The House of Duras Knife from "Firstborn" - Hero Version

This knife is from the Profiles in History Star Trek auction in 2010.  It is a hero metal knife, and the only one I know of.  There were 5 rubber stunt knives just like this sold through It's a Wrap and you can find those here.

This is the knife used by members of the House of Duras in the early 25th century.

In "Firstborn", Worf and Alexander Rozhenko, while on the Klingon outpost Maranga IV, are attacked by a group of Klingons loyal to the House of Duras. During the fight, K'mtar (actually Alexander Rozhenko from the future) shows up and helps Worf and his son. The assailants flee and one of them drops this knife.

As the knife bears the insignia of the house of Duras, it becomes clear that Lursa and B'Etor are behind the attack and the crew of the USS Enterprise-D starts earching for the Duras sisters. When they are found and confronted with the knife, they claim they know nothing of the attack. When the sisters take a close look at the knife, they see that the knife not only features the small symbols representing Ja'rod (Duras' father), Lursa and B'Etor but also a small symbol representing Lursa's son. As Lursa had only learned a few days earlier that she was expecting a child and had not told anybody but B'Etor, it was clear that this knife must have come from the future. It turns out that members of the House of Duras had traveled back in time from the early 25th century to the year 2370 in order to kill Alexander, just like K'mtar tried to do.

Thanks to the amazing Jorg Hillebrand for this article and screencaps!

Alec

A House Guest - USS Farragut

Well, last week we had to clear out a warehouse where there were Star Trek: The Exhibit assets.  I would say 90% of the stuff there was wall panels and displays that were no longer usable.  But there were some gems. This baby is in need of a lot of work and a serious restoration, but it is cool none the less.  The Nebula class is my favorite ship of all the ones I saw on the Star Trek Exhibit and so I am fired up we get to house this for a while.

Star Trek Exhibition Set Up - Day 2

Well, day 2 was a rush of activity as there was a special preview that night.  Now most of the work wouldn't be done, but still, the exhibit was going to get public attention and so it had to be at least at some basic level of present-ability.  My job was to catalog every single item in the exhibition that was production made ( or potentially replica).  So we didn't bother with anything made for the the exhibition.  By the end of the day we had a pretty good list. 

Now I have to go through everything I photographed at Kennedy Space Center.  There is a Master list of everything that originally was made available.  Interestingly, this was all stuff on the Star Trek World Tour and saved from the Christie's auction.

The Props all packed up.

I love my job

Staging the costumes

  The Travel Pod from ST: TMP

 

Klingon Throne (there are TWO!)

Just desserts!  St. Louis' legendary frozen custard from Ted Drewes.  Like a Blizzard from Dairy Queen but better.

Star Trek Exhibition Set Up - Day 1

Well, today was the first day helping out with the Star Trek Archive and it meant being in St. Louis at the St. Louis Science Center setting up the Star Trek Exhibition. 

First up, both the USS Enterprise and USS Voyager, which were both practically destroyed when they were removed from Star Trek: The Experience in Las Vegas, were repaired and resurrected!  Here they are hanging in the museum.

Next, we confirmed that the McCoy tunic is in fact an original TOS McCoy!  More photos on this soon.

There were actually TWO Spock Maroons in the exhibit.  This one has a Shatner undershirt, but Nimoy jacket and pants.  I would expect this one to get sold in the future (maybe the 50th Anniversary auction).  The other is more complete.

And finally I got to handle a LOT of models.  :-)

And CBS is VERY serious about a 50th anniversary auction for Star Trek.  The discussions are already underway.  It may be 5 years away, but I already have one significant collector committing his entire collection to that auction.

More to come.

Alec

DS9 Jem'Hadar Ketracel White Installation model on eBay

An Italian collector who won this model from It's a Wrap, has put it on eBay.  You can see it here.  It originally sold for a very reasonable $ 575.50.

The model has internal lighting:

The screen-cap:

Good hunting!

Alec

What's coming to StarTrekProps.com...

Well, more changes are coming to this blog.  First, I have started another website, which is not up yet, www.startrekarchives.com, which is a project I am working on with CBS to develop a photo archive of Star Trek props, costume and set pieces.  It will be entirely informational, and an archive and not have any of the views, opinions or the broader collecting articles of this site.

I will be looking for contributors from the hobby, as I know there are a lot of you who do great work. (Steve Thomas, Gerald Gurian and Jorg I am speaking to you!).

Every single item in my collection is being photographed and will be making their way to both sites.  

And for now I am working on tagging every blog article on this site for the last 5 years.  So that will take some time, but it is well under way.  You can see the tags in the right column.

So stay tuned!

Alec

Archiving my Star Trek collection

Well, as many of you know, I have a pretty substantial Star Trek collection.  I have both props and costumes, and I love my collection dearly, as you all love your own.  Now that we are about to be done with auctions at Propworx till the Spring (the Iron Man 2 auction next month will be the last for at least 5 months, we are looking to next do Captain America at C2E2 in Chicago in March), I have tasked my photographer with photographing my entire Star Trek collection.  Then I will be having Damaris due a book on my collection that I plan to have printed.  

My greater goal is to do a Star Trek book on props, costumes and the collectors who have substantial collections.  So I may be calling you guys in the near future.

But look for more articles on my collection here shortly.  

Alec

 

My collection displayed in my old house.  Sadly I have much less room in Newport Beach!

The first Vegas display in 2008

Kor costume from Deep Space Nine

John Colicos played Kor, the first Klingon, in the TOS episode Errand of Mercy.  He later went on to reprise that role in 3 great Deep Space Nine episodes, "Blood Oath", "The Sword of Kahless" and "Once more unto the Breach".

So 

I got to know John Colicos when I had him for an event I put on in Pennsylvania in 1999 that was a Battlestar Galactica reunion (John of course played the baddie Baltar in the original BSG).  Little did I know it would be his last convention appearance ever, as he soon after passed away.  John was a tremendous person, open and friendly and was a huge hit with my crew at the event.  At dinner the first night with Richard Hatch and Dirk Benedict in attendance, it was John who amused us with his stories of acting with Richard Burton! 

I think it was soon after when I was watching Deep Space Nine for a second time that I really started to enjoy John's character.  And then, once the It's a Wrap auctions started we all started looking for those costumes that we really wanted.  By the time I realized that I wanted this costume, both the hero and stunt versions had been sold in their "Enterprise" re-purposed forms.  But the hero shirt, belt and gauntlets came up for sale and I won them.  Of course the overseas collector who has the hero jacket doesn't have any of the hero elements so I win there!  ;-)

I then tracked down the two costumes, and contacted both parties who won them.  One wouldn't sell, but Dave Jackson, of Backlot props, won the stunt costume and so I stayed on him.  When he sold everything to Abacus, my opportunity came, and when they put the costume in the Heritage auction last year I won it.

Now both the hero and stunt jackets had been re-purposed for "Enterprise" and had additional fur etc. attached.  I removed those elements and was able to put the costume together.   The only element I need is the boots, but those have never appeared.

My Propworx photographer, Nick Savoy, took these photos and he is taking photos of a lot of my costumes so I can do more posts like this.  I will try and post more often!

Alec

Who Mourns for Galileo?

A 5 minute video on the restoration and legacy of the Galileo Mock-Up.

This is what happens....

When your team turns on the brand new alarm system and don't tell you the alarm code!  You get a visit from the Police.  Who just happened to both be geeks!

I spent about 30 minute giving them a tour of the Propworx offices, showing them the BSG auction items, and my Star Trek collection.  Officer Jensen (on the left) asked about my Kor costume and even knew about the Treaty of Organia!

I loaded them both up with Propworx catalogs and they looked like they had a blast.

Alec

The Harriman Maroon

Well, finally the Harriman Maroon has surfaced, but not quite in the condition I hoped.  This had long been my Maroon of choice (If I couldn't land a Kirk).  But when it came to market, it was just Harriman's jacket.  The pants were not his, and the shirt wasn't even the right color.  I passed. 

Now, I don't think the costume was overpriced at $ 6,500.  Heck, if it was all his, I think it is a $ 8,500 costume (at least I would have gone that high on a complete Harriman), besting the previous non-principle high of $ 7,600 for the Admiral Catrwright Maroon that IAW sold.

But the problem with a "Frankenstein" costume (as my good friend Adam Schneider would call it) is that you can never say it IS Harriman's Maroon.  And that really bothers me.  If I have it on display, I would have to say "Well, the jacket is Harriman's, but the pants and shirt aren't." every time I showed it off!  Oh that sucks.

Now, that is me.  I hope the new owner gets it and loves it and enjoys it.  He should, it is still a great piece.  It just didn't do it for me, and it was really disappointing to see such a mismatched costume (not the fault of PSOL - I am sure this is the way it came).

I actually would rather have a complete background Maroon that just the Harriman jacket Maroon.  Is that weird?  Well, maybe.  Collecting Star Trek props and costumes is weird in general!  I mean we all have our quirks, and that is actually what makes this hobby kinda cool.  I mean, Anthony likes different things than Adam, than Dana than Donna and so we all support each other and love it when one another lands a great piece.

Well, just an insight inside the bizarre inner workings of my collecting mind.

Alec

The Prop Store of London Star Trek sales.

The Prop Store of London has been releasing items all week from the big collection of Star Trek props and costumes it bought recently.  I should have been keeping track of prices as the items were listed, as PSOL hides the prices once the sale is made.  I hate that practice, as having a record of prices is so useful as so many of us know from using the Star Trek Auction Archive.  So I have compiled a list.  If you know the prices of any of the items not listed below, please let me know!

Also, PSOL has been posting items at 10am GMT and 10am PST.  That means those of us on the West Coast have to wake up at 2am in order to get a shot at the items, which basically sucks!  But the things we do for props and costumes. 

I will review a couple of the key pieces in coming blogs.  A bunch of people have commented on the fact that PSOL will post items that have already been sold.  Collectors would like to know they always have a shot at buying something.  But PSOL is well known for first offering key items to its best customers before posting them for the public.  And there is nothing wrong with this, but collectors feel cheated sometimes.  Collectors need to understand that a lot of times it is just better to set a price and sell it to a well off collector and not have to worry about if an item will sell online or at auction.  

There are more items coming Monday I am told, but I also hear that we have seen the best of the collection already.  So it will be interesting to see what comes our way!

 

ST II: TWOK Tunic $ 35,000

Captain Kirk Class A $ 24,995

Captain Harriman Maroon $ 6,495

Romulan Warbird Khazara Translight $ 745

Voyager Vidian Model $ 12,459

DS9 Pistol $ 699

TOS Cadet Costume $

AzetBur Klingon Costume $ 7,995

DS9 Blue Jumpsuit $ 1,245

TOS Radiation Suit $ 8,995

TNG Data Tunic top $ 3,750

Generations Mark VI Torpedo $ 1,995

First Contact EVA Rifle $ 5,659 Hero

Yesterday's Enterprise Phaser $ 2,745

Star Trek VI Klingon Mask $ 1,495

TMP Male Engineer Uniform $ 1,245

ST III Vulcan Robe $ 995

Star Trek First Contact Phaser Rifle $ 2,499

Star Trek IV Spock headband $

Star Trek VI Klingon Mask $ 995

Enterprise Soval's ears $ 745

TNG Dustbuster Phaser $ 3,995

Star Trek VI Rura Penthe Mask $ 1,295

Khan Tunic at San Diego Comic Con and Prop Store items.

The second Khan costume in 4 months has hit the market and it is the iconic (A term very over-used by a certain person) version from which Ricardo Montalban showed off his very real pecs!   Certainly this is the most desirable villain costume from the Star Trek movies  and since Star trek II is one of the best science fiction movies of all time, the costume is the a legitimate Holy Grail for any Star Trek collector.

This is NOT the costume that was previously sold by Profiles in History at the Bob Justman Auction in 2002.  That costume sold for $ 25,000 or so (don't have the exact # unfortunately), but also had boots, his necklace and the bandolier type piece that you see across his chest.  This costume, being sold 9 years later, has a price tag of $ 35,000.  

Now, the Khan "reveal" wrap and visor display that was sold at Profiles in April originally sold at the Bob Justman auction in 2002.  It sold then for $ 25,000 .  It sold for $ 32,500 at profiles in April, which was the opening bid and the bottom range of the estimate.  If someone has specifics on either of these, please let me know.

So is this Star Trek costume priced right?  I think so.  This is certainly more desirable than the visor/wrap.  And while this is not as complete as the one sold at the Bob Justman auction, it is still probably the most desirable non-TOS costume out there, with the exception of maybe Kirk's ST II:TWOK Maroon.  And we know that went for $ 37,500 at Heritage last Fall. (But probably an aberration since I was the under-bidder and absolutely deluded to bid that much.  I blame my friend Jack for egging me on!).  If the more complete Khan from the Bob Justman auction were to hit the market, it would probably be a $ 40-50,000 costume.  So $ 35,000 for a less complete one would make sense.

It will be interesting to see if the Khan piece sells. The two other big pieces from the collection that Prop Store was consigned, The Finnegan costume and the Uhura uniform mini-dress, have both sold already in private sales. 

Good Hunting!

Alec