The massive Profiles in History “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” four day auction concluded on Friday, and it certainly illustrates some different results when compared to past sales held by the entertainment memorabilia auction house. With over 2,000 lots, it was a tremendous amount of material for the market to absorb all at once, and I suspect that this was reflected in the results. Though the official results have not yet been published on the official Profiles website as of the time of this writing, in going through the results published by internet bidding partner iCollector (and under the assumption that these results also reflect floor and phone bids), it would appear that approximately 45% of the lots were passed over with no bids. I counted approximately 922 unsold lots, and adding up the total it appears that in the final sale that there were 2,050 lots (with 39 lots pulled prior to auction?)… But the other compounding factor is how many lots were sold for far less than one might expect based on past sales. Items that would ordinarily pull in $5,000+ were going for under $2,000 and sometimes even under $1,000. With so much to choose from, it may have become a buyer’s market and it seemed as though some collectors were looking for deals – and finding them. [Read more…]
Hollywood Reporter Feature: “A Marvel Heist and the Booming Business (and Seedy Underworld) of Movie Collectibles”
Writer Gary Baum has written an interesting primer on the art market for original production material from film and television for Hollywood Reporter, which was published today. It takes a look at the market from several viewpoints – the increasing market and values, theft and fraud, some of the motivations behind collecting – and he interviewed principals in the industry such as Max Anderson of the Stan Lee Museum, Steve Sansweet of Rancho Obi-Wan, Darren Julien of Julien’s Auctions, James Comisar of the Comisar Collection, Joe Maddalena of Profiles in History, collector David Mandel, Jeff Pirtle of NBCUniversal, Brandon Alinger of Prop Store, Catherin Williamson of Bonhams, Laura Woolley of The Collector’s Lab, Jacob McMurray of Seattle’s Museum of Pop Culture, Margaret Barrett of Heritage Auctions as well as law enforcement, and it also gives some history of the hobby (and business) of buying and selling high end memorabilia. [Read more…]
Prop Store in June: “Cinema Poster Live”, “Hellraiser Judgment” & “Now You See Me 2” Auctions
Prop Store is holding three auction events in June: Hellraiser Judgment Online Auction from June 4th-15th, Now You See Me 2 Online Auction from June 8th-20th, and Cinema Poster Live Auction in London on June 28th. [Read more…]
Julien’s Auctions’ Jerry Lewis and “Hollywood Legends” Auctions June 22nd & June 23rd
Julien’s Auctions is holding a two-day auction at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino next month, following an exhibition of the same. Their “Property from the Estate of Jerry Lewis” will be held on June 22nd and their “Hollywood Legends” auction will be held on June 23rd. Highlights include the James Shoppe collection, which features props and production material from the Art Director on Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi. [Read more…]
Profiles in History “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” Auction Featuring Planet Hollywood Being Held June 5th – June 8th
Profiles in History have announced their latest “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” auction” event, with a 500 page auction catalog featuring 2,089 lots. Participants can bid online at iCollector. The massive five-day auction will be held June 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th. Though the words “Planet Hollywood” do not appear in the catalog, many of the pieces included in the sale have been identified as from Planet Hollywood. [Read more…]
“Robert Kurtzman Movie Prop and Art Auction” by Hanlin Auction Service on June 2nd
Hanlin Auction Service is holding their “Robert Kurtzman Movie Prop and Art Auction” online via iCollector on June 2nd. Robert Kurtzman is a film director, producer, screenwriter, and special make-up effects creator. Highlights include props, costumes, artwork and other production material from horror and science fiction films. [Read more…]
Pulled From Auction? Profiles in History Removes “Screen Used” Obi-Wan Kenobi Lightsaber from “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” Online Auction Catalog
As reported earlier today (LINK), Profiles in History was all over the news in the mainstream media (Associated Press, Page Six, Syfy Wire, etc.) with outlets writing about one of the highlights of their massive four day “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” auction in June – a “screen used” prop lightsaber attributed to use by Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Profiles in History claimed that the “hero” lightsaber had provenance leading back to the late John Mollo, the costume designer on the film who passed away late last year. I pointed to an active discussion on the Replica Prop Forum, with some members openly questioning the authenticity of the piece. It appears that the piece – Lot 775 – has been pulled from the auction, as a fresh download of the online PDF version of the catalog for the sale is two pages lighter. Scanning the now 499 pages, it skips the previous two page spread of Lot 775 entirely. [Read more…]
Profiles in History’s “Screen Used” Obi-Wan Kenobi Lightsaber from “Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope” Raises Questions
Today, Profiles in History is making news with Associated Press announcing one of the highlights of their next Hollywood auction, a “screen used” prop lightsaber attributed to use by Sir Alec Guinness as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope. Profiles in History claims that the “hero” lightsaber has provenance going back directly to the late John Mollo, the costume designer on the film who passed away about six months ago. Head over to the Replica Prop Forum, and there is already a discussion underway, with some members raising questions. [Read more…]