Gordon Prop Rocketship

I am featured in the History Channel’s popular cable reality series, Pawn Stars, in the latest episode debuting this week, “Rick’s Roulette” (Season 2015, Episode 27). I served as the Hollywood memorabilia expert and authenticator for one of the segments of this episode, taking a look at a prop model attributed to the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s. This was filmed in December 2014 at Julien’s Auctions, when I was in town helping Colin Cantwell bring his Star Wars original artwork from 1974/1975 and other movie and television memorabilia to auction. I wanted to share some thoughts about the Flash Gordon prop rocketship model and appearing on the show in general. [Read more…]

April 14, 2015 By Jason DeBord

WPIX-TV (PIX11) News Feature: “NJ’s Attorney General Closes Case of Fraudulent Memorabilia”

Tribune Broadcasting’s New York flagship station, WPIX-TV (PIX11) in New Jersey, recently published a news report about the Bergen County Prosecutor’s office auctioning off memorabilia seized in 2007 – memorabilia that Prosecutor John Molinelli was warned included fake autographs. The report claims that a prior report revealed that the prosecutor’s office made false statements in an official document in order to get a no bid contract for their “handpicked” memorabilia authenticator. Purportedly, these news stories lead to refunds being offered to the buyers. One of the buyers subsequently filed a criminal complaint against the prosecutor which went to the Bergen County Policeand then to the New Jersey Attorney General’s Division of Criminal Justice; the AG’s office then sent a letter to people who’d complained and it said that their information “was received and reviewed…The matter is now closed.” [Read more…]

February 17, 2015 By Jason DeBord

CNN Visits Warner Bros’ “Secret Movie Prop Archives” [Video]

CNN recently paid a visit to their “corporate cousin” and the Warner Bros. Archives in the UK – reported as the first such visit by mainstream media that has featured authorized video of the facility within it’s “secret London location”. While this resulted in just 23 still photos and a short 3-minute video barely touches on the 10,000 props and 3,000 costumes within the “vault”, it is worth a look for sure. [Read more…]