Movie Prop Collecting with Jason DeBord's Original Prop Blog Film & TV Prop, Costume, Hollywood Memorablia Pop Culture Resource

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“A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi” in Current Bonhams Auction Raises Questions

Bonhams has put up a piece for public auction in their current “TCM Presents … Out of This World!” event scheduled to conclude on November 21st – a prop which they describe as “A Luke Skywalker Lightsaber used in Return of the Jedi”.  The description in the online catalog has been edited to remove the (vague) details about the provenance, and the piece in question seems to match a “Return of the Jedi” lightsaber prop that I wrote about in 2013 that was offered for sale on eBay and seemed to have a connection with Elstree Props (and went unsold with a high bid of $5,101 not reaching the reserve).  The 2013 article about that “Return of the Jedi” lightsaber was one of a series of features published on the Original Prop Blog specifically about Elstree Props and lightsaber props attributed to Return of the Jedi (I even had an opportunity to ask Mark Hamill himself about one of these props at San Diego Comic Con in 2009). [Read more…]

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Prop Store Catalog Now Available & Live Bidding Open for Their Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction on September 26th

This week I received the amazing print catalog for Prop Store’s fourth annual Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, and the catalog is also now available online as well. It will be held at the London ODEON BFI IMAX on September 26th. The live event features more than 600 lots of props, costumes and other film and television memorabilia. There will be a free three week public exhibition at The BFI IMAX Waterloo from September 7th – 26th.

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San Diego Comic-Con 2017: Prop Store TV & Movie Props and Costumes Exhibit Promotes Upcoming Live Auction

This is part of my ongoing coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2017.  As usual, Prop Store had the most impressive exhibit for collectors of original TV and movie props and costumes.  They updated the layout and look for their space this year and even though it was the same overall footprint, it felt much bigger.  This year, the focus of their presentation was for their upcoming live auction in the Fall, though there was also some space dedicated to their current Spectral auction. [Read more…]

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San Diego Comic-Con 2017: Star Wars Costume Exhibits (#SDCC #StarWars #TheLastJedi)

This is part of my ongoing coverage of San Diego Comic-Con 2017. Having just concluded their own D23 convention a week earlier in Anaheim, it is obvious that Disney favors their own event as it grows more and more each year. The main attractions at the Star Wars exhibitor area was similar to the prior year. [Read more…]

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California Assembly & Senate Continue To Confuse Marketplace with New Legislative “Fixes” to Autograph Law

In early 2016, I wrote a lengthy critique of the then proposed new “autograph anti-fraud legislation” introduced to the California Assembly.  That bill was signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown, and sustained vocal opposition to the law continues, along with confusion in the marketplace in California.  Government being government, there are now two different legislative “fixes” in the works that don’t address the myriad of problems that the terrible law put into effect.  Additionally, Pacific Legal Foundation filed a lawsuit on behalf of Book Passage and Bill Petrocelli back in May, with the suit intended to challenge the “law that made the sale of autographed books unconscionably difficult”. [Read more…]

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Jackpot! Profiles in History Three Day Auction Pulls in Prices from a Galaxy Far, Far Away…

With Profiles in History doing fewer and fewer (and bigger and bigger) Hollywood auctions – relative to past years – it was a big question within the market as to how well this massive three-day sale would do.  With nearly 2,000 lots, some with estimates exceeding $1M, it was a tremendous amount of high end material for this market to absorb over the course of a few days.  While there were “hits” and “misses”, as there are with every big auction by the leading auction houses, there was a fair share of “home runs” that auctioneers dream of and that can leave some collectors with their jaws on the floor… [Read more…]

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Profiles in History Hollywood Auction in Calabasas on June 26th, 27th, 28th

Profiles in History have announced their latest “Hollywood Auction” event, built upon a 672 page auction catalog featuring 1,981 lots. Participants can bid online at Invaluable.com. The three-day auction will be held June 26th, 27th, and 28th. [Read more…]

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Silicon Valley Comic Con 2017 Live and Online Auction by ScreenUsed Happening on April 23rd

ScreenUsed is holding their next live auction on Sunday, April 23rd.   The ScreenUsed Silicon Valley Comic Con auction catalog is now online on their official site and open for pre-bidding, featuring 191 lots including props, costumes, and other memorabilia from film and television.  SVCC will be running from April 21st to April 23rd. [Read more…]