In April, the “Planet of the Apes” Statue of Liberty prop that has long been the focus of an ongoing investigation by the Original Prop Blog was determined to have in fact been made for and used in the 2004 Steven Spielberg film The Terminal starring Tom Hanks – not the 1968 science fiction classic Planet of the Apes. [Read more…]
“Planet of the Apes” Statue of Liberty Prop: A “Terminal” Error in Authentication
An industry professional who personally inspected the “Planet of the Apes” Statue of Liberty prop at the “The Hollywood Collectors & Celebrities Show” convention has come forward with information and evidence that it was actually custom designed and sculpted for the film, The Terminal (2004), which would confirm that it has absolutely no connection whatsoever with Planet of the Apes.
Anatomy of an “Original” Movie Prop Certificate of Authenticity (kellysheroesmilitaria Update 7)
This is a follow-up to previous articles (see kellysheroesmilitaria Original Props…, Update 1, Update 2, Update 3, Update 4, Update 5, Update 6) in which “original prop” auctions by “kellysheroesmilitaria” on eBay were compared with non-movie prop matching items available for sale from online retailers, as well as non-movie prop purchases made on eBay by “kellysheroesmilitaria” and items that appear to match being offered for sale as “original props” from the same eBay account. [Read more…]
kellysheroesmilitaria Update 6: eBay Third Party Reporting Case Study Conclusion
As noted previously (see kellysheroesmilitaria Original Props: Update 4, eBay Third Party Reporting Case Study), I had used the eBay third party reporting systems (see eBay & Third Party Reporting (Fraud, Violations of Policy) to alert eBay to problematic listings while testing the effectiveness of sharing material information directly with eBay through their public systems in an effort to help them to enforce their own policies. This article serves as an update and conclusion, marked by the occasion of kellysheroesmilitaria relisting one of the primary auctions reported to eBay. [Read more…]
kellysheroesmilitaria Original Props: Update 5 – “item no longer available for sale”
This is a follow-up to previous articles (see kellysheroesmilitaria Original Props…, Update 1, Update 2, Update 3) in which original prop auctions by “kellysheroesmilitaria” on eBay were compared with matching items available for sale from online retailers, as well as non-movie prop purchases made on eBay by “kellysheroesmilitaria” and items that appear to match being offered for sale as original props under the same eBay account. The subject eBay listing of the Update 4 article has been canceled by the seller for the following stated reason:
kellysheroesmilitaria Original Props: Update 4, eBay Third Party Reporting Case Study
This is a follow-up to previous articles (see kellysheroesmilitaria Original Props…, Update 1, Update 2, Update 3) in which original prop auctions by “kellysheroesmilitaria” on eBay were compared with matching items available for sale from online retailers, as well as non-movie prop purchases made on eBay by “kellysheroesmilitaria” and items that appear to match being offered for sale as original props under the same eBay account. A reader drew my attention to a new set of auctions, which is followed by a note about eBay third party reporting in practice. [Read more…]
FTC Consumer Alert: How To Shop Wisely
Rick Spector of Stairway To The Stars sent me a link to an interesting article about an FTC Consumer Alert published on the Federal Trade Commission website this past April, which is worth reading and consideration. Though this is related to collectible antiques, it touches on many of the same issues we face as collectors of original props and wardrobe. [Read more…]
kellysheroesmilitaria Original Props: Update 3
This is a follow-up to previous articles (see kellysheroesmilitaria Original Props… and Update 1) in which original prop auctions by “kellysheroesmilitaria” on eBay were compared with matching items available for sale from online retailers, as well as another article (Update 2) looking at medals attributed to Band of Brothers that were not created until late 1945 and 1981, following the end of World War II. This update now compares non-movie prop purchases made on eBay by “kellysheroesmilitaria” and items that appear to match being resold as original props. [Read more…]