The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) issued their Annual Report a few months ago. Among the highlights is that auction fraud – a frequent topic in the hobby of collecting original television and movie props and wardrobe – was reported to make up one of four complaints made to the organization. [Read more…]
Digital Screen Capture Software: “Aviary Screen Capture”
As a follow-up to an article published a year ago (see Digital Screen Capture Software: “SnagIt”, “ScreenHunter”), software company Aviary has released their own screencapture software which is very competitive with SnagIt and ScreenHunter, only it is either web-based or built-into the browser and is also free to use, which is in contrast to the previously reviewed alternatives which must be installed and stand alone at a cost. [Read more…]
Vintage Expert Raises Questions About “John Wayne” Western Costume Company Wardrobe At Auction
Vintage and Classic Hollywood original prop and wardrobe expert Rick Spector of Stairway to the Stars has contacted me this week with concerns about the authenticity of a wardrobe piece attributed to John Wayne listed in the “Cody Old West Show and Auction” scheduled for this weekend. [Read more…]
Star Wares eBay Auction: Spider-Man 70’s TV Costume “Worn On Screen” or “Made For Publicity Purposes”?
Questions have recently been raised among collectors about attributions made on a Spider-Man costume described as “worn on screen in the 70’s TV Series SPIDER MAN“, which is slated to end at auction on eBay tomorrow morning. Prop dealer Star Wares today added information to the marketing description which, following research, would seem to indicate that the suit was not made for and used in the series, but a promotional suit used for publicity and advertising. [Read more…]
Authentic Superman Costume Fabric “DNA”: Extreme High Resolution Photography
With my recent trip to Burbank, to compare “Super Hollywood” Superman costumes with confirmed authentic examples from the Warner Bros. archives, I had a very limited window of time with which to take photographs of the costumes and produce comparisons. While I did take over 700 digital photos, I did not get every shot I would have liked to have obtained. [Read more…]
Bonhams & Goodman in Australia Sell Incomplete Superman Costume for $21,000 at Auction
Bonhams & Goodman of Australia held a toy and memorabilia auction on Sunday which included a partial Superman costume attributed to the films of the 70s and 80s starring Christopher Reeve. This set realized a hammer price of $22,500 Australia Dollars, or about $27,000 including Buyer’s Premium (or about $17,500/$21,000 USD). [Read more…]
Superman Costume Comparative Analysis: Warner Bros. Archive, Authenticated vs. “Super Hollywood”
I started asking questions about Superman costumes in the marketplace, attributed to the Christopher Reeve films of the 70s and 80s, over two years ago. Since, I have published over 100 related articles, asking questions and sharing information and insights – all in an attempt to bring clarity to the marketplace and empower collectors and other interested parties with more information with which to make their own assessments and conclusions. [Read more…]
“Hands On” Superman Costume Comparative Analysis In Development: Warner Bros. Archive, Authenticated vs. “Super Hollywood”
I spent the day in Burbank yesterday, performing a “hands on” analysis and comparison of confirmed authentic costumes (two recently released from the Warner Bros. Archives) from multiple Superman films starring Christopher Reeve (Superman II, III, and IV) with the three “Super Hollywood” costumes examined in a recent article (see “Super Hollywood” Superman III Costume Case Study: High Resolution Photo Archive & Analysis). A substantive article is under development that will include the results of this analysis and high resolution comparison photos. [Read more…]