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

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‘Comic Book Men’ AMC TV Series Features Laughable Star Wars Luke Skywalker Lightsaber Movie Prop Authentication & Valuation

Filmmaker Kevin Smith’s new television series on AMC, Comic Book Men, recently featured in its second episode (“Life After Clerks”) an individual bringing a prop into the comic book store, claiming it was an original lightsaber used in Star Wars: A New Hope.  The shop brought in a third party “expert” to authenticate and value the piece, though no information was provided as to who the authenticator was, or what his qualifications were in being cited as an expert.  Having reviewed the segment, in my personal opinion and subjective reaction, the entire affair was quite laughable, from the positive authentication to the assessed value of $7,000 for an original Luke Skywalker lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back. [Read more…]

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Congratulations to Tom Spina Designs on ‘The Dog Strikes Back’ 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial (Star Wars Mos Eisley Cantina Creatures)

I just wanted to give a public congratulations to my friend Tom Spina and all his cohorts over at Tom Spina Designs for their outstanding work on the new Star Wars themed commercial produced for the Superbowl this month.  The ad, “The Dog Strikes Back: 2012 Volkswagen Game Day Commercial” features a cut to a stunning recreation of the A New Hope Mos Eisley Cantina, with creature masks, prosthetics, and some costumes made by the Tom Spina Designs team (10 aliens in total).  Incredible. [Read more…]

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Tour of ‘Rancho Obi-Wan’, Steve Sansweet’s Star Wars Memorabilia Collection and Museum, Part 2 of 2

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…]

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Tour of ‘Rancho Obi-Wan’, Steve Sansweet’s Star Wars Memorabilia Collection and Museum, Part 1 of 2

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…]

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Christie’s Entertainment Memorabilia Auction November 23rd In London, Catalog Available Online

Christie’s next “Pop Culture: Film and Entertainment” auction (Sale 6214) will be held November 23rd at South Kensington, London. The catalog for this event can now be viewed online. One of this year’s most talked about lots will likely be the Stormtrooper costume (sans helmet), described as “a collection of Stormtrooper costume components, with elements made for both of the first two films of the original [Star Wars] trilogy.”  [Read more…]

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“Auction Hunters” Stars To Go “Deep Inside the Lucasfilm Archives” as Part of Spike TV’s Labor Day Star Wars Marathon

According to a press release published today, Spike TV will be broadcasting a Labor Day Marathon special that will include a tour of the Lucasfilm Archives, with a look at many of the original props and costumes from Star Wars on display at Skywalker Ranch.  The Marathon will be hosted by Allen Haff and Ton Jones of “Auction Hunters” and will be part of their programming that will feature all six Star Wars films and a special preview of the upcoming “Complete Saga” on Blu-Ray.  The release promises a “hands on” look at an original R2-D2, Leia’s slave costume from Return of the Jedi, a Darth Maul costume, and AT-AT model, and more. [Read more…]

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Prop Talk Podcast #011 – Brian Muir, Film Industry Sculptor (“Darth Vader Sculptor”) | Interview by The Original Prop Blog with Jason DeBord

Brian Muir, special guest. This is the eleventh ‘Prop Talk’ podcast by the Original Prop Blog.  Mr. Brian Muir is a veteran in the film industry, working as a sculptor on an incredible number of movies, including Star Wars: A New Hope, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Alien, numerous James Bond films, Harry Potter films, and more.  Notably, Mr. Muir is credited as the sculptor of the iconic helmet for Darth Vader early in his career.

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Prop Talk Podcast #010 – Ed Zine, Darth Vader Costume Collector | Interview by The Original Prop Blog with Jason DeBord

Ed Zine, special guest. This is the tenth ‘Prop Talk’ podcast by the Original Prop Blog. Ed Zine is a Darth Vader collector and enthusiast as well as an author.  Ed has done significant research into the original Darth Vader costumes made for the Star Wars films, most specifically those made for The Empire Strikes Back.

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