Owners Holly Haber and Lennard Billin and their business, Reel Clothes & Props, are featured in an extensive article published in print and online in today’s Daily Mail out of the UK. The publication, which has a fondness for celebrities, focuses on what kind of wardrobe material the retail outlet offers and goes into specifics of how it relates to various Hollywood actors and actresses, as well as providing a primer on the notion of values and investment. [Read more…]
Banned From The “Star Trek Props, Costumes, and Auctions” Forum
Yesterday Alec Peters, CEO of PropWorx, banned me as a member of his “Star Trek Props, Costumes, and Auctions” discussion forum. Since bans from discussion forums are public acts – presumably as a consequence of bad behavior – I thought it would be appropriate to make a note of this here, to memorialize my perspective. [Read more…]
Studio Reseller Hollywood Vault (“Rainmakers”): Current & Future Status?
One of the two studio resellers of original movie and television props and wardrobe that have historically sold very high quantities of product appears to have had very limited sales in recent months and one of its two websites (rain-makers.net) is returning a “404” error status while the other (hollywoodvault.net) is stripped down to “coming soon” presentation. [Read more…]
Tools of Authentication: Categorizing & Classifying COAs
This is the first in a series of articles intended to discuss and build upon the tools of authentication: concepts, terminology, definitions, analysis, and more. While Certificates of Authenticity, or “COAs”, have been the topic of a number of previous articles, the scope of this feature is to define and categorize COAs by 1) their source and 2) their function. [Read more…]
The Original Prop Purchase Checklist & Questionnaire
Article Summary: The rationale for and development of an “Original Prop Purchase Checklist & Questionnaire” for discerning prop collectors to use in contemplating the purchase of a prop or costume. [Read more…]
Challenging The Hobby: The COA & The Guarantee
Article Summary: An opinion piece about original prop Certificates of Authenticity and dealer/retailer “guarantees”, including the Origins of the COA, The “Guarantee” (Money Back, Lifetime), The Studio Reseller COA & Guarantee, The Professional Dealer COA – Issues of Lost Provenance, Professional Dealer COA Questions, Individual & Private Seller COAs & LOAs, and the Auction House COA & Guarantee. [Read more…]
Trend: The “Widgetization” of the Hobby
Article Summary: An analysis and discussion about trends and business approaches from Studio Resellers in selling props, wardrobe, and other film and television assets without consideration for the specialization demanded by the hobby and expectations of collectors. [Read more…]