The past week has been a significant one for the original television and movie prop, wardrobe, and asset art market, with two of the biggest dealers in the business having their own live auction events. This marked the first big live auction for Prop Store, which held it’s “Auction of Film & Television Artefacts” on the 16th, and Profiles in History had a multi-day event for their “Hollywood Auction 65” and their Expendables Auction (“Hollywood Auction 67 & 68” – yes, the naming/numbering is confusing… see prior article). With over 2,600 lots offered for sale collectively, it provides an opportunity for some analysis of each sale on its own merits as well as comparing and contrasting the different companies and their approach with the marketplace. [Read more…]
Trying to Make Sense of Profiles in History’s “Hollywood Auction” Event Naming/Numbering Conventions
Maybe most don’t pay enough attention to notice or care, but I’ve had an increasingly challenging time trying to make sense of the numbering convention employed by Profiles in History in naming their auction events. It reminds me a little bit of Microsoft and how they name their gaming consoles (Xbox to Xbox 360 to Xbox One) or even their PC operating systems (Windows 95 to 98 to ME to 2000 to XP to Vista to 7 to 8 to 10)…. In the early days, it was pretty straight forward with Profiles, with their “Collector’s Ransom” (and later, “Hollywood Auction”) events going from 1 to 2 to 3, etc. At some point, they started folding in non-Hollywood auctions (Animation, Historical Documents, Rare Books and Manuscripts) and special one off events into the same numbering sequence… In any event, I’ve taken the time to try to make sense of it for my own records, and I thought I would share the results below in the event it would be helpful to others, or for others to suggest corrections… [Read more…]
Premiere Props ‘Fangoria Horror Movie Prop Live Auction’ Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event October 25th
The catalog is now online for the Premiere Props “Fangoria Annual Horror Movie Prop Live Auction”, scheduled for October 25th. The sale promises “over 500 lots” are now listed with online bidding partners iCollector, LiveAuctioneers, and Invaluable.
ScreenUsed’s Movie Prop, Costume, and Memorabilia Online Auction to be Held on November 8th, Catalog Available Online
ScreenUsed will be concluding their next live online auction on November 8th. The auction catalog is now available online via a PDF download via their official website and collectors can bid on iCollector. Featuring an assortment of original props, costumes, and other production material and memorabilia from film and television, this auction includes 475 lots. Highlights include an Imperial Stormtrooper blaster from Star Wars: A New Hope, and a variety of costumes from Breaking Bad, Hunger Games, and the Star Trek franchise. Per their tradition and unique to their events, ScreenUsed have lower starting prices than many competing auctions and no reserves. [Read more…]
Prop Store Produces Quality Videos Showcasing Material from Their Upcoming “Live Auction of Film & Television Artefacts” on October 16th
In support of their upcoming live auction event, Prop Store has produced a number of high quality videos showcasing some of the props, costumes, vehicles, and other production items that comprise their “Live Auction of Film & Television Artefacts” sale, which will conclude on October 16th. I’ve often lamented the poor quality photos used by some of the auction houses in their respective auctions for television and movie memorabilia, so I thought the fact that Prop Store has gone to the other extreme – with extensive high definition videos – that it warranted a mention herein, as it is a positive step forward for this particular art market. [Read more…]
Profiles in History ‘The Expendables Auction” (+ More “Hollywood Auction 65”) Movie Prop Catalog Available Online for Sale Event October 20
Profiles in History’s catalog for “The Expendables Auction”, which follows their “Hollywood Auction 65”, is now available in print as well as online, via their official site. This sale is scheduled for 20th at their Calabasas Hills facility. Interestingly, though it is “The Expendables Auction”, lots 1 – 165 are from Expendables 3, and 166 -252 are from other films. The Catalog then transitions back into “Hollywood Auction 68”, with lots 253 – 440 from the Narnia franchise… so 37% of “The Expendables Auction” is material related to The Expendables, though the name of the auction and cover of the catalog would lead one to believe it is entirely dedicated to The Expendables. [Read more…]
“How I Met Your Mother” The Prop-erty Vault Sweepstakes & “Flash Sweeps” Every Monday 8PM–11PM EST
Twentieth Century Fox is doing something novel, and giving away key props and costumes from a popular television series, rather than auctioning them off. How I Met Your Mother , the popular CBS sitcom, ended it’s nine season run earlier this year, and now fans have a chance to win free props from the show for free via a special Tumblr page called the “Prop-erty Vault”. All of these efforts go toward promoting The Whole Story on DVD, which goes on sale next Tuesday. [Read more…]
Profiles in History ‘Hollywood Auction 65′ TV & Movie Prop Catalog Available Online for Sale Event October 17-20
Profiles in History’s latest auction catalog, “Hollywood Auction 65”, is now available in print as well as online, via their official site. This sale is scheduled for October 17th-20th at their Calabasas Hills facility. While with their last big Hollywood Auction sale they seemed to change course on their reserves/estimates strategy on much of the catalog, and steered away from the hopeful jackpot estimates that have plagued their sales more and more in the past few years, that old philosophy is still somewhat present with this sale (see Gilligan’s Island costume with a $30,000-$50,000 estimate), though on balance, things seem to be more reasonable than not, relatively speaking. But they continue to lead the industry with phonebook-sized catalogs, this one weighing in at 630 pages, with a mix of new material and material that has been up for auction in past sales (some many times). [Read more…]