Friday, May 28, 2010
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Profiles in History Auction Preview Part 1
Yesterday I got the chance to visit Profiles in History to examine some of the Star Trek props myself and others have expressed an interest in. I had arranged this with Brian Chanes, Joe Madalena's right hand man, but sadly, Brian's father passed away on Monday and our prayers are with Brian and his family. In Brian's absence, Ryan Dohm and Fong Sam greeted my friends and I and showed us the goods. Joe himself came out and answered questions as well. So we were very well treated and got to see everything we wanted to see.
This is the biggest Star Trek live auction since Christies in 2006 and there is a huge selection of hand props. A lot of people on the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum have been asking me where all these props came from, especially since much of this should have been in either the Christie's or It's a Wrap auctions. Well, there are multiple consignors, but the majority of the hand props are from a well known LA prop collector. He bought most of this from someone who worked at the Paramount warehouses and sold them out the back door to him over a period of years.
Because of this, a lot of collectors have been worried about buying these items. So I spoke to the people in charge at both Paramount and CBS to make sure there would be no repercussions if people won these items, and both basically said the same thing: that it happened a while ago and they have no intention of doing anything about it. So you need not worry about Paramount or CBS coming for their property!
Of course a lot of people don't want to talk about this, but it is the dirty little secret of the Hollywood memorabilia hobby: much of it walked out the back door! And the studios usually haven't worried about it, since previously they never really valued these items much. But now things are different. Because of the Christie's Star Trek auction or the Propworx BSG auction, studios now realize they have a real asset on their hands. The head of asset management at Paramount has made it very clear that if anything from the new movie gets out, they will go to whatever lengths to recover it (the items in Julien's auction were cleared for auction for charity by JJ himself). So this situation won't be happening with Star Trek again.
So back to Profiles. I examined over 50 lots and none failed to meet my expectations. This really is a good selection of items. There are so many great props that I think everyone will find something they like. Over the next two weeks I will be highlighting some of these items.
Let's start with the Tricorders! I mean there are TWELVE of them! You wonder why Christies or IAW had none? Well, here they are.
What I did was make a spreadsheet of them all.
So if you want a Tricorder, this is your best chance. There are so many that the prices are bound to be lower. Last Profiles auction a medical Tricorder went for a hefty $ 10,000. I think that is way too high. There have been two working Tricorder sales in the last year for $ 5,000 each, and I think $ 5-8,000 is about right depending on the version.
So keep checking back, and I will be posting more thoughts on all three Star Trek auctions.
Alec
This is the biggest Star Trek live auction since Christies in 2006 and there is a huge selection of hand props. A lot of people on the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum have been asking me where all these props came from, especially since much of this should have been in either the Christie's or It's a Wrap auctions. Well, there are multiple consignors, but the majority of the hand props are from a well known LA prop collector. He bought most of this from someone who worked at the Paramount warehouses and sold them out the back door to him over a period of years.
Because of this, a lot of collectors have been worried about buying these items. So I spoke to the people in charge at both Paramount and CBS to make sure there would be no repercussions if people won these items, and both basically said the same thing: that it happened a while ago and they have no intention of doing anything about it. So you need not worry about Paramount or CBS coming for their property!
Of course a lot of people don't want to talk about this, but it is the dirty little secret of the Hollywood memorabilia hobby: much of it walked out the back door! And the studios usually haven't worried about it, since previously they never really valued these items much. But now things are different. Because of the Christie's Star Trek auction or the Propworx BSG auction, studios now realize they have a real asset on their hands. The head of asset management at Paramount has made it very clear that if anything from the new movie gets out, they will go to whatever lengths to recover it (the items in Julien's auction were cleared for auction for charity by JJ himself). So this situation won't be happening with Star Trek again.
So back to Profiles. I examined over 50 lots and none failed to meet my expectations. This really is a good selection of items. There are so many great props that I think everyone will find something they like. Over the next two weeks I will be highlighting some of these items.
Let's start with the Tricorders! I mean there are TWELVE of them! You wonder why Christies or IAW had none? Well, here they are.
What I did was make a spreadsheet of them all.
So if you want a Tricorder, this is your best chance. There are so many that the prices are bound to be lower. Last Profiles auction a medical Tricorder went for a hefty $ 10,000. I think that is way too high. There have been two working Tricorder sales in the last year for $ 5,000 each, and I think $ 5-8,000 is about right depending on the version.
So keep checking back, and I will be posting more thoughts on all three Star Trek auctions.
Alec
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Star Trek Summer Auction Preview
Well, now that all three summer Star Trek Auctions have their catalogs out, it is time for a brief review of the offerings. I will do this in chronological order. Full Disclosure: Propworx is my company so I might be a little biased! :-)
Auction: Profiles in History Hollywood Auction # 40
Where: Profiles in History Offices, Calabasas, CA
When: Saturday, June 12, 2010
Details: 292 lots, mostly hand props. Of this, 10 are TOS props & costumes with additional assorted ephemera. An excellent selection of props from TNG on up.
Highlights: Balock Puppet Head from TOS. 12 Tricorders in one auction!
Profiles is the biggest Hollywood memorabilia auction house. They have a 3 day auction and 1533 lots, of which 292 are Star Trek, which are auctioned on Day 3 of the sale. They have picked up the quality of their Star Trek research by using Jorg, so there are no mis-identifications and the descriptions are pretty accurate. Good photography with small screen shots of many items does most items justice. I would like to see bigger photos and less items per page; a difficult proposition with so many items though.
The auction will be trying for most collectors without big wallets in bad economic times. There are so many good items, and prices may be depressed with so much quality. I know I won't be able to afford all I want, but I hope prices will stay down and there will be some real bargains on the non-weaponry.
Auction: Julien's Summer Sale
Where: Planet Hollywood Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
When: Sunday, June 27, 2010
Details: Roddenberry Estate Sale, Shatner memorabilia, 17 JJ Movie props & costumes.
Highlights: The 17 items from the new Star Trek movie. Spock parka is the best piece.
The Roddenberry and Shatner stuff is mostly not of interest to prop & costume collectors. While Julien's does a great job with this catalog, I wonder how big the audience for these items are. The Roddenberry items are interesting, if only to give an insight to the Roddenberry's life. There are some great Majel Roddenberry Lwaxana Troi costumes that will go strong I think. Many of the Shatner items are incredibly BLAH! I mean toys?
The 17 new Star Trek movie items are all very good and the first we have seen for the most part. However, I think these will all go way too high. Collectors need to remember that these pieces are part of a much larger inventory that at some point will get sold by Paramount. So if you are patient, you can get what you want a few years form now much cheaper. I mean, how many Red Cadet costumes did you see in that movie?
The props are different. Not many of those. They will all go high. The communicator will go over $ 10,000 for sure. There is one item I am after and I expect to pay WAY too much. As long as you accept that you are over-paying, and you know that means you will probably not get your investment back, you will be fine.
Auction: Propworx Star Trek Auction
Where: Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, NV
When: August 8, 2010
Details: Doug Drexler, Mike & Denise Okuda and Rick Sternbach collections.
Highlights: TOS Translight, Kirk Spacesuit filming miniature, 5 dedication plaques.
Oh what can I say? Certainly the most fun of all the auctions since it will be at the Creation Star Trek Convention! 5 days of Star Trek with a few dozen of the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum members, is always a blast. There will be a special dinner get-together for Forum members and blog readers so be prepared to make new friends and socialize with old ones. Oh, and the auction!
I am too close to the Propworx auction to give a fair evaluation of it. We had a blast working on this auction and we know our passion shows through in the catalog. You can download it here.
We think there are some pretty amazing pieces in the auction and we tried to make the catalog something every collector will want, even if you don't bid in the auction. The Sternbach art and Okuda crew gifts both have items that will go in a price range any person can afford. On the other side, the TOS translight and Kirk Space Suit model from TMP are both top of the line. So something for everyone.
What we are shooting for is the best auction experience, and between the catalog and the live auction event, we are pretty sure we will achieve that. After all, life is about experiences, not stuff.
Well, come back tomorrow when I start my review of the Profiles auction!
Alec
Auction: Profiles in History Hollywood Auction # 40Where: Profiles in History Offices, Calabasas, CA
When: Saturday, June 12, 2010
Details: 292 lots, mostly hand props. Of this, 10 are TOS props & costumes with additional assorted ephemera. An excellent selection of props from TNG on up.
Highlights: Balock Puppet Head from TOS. 12 Tricorders in one auction!
Profiles is the biggest Hollywood memorabilia auction house. They have a 3 day auction and 1533 lots, of which 292 are Star Trek, which are auctioned on Day 3 of the sale. They have picked up the quality of their Star Trek research by using Jorg, so there are no mis-identifications and the descriptions are pretty accurate. Good photography with small screen shots of many items does most items justice. I would like to see bigger photos and less items per page; a difficult proposition with so many items though.
The auction will be trying for most collectors without big wallets in bad economic times. There are so many good items, and prices may be depressed with so much quality. I know I won't be able to afford all I want, but I hope prices will stay down and there will be some real bargains on the non-weaponry.
Auction: Julien's Summer Sale
Where: Planet Hollywood Hotel, Las Vegas, NV
When: Sunday, June 27, 2010
Details: Roddenberry Estate Sale, Shatner memorabilia, 17 JJ Movie props & costumes.
Highlights: The 17 items from the new Star Trek movie. Spock parka is the best piece.
The Roddenberry and Shatner stuff is mostly not of interest to prop & costume collectors. While Julien's does a great job with this catalog, I wonder how big the audience for these items are. The Roddenberry items are interesting, if only to give an insight to the Roddenberry's life. There are some great Majel Roddenberry Lwaxana Troi costumes that will go strong I think. Many of the Shatner items are incredibly BLAH! I mean toys?
The 17 new Star Trek movie items are all very good and the first we have seen for the most part. However, I think these will all go way too high. Collectors need to remember that these pieces are part of a much larger inventory that at some point will get sold by Paramount. So if you are patient, you can get what you want a few years form now much cheaper. I mean, how many Red Cadet costumes did you see in that movie?
The props are different. Not many of those. They will all go high. The communicator will go over $ 10,000 for sure. There is one item I am after and I expect to pay WAY too much. As long as you accept that you are over-paying, and you know that means you will probably not get your investment back, you will be fine.
Auction: Propworx Star Trek Auction
Where: Las Vegas Hilton, Las Vegas, NV
When: August 8, 2010
Details: Doug Drexler, Mike & Denise Okuda and Rick Sternbach collections.
Highlights: TOS Translight, Kirk Spacesuit filming miniature, 5 dedication plaques.
Oh what can I say? Certainly the most fun of all the auctions since it will be at the Creation Star Trek Convention! 5 days of Star Trek with a few dozen of the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum members, is always a blast. There will be a special dinner get-together for Forum members and blog readers so be prepared to make new friends and socialize with old ones. Oh, and the auction!
I am too close to the Propworx auction to give a fair evaluation of it. We had a blast working on this auction and we know our passion shows through in the catalog. You can download it here.
We think there are some pretty amazing pieces in the auction and we tried to make the catalog something every collector will want, even if you don't bid in the auction. The Sternbach art and Okuda crew gifts both have items that will go in a price range any person can afford. On the other side, the TOS translight and Kirk Space Suit model from TMP are both top of the line. So something for everyone.
What we are shooting for is the best auction experience, and between the catalog and the live auction event, we are pretty sure we will achieve that. After all, life is about experiences, not stuff.
Well, come back tomorrow when I start my review of the Profiles auction!
Alec
Junior Doctor
If you are familiar with my Tennant Suit Blog, you will know of an occasional thread I run there called Me And My Tennant Suit. I featured a number of suit owners, all proudly displaying their prized suits.
There have been a number of cosplayers who have assembled some awesome Eleven outfits to date, but I just HAD to share the one below as he is undoubtedly the most endearing and inspirational I have ever seen!
His name is Jack and he is six and a half.
His Dad helped him get this amazing pint-sized costume together.
The jeans and braces came from H&M, the shirt is from Adams and the rest was picked up on eBay.
His Dad said, “The tweed jacket was the hard find, not many kids tweeds come up, and when they do the chance of getting a good colour, two button is slim. So bit of luck with that!” And he only paid £20 for it too!
The shoes were bought for 99p and are actually in the style of Converse All Stars, but by a different maker. I tiny touch of Tennant there!
The bow tie was also a snip at 99p!
His dad says it’s great fun having him run about the house being The Doctor. “It takes me back to my childhood, wearing the long 4th Doctor scarf my gran knitted for me and a hat my grandad gave me!”
He made quite a splash at Tesco the other day apparently, and it’s the only thing he'll wear when not at school!
Personally I find it funny. I recall when Jon Pertwee left I was near to tears and dismissed this new bloke who could never be as good as THE Doctor.
Obviously all thoughts of this were gone by episode three of Robot, and I could hardly remember who that John Pertwood (that’s his name, right?) was anyway.
I gather a collection of this pictures has been sent to Doctor Who Adventures Magazine, with the hope that they might publish one. I think it’s a given he’ll be in there!
When he does, I’ll bring you an update of how it turned out.
Here are the rest of Jack’s pictures.
There have been a number of cosplayers who have assembled some awesome Eleven outfits to date, but I just HAD to share the one below as he is undoubtedly the most endearing and inspirational I have ever seen!
His Dad helped him get this amazing pint-sized costume together.
The jeans and braces came from H&M, the shirt is from Adams and the rest was picked up on eBay.
His Dad said, “The tweed jacket was the hard find, not many kids tweeds come up, and when they do the chance of getting a good colour, two button is slim. So bit of luck with that!” And he only paid £20 for it too!
The shoes were bought for 99p and are actually in the style of Converse All Stars, but by a different maker. I tiny touch of Tennant there!
The bow tie was also a snip at 99p!
His dad says it’s great fun having him run about the house being The Doctor. “It takes me back to my childhood, wearing the long 4th Doctor scarf my gran knitted for me and a hat my grandad gave me!”
Personally I find it funny. I recall when Jon Pertwee left I was near to tears and dismissed this new bloke who could never be as good as THE Doctor.
Obviously all thoughts of this were gone by episode three of Robot, and I could hardly remember who that John Pertwood (that’s his name, right?) was anyway.
I gather a collection of this pictures has been sent to Doctor Who Adventures Magazine, with the hope that they might publish one. I think it’s a given he’ll be in there!
When he does, I’ll bring you an update of how it turned out.
Here are the rest of Jack’s pictures.
A classic bit of sonic action . . .
And lastly a typical Matt Smith Spider-Man pose!??!
UPDATE
Let’s face it, it wasn’t gonna be a matter of IF Doctor Who Adventures Magazine would publish pictures of Jack in his outfit, more of WHEN.
Well, in this week’s issue (169, 3 - 9 June 2010) there he is!
Congratulations to Jack for getting himself in the magazine. When I was young, I read Doctor Who Weekly (as it was then) from issue one, and I never had my photo published.
I never sent in a picture – but that’s no excuse!
Monday, May 24, 2010
Over 1500 downloads! & Propworx Auction FAQ
As of today we passed 1500 downloads of the Star Trek Auction catalog! Thank you all for sharing your comments about how much you love this catalog!
So, some questions that keep being asked:
When: Sunday, August 8th
Where: Las Vegas Hilton at the Creation Star Trek Convention
Will there be a print version of the catalog?
Yes. The print version will be shipped the week of the San Diego Comic Con and available there at our booth as well.
How do I order the catalog?
We will have an order page up soon. Make sure you check out the Star Trek page on propworx that will launch this week. The Catalog will be $ 30 or 2 for $ 40. We are doing this because a lot of people buy one catalog to mark up their wants and use it at the auction, but they want one for their collection. So we are discounting your second copy!
Can I bid online?
Yes! We will most likely be using the same system we used for the Iron Man auction. You will be able to bid in advance, like on eBay, or bid from anywhere in the world!
Do I need a ticket to the Creation Star Trek Convention to attend the auction?
Yes! Sorry, but you have to buy a ticket, which are readily available. And why wouldn't you want to? The convention is great!
So there you go! We will be launching the Star Trek portion of our web site this week and will be updating it every few days. So stay tuned to www.propworx.com!
Alec
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)