As mentioned back in April, I had assisted Julien’s Auctions in cataloging “The James L. Schoppe Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Production Archive” that was featured in their “Hollywood Legends” auction this past weekend at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. The highlight of the collection was an original Han Solo blaster movie prop from Return of the Jedi; James Schoppe served as the Art Director on the film, and was gifted several original props at the conclusion of the film production. The collection was sold in live auction on Saturday, June 23rd, and the Han Solo blaster sold for $550,000 including Buyer’s Premium, and the winning bidder was Ripley’s Believe it or Not. I was actually present for the auction, as well as shot video of some of the lots, so I thought I would share a few thoughts as well as the video of the Han Solo blaster selling [Read more…]
Editorial: Profiles in History’s Four Day “Icons & Legends of Hollywood” (Planet Hollywood) Auction Review
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…]
Calendar of Live Auction Events: TV and Movie Props & Costumes, Hollywood Entertainment, Music, & Pop Culture Memorabilia
Below is the latest updated calendar for upcoming original movie and television prop, wardrobe, and memorabilia auction events. Please contact me if you are aware of any coming events of interest to collectors. Please also note that I update changes/additions to the calendar until the next update, in order to maintain as up to date as possible. [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…]
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…]
Exclusive Details & Photos: Original Han Solo Blaster Movie Prop from Return of the Jedi to be Sold by Julien’s Auctions in June
Today, Julien’s Auctions has announced that an original Han Solo blaster movie prop used in Return of the Jedi will be in their upcoming Hollywood Legends auction at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas on June 23rd. The prop is one of the most exciting pieces to come to market from the original Star Wars trilogy in years, and it is a highlight of “The James L. Schoppe Star Wars: Return of the Jedi Production Archive”, with the entire collection coming directly from the Academy Award nominated Art Director who worked on the film. The Original Prop Blog is pleased to present exclusive photos of the prop as well as some additional background about the collection from my having worked with Julien’s Auctions and Mr. Schoppe in preparing the collection for public exhibition and auction. [Read more…]
Heritage Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction in Dallas on April 15th
Heritage Auction Galleries’ latest online catalog and listings for their upcoming event, “Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction” will be held in Dallas on April 15th. The sale features 806 lots of music and rock and roll items and vintage/classic Hollywood stars and personally owned items/estate items. [Read more…]