“Cocksucker”… “Motherfucker”… “Asshole”… Just a few of the expletives shouted at me by Joe Maddalena, President of Profiles in History, on the floor of the main exhibit hall at Comic Con yesterday. I was in the midst of a friendly conversation with Brian Chanes and his 9 year old son, with my own 14 year old nephew standing behind me when Mr. Maddalena approached me and interrupted us, attacking me with “R-Rated” language in front of a crowd of onlookers. As registered press with Comic Con International, I had additionally been personally invited via e-mail by Profiles in History’s own public relations agent to do my annual report on their exhibit this year – “[w]e would appreciate your coverage” – so I have no idea what prompted the very public barrage of insults and being told “get out!” and “leave!”. He even shouted “you can quote me on that!” following some of the expletives. Regardless, their overall exhibit is probably the best it has ever looked, with fewer items, some nicely showcased in well-lit closed displays and larger ones in open air, with room to walk about and explore the collection of material associated with McCune Masterworks, who are co-branded with this year’s exhibition. The key piece on display was the fantastic screen-used Blockade Runner from the original Star Wars film, Episode IV: A New Hope. [Read more…]
Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Extravaganza XVIII’ Auction Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event June 27th
Premiere Props have listed their next auction as part of their “Hollywood Extravaganza XVIII”. The one-day auction is scheduled for June 27th, marketing 600 lots (though with two weeks to go, only 68 appear on the iCollector listing). As with past auctions, the sale includes a mix of original props, costumes, and other film and television artifacts, as well as general Hollywood Memorabilia and a lot of replicas/reproductions/toys. [Read more…]
Flash Gordon Rocketship Featured on “Pawn Stars” Listed on eBay for $100,000
As mentioned a few days ago, the latest episode of Pawn Stars features a rocketship model claimed to have been used in the Flash Gordon serials from the 1930s. What appears to be the same model is now listed for public sale on eBay for a $100,000 “Buy It Now” price, stating that it is “an original movie studio prop – NOT a copy or reproduction” and that “[t]he model for sale here is an 18” prototype model — possibly the only one remaining — and may have been used for still shots on the ground and used with charges“. [Read more…]
Jason DeBord of Original Prop Blog Featured as Memorabilia Expert Authenticator on Latest “Pawn Stars” Episode (“Rick’s Roulette”) for Flash Gordon Prop Rocketship
I am featured in the History Channel’s popular cable reality series, Pawn Stars, in the latest episode debuting this week, “Rick’s Roulette” (Season 2015, Episode 27). I served as the Hollywood memorabilia expert and authenticator for one of the segments of this episode, taking a look at a prop model attributed to the Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s. This was filmed in December 2014 at Julien’s Auctions, when I was in town helping Colin Cantwell bring his Star Wars original artwork from 1974/1975 and other movie and television memorabilia to auction. I wanted to share some thoughts about the Flash Gordon prop rocketship model and appearing on the show in general. [Read more…]
Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Extravaganza XVII’ Auction Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event March 28th
Premiere Props have listed their next auction with online bidding partners iCollector, LiveAuctioneers, and Invaluable as part of their “Hollywood Extravaganza XVII”. The one-day auction is scheduled for March 28th with nearly 1,000 lots. As with past auctions, the sale includes a mix of original props, costumes, and other film and television artifacts, as well as general Hollywood Memorabilia and a lot of replicas/reproductions/toys. [Read more…]
Premiere Props “Hollywood VIP Auction IV” to be Held February 7th
Premiere Props have listed their next auction with online bidding partners iCollector, LiveAuctioneers, and Invaluable as part of their “Hollywood VIP Auction IV”. The one-day auction is scheduled for February 7th with over 700 lots. As with past auctions, the sale includes a mix of original props, costumes, and other film and television artifacts, as well as general Hollywood Memorabilia and a lot of replicas/reproductions/toys. [Read more…]
Premiere Props ‘Hollywood Extravaganza XVI’ Auction Catalog Online, Television & Movie Prop and Costume Sale Event December 6th
Premiere Props have listed their next auction with online bidding partners iCollector, LiveAuctioneers, and Invaluable as part of their “Hollywood Extravaganza XVI”. The one-day auction is scheduled for December 6th with over 500 lots. As with past auctions, the sale includes a mix of original props, costumes, and other film and television artifacts, as well as general Hollywood Memorabilia and a lot of replicas/reproductions/toys. [Read more…]
‘Raiders of the Lost Ark’ Movie Prop Fertility Idols In The Marketplace Update 2014
This is an update to the 2013 version of this same article. As with that 2013 feature, this one is prompted by another Bonhams auction offering for a fertility idol attributed to use in Raiders of the Lost Ark , this one referencing back to one of their older auctions in 2005. Due to public interest in discussing iconic props from the Indiana Jones films, and confusion in the marketplace with regards to the provenance and authentication of such pieces, I thought it appropriate to update my ongoing series of articles on the topic with the new information and photos (see: Raiders of the Lost Ark Fertility Idols In The Marketplace). [Read more…]