Two big stories have been making news in the mainstream media in recent days, with regards to two different pairs of original ruby slippers from ‘The Wizard of Oz’ – one purchased for the ‘in the works’ Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences “Academy Museum of Motion Pictures”; the other going off display at the Smithsonian for conservation and an eventual “American Stories” exhibit at their “National Museum of American History”.
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…]
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…]
Producers for National Geographic Channel’s new series, ‘America’s Lost Treasures’, will be visiting Los Angeles in a few weeks for an upcoming episode, and are looking for important artifacts to feature on the show. This will be held at The Autry Museum in mid-February. [Read more…]
As was the case in previous years (see 2007 Year in Review, 2008 Year in Review, 2009 Year in Review, 2010 Year in Review), what follows is an editorial featuring my personal observations and opinions with regards to the business of buying, collecting, selling, preserving original pop culture artifacts – looking back at the top trends, developments, and news stories of 2011. As is always the case, this is a completely subjective exercise, and merely touches on the developments and events that relate to the hobby. [Read more…]
Fellow hobbyist Alex Tutusaus has this week launched a new service for television and movie prop collectors called “PROPbay”. The online service and website was created to offer collectors an opportunity to share photos and information about pieces in their collection, as well as interact with one another to discuss trading, buying, and selling such material. The site is dedicated to original production material (not replicas). [Read more…]
Last night the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art announced plans for a museum dedicated to the history of movies, tentatively called “The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures”, it is intended to take over the former May Company Department Store building near LACMA. [Read more…]
The EMP Museum (Experience Music Project and Science Fiction Museum and Hall of Fame) in Seattle, Washington has a new exhibition starting today. The exhibit, “Can’t Look Away: The Lure of Horror Film”, features original movie props and interactive experiences for visitors of the museum. [Read more…]