Back in 2008, the Original Prop Blog published an article about “Buyer’s Premiums” assessed by the major auction houses in the marketplace (see Auction House Buyer’s Premiums: On The Rise). With their upcoming Debbie Reyonlds sale in June, Profiles in History raised their rates by 5%, so I thought it would be an appropriate time to revisit the topic, as well as compare and contrast with findings from the article published May 30, 2008, with updates as of today, May 31, 2011 – three years later. [Read more…]
Facebook Hosts Ongoing Public Debate Over Original Sculptor Credit for Star Wars Stormtrooper (Andrew Ainsworth or Liz Moore & Brian Muir)
Amid the topics of copyright ownership, enforcement of a U.S. judgment in the UK, determination of “works of art”, and other issues as featured in mainstream media reports about the ongoing legal battle between Lucasfilm LTD (LFL) and Andrew Ainsworth and his Shepperton Design Studios (SDS), what has not garnered as much focus is the debate over which artist originally sculpted the iconic stormtrooper helmet design that was adopted for use in Star Wars: A New Hope and the films that followed. [Read more…]