Sci-Fi Memorabilia To Ogle And / Or Buy

bluegreenone writes "While I was nerding it up and looking for some original Battlestar Galactica insiqnias on Google I came across an enormous auction of classic sci-fi props and costumes being held July 31. I'm a little surprised they are getting rid of some of this stuff. Highlights include a piece of the original Deathstar, Scotty's original uniform, and the Terminator's first jacket. How would you like to own Twiki from Buck Rogers, or even better one of Erin Gray's hot spandex pantsuits from the show? You can have your own Cylon, Commander Adama's uniform, or a Colonial Warrior helmet from the never-filmed second season of BG. There's E.T.'s head, Cyclop's visor from X-men, and even the alien hand switch from Total Recall. And who wouldn't want their own cute cuddly face-hugger from Aliens? There are a ton of items but be prepared, most prices start around $500 and go up to $40,000."

Comments

Uhm yeah.......

[Anonymous Coward]

Now why does this post sound like a carefully crafted sales pitch? Your auction or just shilling on the side?

Buyer's Premium

[cdrudge]

I noticed that some (all?) of the auctions had an 18% "Buyer's Premium" that goes to the seller, paid in addition to the winning bid amount. Is this normal for auctions? It seems like it is just another way to suck even more money out of the buyer. I wonder why we don't start seeing Best Buy, Amazon, etc start charging a 18% "Buyer's Fee" when we buy stuff online for the convenience.

Re:$40000!!!

[panurge]

No one will read this...but the best CEO I ever worked with defined happiness as having enough cash in the bank to walk in off the street and buy a top of the range Mercedes with a personal check...and not do it, so when you're stuck in traffic next to the guy in the 600SEL you can think "You're going just as slowly as I am, and you're paying through the nose for it." Do I need to tell you he was British (PhD University of Cambridge)?

If he's reading this thread, he may be thinking the same thing about paying $$$$$ for what is, in the end, theatrical tat.

rambling tips for movie prop buyers.

[Artifex]

Of course maybe there are some die-hard fans out there for whom a chance to own a piece of their favorite show for $600 is a dream come true.

Something important to keep in mind is that, rare as these are, most of these items are not the absolute only instances of their kind. When a film or tv show goes into production, they usually make several copies of things like outfits and any props that the actors may actually touch.

In my opinion, buying one outfit or prop isn't enough, you need to get a representative sampling of several. That's where you start to get the feelings you had when watching the show, and that's where you can start to see things like how the costumers and set designers did their real magic.

Also, please consider making an overall budget when you visit an auction like this, not only so that you don't go overboard, but so that you think more about how much further your money goes if you buy multiple smaller items you like, and not blow it all on the big ones.

Decide whether something being "screenworn" matters to you, before you start bidding. If you're all excited about getting Buck Rogers tights, for example, but you want a really nice pair, you may want to get a backup pair that weren't actually needed. On the other hand, don't be surprised if you decide you have to get a nifty blaster used on set, and it arrives with bits missing or glued back on, because it's not a toy, it's a handmade prop meant to be used briefly. Prop and costume designers are very hard workers, and very creative, but they rarely have the budget or the time to make things with the intent of them lasting beyond the length of the scenes in which they're used. That's why everyone sells these items with the disclaimers they do.

If you buy these, buy them because you want them and plan to have them until you die, not because they'll impress other people (good for about 5 minutes cumulative maybe) or because you think you can flip them later. Few props will actually increase in value over time, and even if the appraised value increases, getting someone to pay that much later, especially if you don't have a variety of items together, could be extremely difficult.

Above all, even if you have money to burn left over from a dot-com you sold years ago, don't get caught up in the bidding, and suddenly realise that you could have bought a car, taken an around-the-world vacation, or built a school in a third world country for the price of those Cylon and Twiki suits I know you're eyeing. You could also invest the money and approach the current buyer in about 3 years, when he's in debt, if you still want it. I think in those 3 years you'll be glad you didn't waste the money, however.