Fake Phlox on eBay - UPDATED

UPDATE:

After I reported that this auction was fake, eBay pulled the auction and suspended the seller! I got an email to this effect from eBay this morning (2/13).

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The Phlox Enterprise Space Suit that was being sold by It's a Wrap on eBay the week ending January 9th has appeared on eBay again, most likely in an attempt at fraud by the seller. The original ad can be seen here. The new ad can be seen here.


The Phlox Space Suit never hit reserve, reaching $ 5,600. According to a source who knows, the costume was sold by IAW to the high bidder (Willie_Bath) outside of eBay. I have tried to contact both IAW and Willie Bath (who I have had contact with before) to confirm the above. If so, then eBay will be forced to take the ad down and suspend the seller. (I will also send Guido over to break his legs!).

Why do we know this is a fake auction?

1) Who is this seller? IAW either sold the Space Suit to the high bidder or didn't sell it. They didn't sell it to a third party (especially for less than the high bid).

2) The seller is asking for less than what the high bid was on IAW. If for some reason he actually did get it from IAW, why would they sell it at a Buy It Now for LESS than what the high bidder was willing to pay?

3) The photos are those from the IAW auction. Show me some original photos (preferably with today's newspaper!).

4) The seller wants to do the auction outside of eBay. VERY suspicious.

5) The seller doesn't want anyone to bid unless he vets you first. What?

6) The seller says if you bid he will cancel your bid and leave negative feedback. Well, it is obvious this guy doesn't sell on eBay or he would know you can't leave negative feedback on a bidder, only on an actual buyer.

So STAY AWAY. This is obviously a fake auction. Don't get scammed!


A.

Where are all the early key Star Trek props?

Gary Emerald is one of the foremost experts on Star Trek props and costumes and has even written for Star Trek: The Magazine on the subject. He recently posted some interesting insight into the history of Star Trek props and costumes on the big Movie Prop Forum message board. Here is what he has to say:


"There was a ton of Star Trek stuff released to a certain collector in the mid 90s, and I mean so much stuff it was offensive, mainly from ST: TNG. This collector had KEY ST: TNG stuff, he was connected with high ups at Paramount. A lot of what showed up in the Profiles in History auctions over the years from ST: TNG were from his collection including the Khan.

There were items that were stolen over the years and were placed on a list that Paramount was looking for, and if these items showed up at a high profile auction, convention or anywhere they would have been pulled, so the Khan that was sold was not one of these costumes that Paramount was looking for. This individual had the Trek stuff openly displayed and had this stuff not supposed to been released it would have been confiscated. There was no secret where it was and who owned it.

My friend bought the Khan, I built the display for it. There were two other Khans at the studio, one clean and the other distressed. I am assuming these were cherry picked by the top brass, at some point cause Christie's did not offer Khan at their sale. If Paramount still had it, Christies are idiots for not offering it.

I have heard many individuals who were involved with the series did get to select a few mementos from Trek , and of coarse I would assume they did not pick back-ground first and second season jumpsuits.

I know that most Trek fans on this board seem to like ST: TNG and beyond. I focus on the 60s series, and literally almost every 60s costume has been accounted for. One collector I know, involved with Trek's production has at least 4 60s Kirk tunics. I can also state that most of the key props from the Trek feature films TMP, ST WOK, ST III, ST IV have been in collections for years. Also key working ST: TNG props are long gone as well.

Wonder why Picard's chair was not offered at the Christies sale over the summer? It was sitting in the hot sun in a parking lot as recently as July of 2006, thrashed. Not everything gets saved either."


I hope that offers some insight on the history of where some of the stuff is. Gary is always a great source of info on the subject and is well respected in prop collecting circles.

Alec

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 8 Results

Week 8

Week 8 of the Star Trek auctions on eBay from It's a Wrap Hollywood was the first week where every item sold. I am not sure if there were in fact ANY items that had a reserve (I do not think so), but if so, they all hit reserve. Hopefully this means It's a Wrap has learned that reserves don't help its sales, but in fact hurt them. The total for the week was $ 70,503.19, which is the second best week so far, behind the first week total of $ 71,917.50.

The prize item of the week was Captain Kirk's Commando costume. As I noted in my Week 8 preview, this had the wrong undershirt, no belt and no boots. Surprisingly, it went for $ 6,253. At Christie's this costume (without the undershirt) went for $ 3,000 before Buyer's Premium. The fact that it was the first Kirk item to sell on the IAW auctions was surely significant. I think the price was a bit high, but always factors such as who is bidding, is it to complete a collection etc., skew those issues.

The Kirk climbing costume is a similar item. The one at Christie's had both climbing boots and the talc bag. It went for $ 3,000. Here, a less complete one, without boots or the bag, went for $ 3,366.

The Spock Camping costume was very nice (all that was needed was Spock's rocket boots!) and went for $ 3,405. The same bidder won the McCoy Commando costume at $ 3,363 (and the Sybok robes!). I happen to know that this bidder has both the Kirk and Spock Commando costumes already and is something of a Star Trek V geek! Well, there had to be ONE is the entire galaxy! :-)

I like the Dr. Crusher Naval costume from Star Trek: Generations (a very under-rated movie). I think this went on the high side compared to what these went for at Christie's, but none the less, it is a good deal as it will make a beautiful display.

The Captain Picard "Tapestry" distressed uniform deserves special mention as that is simply one of the best TNG episodes. Picard gets to relieve the fateful days at the academy when he got in a fight that left him with an artificial heart. He learns s very valuable lesson and changes for it. If you don't learn to not have any regrets in your life after watching this episode, you need to get your head examined! A nice costume that has deep meaning. I gave this my buy of the week.

I also like Ensign Ro's jumpsuit at $ 1,820.83. I bid on this, but had to stay within a budget and so I let it go. A very nice costume for one of my favorite characters. It should look great on display as that red looks great in person.

Starfleet uniform jumpsuits from TNG settled into the $ 7-800 range. I think they are good buys for the average Star Trek fan/collector. You are getting a real piece of Star Trek history at a great price. Shopping for bargains is getting easier as people realize how much stuff there is and prices fall. 57 items went for under $ 400 this week, including Kyle Riker's Anbo-Jyutsu uniform at $ 395 and the Traveler's costume at $ 232! These are memorable costumes at bargain prices!

This week's Awards:

Best Item of the Week: Captain Picard "Tapestry" Jacket (The Kirk was incomplete and with the wrong shirt, this item is from one of the best TNG episodes)

Best Buy of the week: Uhura Commando Costume $ 999.89 This was complete with boots which are hard to find. A steal!

Worst Buy of the week: Counselor Troi Casual Costume $ 3,005. Way too much for a basic costume.

Sleeper of the Week: Vice Admiral top $ 610 A rare piece at a great price.


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Star Trek V Kirk Field Duty Uniform $ 6,253

Star Trek V Spock Camping Costume $ 3,405

Star Trek V Kirk Climbing Costume $ 3,366

Star Trek V McCoy Commando Costume $ 3,363

TNG Dr. Crusher Uniform and Lab Coat $ 3,250


Special thanks to Aaron Carlson, who every week, compiles all the stats on that week's auctions.


And what did I win this week?

Well, first the Uhura Commando outfit. Yeah, I gave myself an award for this, but it was a steal! I will post a photo when I get this to show off the boots. I also won the Star Trek III Special Services Costume, which is truly beautiful and VERY rare (and has the first belt we have seen on these costumes).

As always, good hunting!

Alec

Robert Blackman Interview

The following are excerpts from a web chat with Robert Blackman, who was Start Trek costume designer from Year 3 of Next Generation through Enterprise. I have edited the interview as it is quite long, highlighting parts that I think are relevant to collecting and the current It's a Wrap auctions. Note the answer to one question that foreshadows the Christie's and IAW auctions; and this was 1999!


The full chat transcript is on Star Trek.com here:


08.26.1999

Bob Blackman is here with us today to answer your questions about costume design and wardrobe on Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine and Star Trek: Voyager. Mr. Blackman has been designing "other-worldly" garb since the third season of Star Trek: The Next Generation back in 1990.


Q: Of all the costumes that you designed for star trek, which one was your favorite?
Jadzia D

BB: It is impossible to decide which child you love best. They're all my favorites.


Q: I was impressed with the variety of Garak's wardrobe, which was in keeping with his role as tailor. Was it difficult to keep coming up with interesting ideas for his costumes?
wijdan

BB: No it was not difficult. Those particular kinds of items are the most fun and the easiest to come up with. The more difficult part is convincing the actor they'll look good in it. All of his clothes were lined with neoprene (wetsuit fabric)... not very comfortable to wear. Andy's a really good sport.


Q: I am just wondering how you think up the strange clothes that Neelix has to wear? Some of the fabrics look very cool!!
marbeo

BB: Neelix comes from the same spot in my brain that Garak, Quark, Moogie and Zek. The fabrics are obviously exotic, and it takes some searching to find. There are many bald sofas around town.


Q: I would like to know what all the costumes are made out of, meaning Cardassian, Borg, and Klingon, Jem Hadar, etc. They always look a lot like armor.
Julie

BB: Well... They are like armor. The Cardassians breast plates are made out of blown rubber. They weigh about 30 lbs each. The Borg, as we know them now are also made out of blown rubber and are a two piece jumpsuit. The Klingons are made out of jumbo spandex and leather. And lots of fake fur. The Jem H'adar out of neoprene covered in leather and stretch lycra.


Q: Is there anywhere a fan could just browse and buy some set costumes?
Jonathan

BB: There are rumors that some items from the original series, the movies, TNG and DS9 will be up for auction at yet undisclosed auction houses in LA and NY. Probably on EBay as well. That's about the only place you can get an authentic one.


Q: Was it you that changed the uniforms of Starfleet from the old span-dex type to the collared relaxed type?
darkcontact

BB: Yes. I was brought on for the 3rd season of TNG to do just that.


Q: What type of fabric are the uniforms made of? What do you normally use for alien clothing? Also, where on earth did you come up with the weird clothing for Neelix and the Cardassians?
StillShining

BB: The uniforms are made out of wool gabardine. Light weight. The t-shirts are made out of cotton-lycra... The greys and the colors are specially dyed and that's it.


Q: Good Evening Mr. Blackman! Did The TNG cast complain about the new uniforms because they were made of wool? Are they really very hot to work in?
Matt

BB: No, they did not complain about the fact that the uniforms were made of wool. They were complaining that the uniforms before me were made of spandex which doesn't breathe like wool, retains body odor unlike wool, and allows you never to eat again.


Q: Did you design the Borg costumes?
Katherine

BB: No. The original Borg were designed by Durinda Wood and the First Contact Borg were designed by Deborah Everton. The only Borg I have designed is Seven of Nine. And the Drone.


Q: Do you get the final say on what the costumes are to look like or do they have to be authorised by Rick Berman etc?
Ice_RSQ_10

BB: Yes and yes. Rick Berman and I confer on the final product. His hand reaches everywere and touches everything. And he has an extraordinary design sense.


Q: Do you have a personal gallery with some of the Star Trek costumes you have designed?
Stanley

BB: No. All garments produced in the Star Trek workroom are sole property of Paramount Pictures.


Q: How long does it normally take for a Starfleet uniform to be constructed?
Stanley

BB: The SF uniforms are deceptive. At least to me. They appear to be very simple. Kind of a 24th century version of a NASA jumpsuit. But in reality they are anything but simple. The simpler things look, for the most part, the harder they are to do. For the shirts and the uniforms to rest as smoothly as they do on the actors' bodies requires considerable inner structure. So now, we can still do a turnaround on these in about 48 hours, but it is a real push.


Q: Its gone 3am here in England so i will make this quick....do you have a budget to consider when desighning a new costume????
Richard

BB: Yes I do. Depending on many different things... One, is it a recurring character? Two, how big are the other budgets for the other areas on this episode? Three, and the number that are to be produced. If there is one, or if there is 20, the cost per character is the same. It's just how much they want to come up with.


Q: Okay, so what's the deal w/ the jackets that Capt. Picard and some other sr. staff kept having to pull down all the time?
Jovia

BB: That pulling down is referred to as "The Picard Maneuver". It started actually with the spandex suits. Patrick has a keen sense of close-up. He would grab the middle of his spandex suit as he sat in order to give it a tug so that as he was seated and they were pushing in for a close-up... so he would look picture-perfect. When the uniforms became two piece uniforms for comfort, he just naturally continued. And hence, the Picard Maneuver.


Q: Mr. Blackman, I wanted to ask you if you designed Kate Mulgrew's nightgown on Voyager, or, if you bought it from a lingere store. I am trying to find one just like it, but to no avail.
ST FAN

BB: Actually, I can't remember. If we bought it, we mucked around with it. If we made it, we made it. All purchases have our stamp on them.


Q: is Seven of nines costume as tight as it seems?
Ice_RSQ_10

BB: Yes. The understructure takes about 20 minutes to get into. The jumpsuit another 20.


Q: I was wondering whether your job is relatively easy, considering the regular crew where the same uniform every week?
Big O

BB: During the season we make 4-6 uniforms for each actor. So although it seems like we do nothing... we do a lot.


Q: How was Q's judge costume made? Was it hot for the actor to wear? Where did you get the necklace? Also, what did you do if either of the actresses playing the Borg Queen had to use the restroom?
fan from Austin, TX

BB: Q's judge outfit and necklace were rented by Bill Theiss. The Borg Queens are encouraged not to drink. Or eat. All else failing, we stop and take them out of it. Not an easy chore. But we are humane.


Q: What material is seven of nines costume?
Ice_RSQ_10

BB: It is made out of a 4 way stretch lycra with a metallic thread that runs through. We buy it off-white and dye it.


Q: Does Paramount allow actors and guest actors to keep their uniforms?
LB

BB: No.



Thank you very much, Bob, for taking the time to chat with us today. We're all looking forward to the upcoming season of Star Trek: Voyager.

BB: Thanks for having me. Keep watching and buy everything they advertise.

Thanks a lot. - Bob.

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 8 Preview

Week 8 Preview

Week 8 of the It's a Warp Star Trek auctions is a good week, focusing on Star Trek: The Next Generation and costumes from Star Trek V (With a smattering of props from ST: Insurrection). This means the first Kirk, Spock and McCoy uniforms we have seen. Though not complete, they are nice, and you have to remember that costumes of the big 3 are very hard to come by.

As I mentioned in my previous blog entry, IAW is doing a nice job of the "themed" listings, listing groups of costumes and props from a specific show or shows. The movies tend to be listed with items from one of the shows. I think this gives people a nice rhythm as some weeks you are going after items from your favorite show, and then you may have a week or two off to gather your resources! Being a Star Trek fan just got a lot more expensive and this will last for months.

I think this week will see a huge dichotomy of items, as there are a dozen or so great hero pieces and then a lot of less desirable guest costumes from The Next Generation. As of Sunday, there were 74 out of 100 items UNDER $ 300. That is unusual, and I think it is because the product mix is very diverse and heavily weighted towards less desirable guest costumes and few props of great interest.

Captain Kirk Commando Costume

Kirk's Commando costume from Star Trek V is the top item so far. It will most likely stay that way. Incomplete as it has no belt or rank insignia, it is none the less a great piece and easily completed with replica parts. I think the attraction here is that it is a rare costume, and easily more affordable than a Kirk "Wrath of Khan" style red jacket and pants (which went for $ 24,000 at Christie's). There was one of these at Christie's which went for $ 3,000 without the white undershirt or belt and insignia, like this one. This audience on eBay has not seen anything from Kirk yet and so this one could easily go over $ 4,000. Note that the white turtleneck undershirt is not correct for this costume, as the one in the movie had the notched front. This one may be a Shatner, but not for this costume.

Now there is also a Kirk Climbing outfit, the complete one having gone at Christie's, this one is lacking the boots, the belt and the talc bag. (climbers use Talc to add grip to their fingers). It is cheap right now, but it is a Kirk and this could be a steal. Worth a look.

Crusher Naval Costume from "Generations"

This costume from Star Trek: Generations is listed as "Gates # 2" and it should be noted that the complete version of this was sold in lot # 86 that had 5 of these from different characters. Of course Gates McFadden's character took a dip in the ocean courtesy of Data, and so would need more than one costume.

This is a beautiful costume, and should go over $ 3,000 easy. at Christie's this lot went for $ 6,600 for 5 of these that were complete with hats! That was one of the steals of that auction. This costume is already at $ 1,756 on Sunday.

Picard "Tapestry" distressed uniform

If "Tapestry" isn't one of your top 5 favorite Next Gen episodes, it should be! Why? because it is the Star Trek episode, that more than any other teaches a life lesson that we all should appreciate, and it is fun and interesting, and we see Picard make the biggest leap in his personal growth. I LOVE this episode. Along with "Inner Light" it is the bets written of all the Next Gen Episodes.

So this costume has a lot of meaning, and I am obviously not the only one to think so! Bidding is over $ 1,200 on Sunday. This is the costume Picard is wearing when we see him lying on the Med table at the beginning of the episode; his artificial heart damaged by a weapon's blast. I see this costume going over $ 3,000.

Spock Star Trek V Campfire Costume

OK, Star Trek V was weak. We all agree on that (except one of my friends who loves it - you know who you are!). But there were moments in that movie that were good, and I think the campfire scene at the end was one. This is Spock's costume from that scene. I mean Spock playing his Harp and roasting "Marsh Melons"! I love this outfit for how different it is than any other Spock costume. Now, that doesn't mean I am bidding on it, because it doesn't fit into my costume collection's theme. And I am not sure how much everyone else will love it, but this should go for between $ 1,500 and $ 2,500.


Other Great costumes

Well, there is a McCoy Commando and Uhura Commando from Star Trek V. Both nice, but needing belts. The McCoy also has the stunt man's pants, not DeForest Kelley's, so know that before bidding. If you win these, you can get the repro belts easily. There is a nice Ensign Ro, one of TNG's most interesting recurring characters. Also a La Forge, a Deanna Troi and a Crusher. All good costumes. You might get a reasonable price on these as the big money will be chasing the Kirk, Spock and McCoy as well as the Crusher.

Don't get me started on how much I hate the Anbo-Jyutsu costumes. Oh, the costumes are cool, but that whole scene is one of the WORST scenes in TNG and just showcased how bad the writing was at times in Season's one and two. Stop making up stupid future sports like "Paresi Squares". There hasn't been a new sport in the last 100 year's that means anything and there won't be some new stupid martial art in a future where 100 million people die in World War III unless one of the Eugenic supermen thinks it up while conquering half the world. (sorry...rant over)

And while I am on things I hate, there is the Wesley Crusher "Acting Ensign" uniform. That is another Gene Roddenberry-ism I hated. How many times will that kid save the Enterprise? I finally liked him when he screwed up with red Squad in "First Duty". This costume is only the shirt, and it ISN'T his acting ensign costume as IAW claims, but the one he wore before Picard gave him his pseudo field commission. After that he wore a two-tone grey costume as "acting ensign".

So the high end of the costume selection is very heavy this week. This means there could be some good buys as there is only so much money out there. I think we are seeing that prices are coming down on less that the very best each week. So look for the good buys in the secondary characters.

The guest star costumes are interesting, but should all go cheap.


Props

The Star Trek: Insurrection PADD is the top prop in a week with few props of interest. it is a rarer lighted version and shows the "Briar Patch" from that movie. Very cool, and this could go close to $ 2,000.

There is a Klingon Bat'leth, but it is made of foam rubber. If you have been reading my posts, you know I stay away from these due to their tendency to degrade over time.

After that there is nothing noteworthy, but a bunch of Son'a and Starfleet LCARS displays, which if you get them cheap, might be a good deal. They would look nice in a Star Trek display.

Don't overpay on props this week. Be patient as there is so much more to come.


OVERVIEW

The value is in the costumes this week. The auction is deep in good costumes. Bid wisely and focus on one or two costumes you really want. Hopefully you are being smart and bidding within your means. Remember, be patient, and you will get what you want at a good price.

Feel free to email me with questions or post a comment here! PLEASE include your email if you post a comment here if you want a response, as I don't always want to respond to individual questions on the Blog, but happy to do so if you email me.

Good hunting!

Alec

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 7 results

Week 7

Week 7 of the Star Trek auctions on eBay from It's a Wrap Hollywood ended with a record 96 of the 99 lots selling for a total of $61,374. The record low number of items that did not hit reserve was due largely to It's a Wrap's judicious use of reserves this time. It seems that IAW is finally getting the message and reserves are becoming rarer each week. Some sources tell me there are only two overworked (and presumably underpaid!) workers in the warehouse who are doing ALL the work for these auctions. Not sure if that is true, but it would explain the delay many buyers seem to have to endure in getting their items, as well as the lack of a cohesive strategy and inefficient technology IAW is using. If this is true, my hats off to those two poor guys! Tell the boss to get you some 21st century technology! This past week saw a wonderful variety of uniforms, costumes and props from Deep Space Nine. I must congratulate It's a Wrap on these "themed" weeks as they offer the fan of a particular series a great variety of items. It is fun to see so many items of one show.

As far as what sold, this was a VERY strange week. The Sisko Commando style uniform should have been the top item in the sale. It was a uniform that could have gone over $4,000 with no problem, but it only fetched $ 3,100 to regular buyer filmwelt_Berlin. What is crazy is that this wasn't the highest selling item in the auction! That honor was reserved for Major Kira's Bajoran uniform, which went for an insane $ 3,601, which was 50% higher than the price these costumes realized at Christie's last October! That is the first time this has happened in the 7 weeks of these auctions. It should be noted that the buyer had zero feedback.


Garak's costume went for $3,250, which was well over where it should have sold. This was the final costume Andrew Robinson wore in "In the Pale Moonlight" one of the very best DS9 episodes, where Garak helps Sisko bring the Romulans into the Dominion War. The scene where Sisko knocks Garak across the table and then Garak tells Sisko how saving the Alpha Quadrant was worth his self respect, is one of the very best scenes in the entire run, and shows why Andrew Robinson did such a masterful job portraying the Cardassian spy. Still $ 3,250? That is WAY overpriced. This eBay member, has only won two oither items in a year and a half and one was an autographed photo of Andrew Robinson as Garak, so a true fan!

There were good buys out there as well. I really think this was the week when people looked for the second tier gems. I got the Nog Cadet uniform, which is one of my Star Trek holy grails. I was totally fired up about that one. At $1,075 it was a good deal. A friend of mine won the "Ishka" (Quark and Rom's Mom) and he was excited to have won at under $ 800 (with a Versace bag that was worth that by itself!). The Romulan Disruptor at $1,237 is a stunning prop. Made of resin, the detail photo in the ad showed how sharp this weapon is. The lot of two Quark green costumes was a good deal also at $1,348, coming out to $ 675 per costume.

Only three items didn't hit reserve this week. It was interesting that the first Jem H'dar costume went for $1,561, but the second didn't hit reserve at $566. Limited audience there I would guess. The Romulan Phaser didn't hit reserve at $400.25. Not surprising as it is a foam rubber one, and those are notorious for cracking and looking poor after a few years. The Jadzia Dax costume didn't have the grey undershirt, making this costume incomplete.

I think there are a lot of great alien costumes that are going in the $1-2,000 range that will look awesome on display. This week there was a nice Cardassian that sold just over $ 1235 and a female Klingon that went for $1,805. The Reman last week was another, as was the earlier Xindi. All went for less than $2,000. All will make someone very happy as they are quite striking.


Week 7 Awards:


Best Item of the Week: Captain Sisko "Commando" style uniform

Best Buy of the week: DS9/Voyager blue Sciences jumpsuit. Under $ 500? A steal!

Worst Buy of the week: Garak Costume $3,250. An INSANE price for a good costume.

Sleeper of the Week: Quark costume $1,035 A truly beautiful costume. Amazing details and fabrics.

And here are some prices realized and some sales that didn't close because of high reserves:


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Major Kira Bajoran Uniform $ 3,601

Garak Costume $ 3,250

Captain Sisko "Commando" style Uniform $ 3,100

Klingon Warrior Uniform $ 2,850

Chief O'Brien Uniform $ 2,050


TOP 5 ITEMS NOT HITTING RESERVE

Well, there were only 3 items that didn't sell this week!

Jadzia Dax Uniform Jumpsuit $ 598.88

Jem Had Military Uniform $ 566.00

Romulan Disruptor Rifle $ 400.25


Special thanks to Aaron Carlson, who every week, compiles all the stats on that week's auctions.


This week I won the Nog cadet uniform. I am a huge DS9 fan, it being my favorite of all Star Trek shows. Nog is a great character, and like many DS9 characters grew a great deal through the course of the show. I loved the episode where he had to convince Sisko that he wanted to join Starfleet. (Very "Officer and a Gentleman" at one point.). It was great seeing Nog finally get into the academy and then become a full fledged ensign. This costume has been one of my "holy grails" of Star Trek costumes. When it came up this week, I went full bore after it, and was happy to land it in my collection at the reasonable price of $ 1,075.

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 7 Preview

Week 7 Preview

This part of my blog was very popular last week. I will try and get it up by Sunday each week. What is interesting is, all the bidding seems to take place Friday and Saturday as the new auctions are listed, and then nothing till the following Friday when the auctions are ending. In the 5 days in between, nothing really moves. So you have plenty of time to think and strategize.

You might also note that my pricing estimates were pretty good last week. Most notably with the Voyager hero costumes which all went under $ 1,500 as I predicted. The Romulan Senate robes also went in th $400 range as I said they would. I think bidders are being wise about the vast quantity of goods that It's a Wrap has.

This week is a Deep Space Nine week with lots of great costumes from all the key cast members. I like when It's a Wrap does this on one hand, because it adds a nice theme and if you are a fan of a particular show like I am (I am a huge DS9 fan) you get to see much of what is out there.


Sisko Commando style Uniform

The top item so far is Sisko's commando style vest and uniform. Don't ask me why they call it that, but that is the name it has gotten (probably because of Christie's, which auctioned off the Picard). This was seen on Sisko in "In the Pale Moonlight" maybe one of the best DS9 episodes, where Sisko, working with the deliciously devious Garark, brings the Romulans into the war against the Dominion. If it wasn't for the fact that I already have the Sisko Black and Grey Command uniform I won at Christie's, and my best collecting friend wants it, I would go after it. Nice piece, but not as desirable as a complete uniform I think. If it had the Jacket to go with it it would be a gem. None the less, a nice piece from my favorite Captain.


Klingon Costume

Second in the bidding so far is the best Klingon costume yet, as it has the boots. The two Klingon costumes that have sold so far had no boots. It appears that It's a Wrap wisely auctioned off the costumes without boots first, as many of us suspected. (Yeah, I actually said something nice about IAW!) Now they seem to be listing the ones that are more complete. This one has both the boots and a Klingon Comm Badge. If you are after a Klingon costume, these two items are important. I like this one and think it will display well. Considering that the two previous one went for $ 2,285 and $1,827 without boots or a comm badge, this one is probably worth about $ 3,000. If you get it around there I think you have a good deal on an iconic costume.

There is also a female Klingon costume, which is certainly rarer. I would hesitate on this one, because it has no boots. Of course, this doesn't have the big cleavage that Lursa and Betor's costume did either! But if you are inclined to a female Klingon costume, this might be it. Don't go over $ 2,000 on this one. There are certainly more, and maybe better ones to come.
















Other costumes

Well, there are costume of all the DS9 regulars, including a Garak, which strangely never showed up at Christie's. Bashir, Dax, O'Brien, Quark, Rom, Leeta, Kira, they are all here. As well as lesser known characters such as Quark and Rom's mom! DS9 fans should have fun this week. But remember: There are more where these came from. Multiples of each Star Fleet uniform are to be expected, so don't go too high!


Props

The prop selection is a bit weak this time, with only two standout pieces. The DS9 Study Model is quite impressive. This thing is 6' wide! This is one of a small number of models built in designing the station. One sold at Christie's for for $1,800 before buyer's premium, but it was an earlier version that looked nothing like the final one, you see here. These are significant pieces of Star Trek history and I think this is a great item for someone collection who can display it! If you get this under $1,000 you have stolen it! I actually think it is worth more than that because of its historical significance.

There is also a Romulan Disruptor Rifle, which is very nice, but could go high. The one at Christie's went for $2,000, but I would expect a $1,200 sale price here. Fortunately there is no reserve on this one. It is made of resin, which is important. Resin is a hard plastic that doesn't deform of degrade. There is a Romulan Disruptor Pistol also this week, but it is foam rubber. These weapons will tend to crack and the finish winds up looking crappy, so I always stay away from them unless you get them cheap.

The Cardassian Circuit Panels went for $2,600 at Christie's, but should be a third of that this time. I mention Christie's prices as the high end of the spectrum. Items are generally going for 1/3 - 1/2 of what they went for at Christie's due to the smaller population of bidders here. I think this piece looks good and will display well. If you get it under $800, I think it is a good deal.

If you are a DS9 fan, then the O'Brien and Bashir Dart Set is a great item. This is a piece we saw time and again in the show and helps define the relationship between the two DS9 crew members. A good deal at anything under $700.


OVERVIEW

Well, it should be an interesting week, though with no block buster costumes or props. DS9 fans will be happy (as I am) and should get something they like at a reasonable price. The beauty of these auctions is that there is so much stuff, you just need to be patient, and you will get what you want cheap.

Feel free to email me with questions or post a comment here! PLEASE include your email if you post a comment here if you want a response, as I don't always want to respond to individual questions on the Blog.

Good hunting!

Alec

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 6 results

Week 6

The sixth week of the Star Trek auctions on eBay from It's a Wrap Hollywood ended with 92 of the 99 lots selling for a total of $68,883.85. That was the second highest total for these auctions since they began. It also represented the highest sell through It's a Wrap has seen, as this past week they finally wised up and minimized the number of reserves. The selection was maybe the best so far, and thus the auction results were very strong.

The top item of the week was the Admiral Janeway costume seen being worn by the former Voyager Captain in both Star Trek: Nemesis and the Star Trek Experience Borg Invasion show. A beautiful piece, it sold for $5,100, the most yet for a Star trek item in these auctions. It was a stunning costume and probably one of a kind.

Satan's Robot sold for $4,628.00, which was the second highest price paid for an item so far. The robot featured in the Captain Proton holodeck scenes, this was also a rare and dynamite piece.

23 items sold for over $1,000, which is second only behind the first week. If you ignore the first week as an aberration, because everyone was feeling out the auctions, then this past week was significant. However, the rarity of an item is becoming very important as costumes are coming down in price if they are perceived as common. While last week a background player costume Voyager style costume went for $449.11, a record low, this week Voyager costumes continued to plummet as star costumes went for unheard of low prices. The Doctor's uniform went for $1,425, a Tuvok went for $1,325 , a Tom Paris went for $1,358, and a Harry Kim went for $1,225. Even the rare Tuvok dress uniform went for only $1,528. This shows that people know there are lots of these uniforms out there and they aren't that rare.

Now props continue to sell high. An Enterprise E console sold for $3,500, a hero Tricorder went for $2,560 and a Dr. Phlox faux blood draw kit went for $2,025. These were all strong prices for props. Overall, props are doing well, and getting good prices across the board. Few props sell below what they should.

There were some nice costumes this past week. One costume of note was the Commander Madden from Star Trek: Nemesis. Madden was Riker's replacement as first officer on the Enterprise when Riker takes over the Titan. It went for a strong $2,650. The corresponding "Helm Officer Branson" costume went for $1,635. What is amazing, is that a background operations costume of the same style went for $1,525! These costumes are exceptionally popular, and very attractive in person. They continue to get high prices for background costumes. In fact this background costume went higher than all the aforementioned Voyager hero costumes!

Of course, it just wouldn't be an It's a Wrap auction without some crazy reserves. The good news is this week has less reserves than any other week. But predictably, IAW set reserves on some items based on the high prices realized at Christie's. Two Phaser Rifles didn't hit reserve, and one hit $2,025! Based on the extremely high prices IAW is asking for similar rifles on their web site, one can assume the reserves were set in the $4,000-5,000 range. Prices they will never get online. Also, the Romulan Senate stools were a hot item at Christie's, selling for $800 each (not including the Buyer's Premium) in a set of six. Here the top bid was $1,036 for two, not hitting the reserve that was probably at least $ 1,600. As usual, we will see these items come back in later weeks without a reserve.

So here are some awards for the week:

Best Item of the Week: Admiral Janeway costume

Best Buy of the week: Doctor, Tuvok, Paris and Kim costumes, all under $1,500!

Worst Buy of the week: 24th Century Starfleet Carry Case $1,503. Are you KIDDING me??

Sleeper of the Week: Female Q at $560. Suzie Plaxson as the female Q in Voyager. Great price, memorable role.


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD


Admiral Janeway costume $ 5,100

Satan's Robot $ 4,658

Nemesis Enterprise Console $ 3,500

Nemesis Commander Madden Uniform $ 2,650

Nemesis Hero Tricorder $ 2,560


TOP 5 ITEMS NOT HITTING RESERVE


Star Trek: Nemesis Phaser Rifle $ 2,025

Cardassian Soldier Uniform $ 1,701

Star Trek: Nemesis Phaser Rifle $ 1,625

Romulan Senate Stools $ 1,036

Romulan Senate Stools and Chair $ 936

Special thanks to Aaron Carlson, who every week, compiles all the stats on that week's auctions. He does a great job, and has a nice Star Trek collection which I will be featuring in the blog real soon.

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 6 Preview

Week 6 Preview

I have decided to start a new part of this blog by previewing each week's auctions and giving my feedback, and the feedback of my collector friends, on the current week's auctions. Hopefully this information will help you make good decisions on the items up for bid. In addition, it gives collectors a chance to ask questions in the comments section that I will answer to help you in your Star Trek collecting.

This week is probably the best week yet for premium Star Trek items. Lots of great props and costumes. Of course it is really bad strategy for It's a Wrap to list so much good stuff in one week. but one thing we have come to expect is for them not to really have a great strategy for the whole long term eBay auction process. But there loss is our gain (assuming the stop with the ridiculous reserves). So here is what we have:


Admiral Janeway Costume

Ok, this is the creme of the auction and already, on Saturday, at $5,100, making it the highest priced item to sell so far, as there is no reserve. I know that the bidder has set his eye on this and this item will certainly go for over $ 6,000. It is stunning and a great piece. This is the uniform that Janeway wears in Star Trek: Nemesis when she orders Picard to Romulus. There are few collectors bidding on the auctions on IAW that will go after this, but it will look good wherever it lands.


Phaser Rifles

OK, why are there two of these in one week? Does that make ANY sense? Geez, these guys constantly baffle me. That being said, these are both nice "Nemesis" style Type III Phaser rifles. One has a working flashlight and the other does not, currently reflected in the differing prices.
There are reserves on both, which, knowing IAW, is probably in the $ 4,000 range. They still think they can get what items went for at Christie's. Now at Christie's a "Hero" version of this rifle went for $ 8,000 before buyer's premium. It had the flashlight and retractable strap, which is indicative of the "Hero" versions. A lot of 4 resin, non-hero versions went for $ 6,500, or $ 1,625 each before buyer's premium. IAW simply doesn't tell you enough about the condition and features of each prop. So based on the current market for Phaser Rifles and what they went for at Christie's, I think these are probably worth $ 4,000 each. Their provenance is without question and they appear in good shape. I am simply not sure the eBay market will bear these prices, which is more than any prop has gone for so far.


NEMESIS COSTUMES

There are two "Nemesis" costumes of note. The first is the Commander Madden uniform. Madden is the first officer taking over for Riker at the end of "Nemesis". Nice uniform with a Comm badge and rank. I would guess this one goes in the $ 2,000 range. The other is a Reman costume, which I think is gorgeous and will look great on display. Judging by recent auctions, and the fact that the Xindi costume, which is based on the Reman costume went for $1,200, I think this will go in the same price range.

In addition, there are several Romulan Senator robes (there should be a bunch...look at that scene in "Nemesis") which would be a nice get as I think they go cheap. Don't pay over $ 400 for these. There are also two nice Romulan Fleet Officer uniforms. Now these are not nearly as nice as the hero ones (The Commander Donatra one that sold at Christie's was STUNNING and I am hating myself for not winning that during the Christie's auction). The Hero versions were custom decorated, while these are just screen printed it appears. I have always liked the Romulan uniforms, all the way back to TOS.

VOYAGER UNIFORMS

This is the Nemesis/Voyager week and almost every major Voyager character has a uniform in this week's auction. There is a Seven of Nine stunt costume, a Tuvok dress uniform, a regular Tuvok, a Chakotay, a Paris, a Kim, a Doctor, a Kes and a distressed Janeway. The thing to remember about these is that there are a TON of each of these. Think of it...7 seasons for which they probably made at least 3 each season. That is over 20 copies of each! At this point in the life cycle of these auctions (remember, there are at least 6 months of auctions) I wouldn't pay over $ 1,500 for any of these, and less fo rthe Janeway and Kes. I am buying a Doctor from a friend for $ 2,000 WITH a comm badge. That should tell you where the market is. This is a long auction and I know many of us would be amazed if there aren't a lot more of these to come.


And if you are looking for something unique, look at the Captain Braxton future Starfleet uniform from Voyager.


OTHER SIGNIFICANT PROPS

The "Satan's Robot" is an awesome prop and I will tell you I am going after it in hope of snagging the Captain proton costume if it ever comes up. It is really cool, especially for fans of the Captain Proton episodes. The Dr. Chaotica costume went at a Profiles in History auction a few years ago and the Janeway "Bride of Chaotica" costume went at Christie's.

The Compression Phaser Rifle is nice, but it is rubber and I HATE rubber props. They crack and the paint flakes and in a few years they look like crap. Speaking of which, when you see Borg and Hirogen costumes BEWARE. They are made of latex which breaks down. I had a discussion with a former Hollywood model builder who said he wouldn't collect any latex costume because of the way they break down. Now, these have gone at reasonable prices it seems, but please beware of the problems and know you will have to take good care of any latex costume.

The Romulan Senate stools are beautiful, but went for INSANE prices at Christie's, so expect an absurd reserve from IAW. I doubt any of those will hit reserve.


OVERVIEW

If you search the It's a Wrap auctions as I do (click here), you should look on page 2. The second 50 items are all $ 100 or less as of Saturday night. There are some props that will go cheap and some costumes you will be able to get at good prices as they are not main characters. If you aren't a big collector, and more a fan, there are some bargains to be had there.

Feel free to email me with questions or post a comment here!

Good hunting!

Alec

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 5 results

Week 5

Week Five of the Star Trek auctions on eBay from It's a Wrap Hollywood ended with 82 of the 100 lots selling. 18 lots didn't hit the reserve price. It was a good week as there were many interesting items up this week, including costumes from Star Trek: The Motion Picture and a slew of cadet uniforms from the movies, Next Generation and Voyager.

The top item of the week was the Seven of Nine Jumpsuit which though it was bid up to $ 5,032.99 didn't hit reserve! This was just another example of over-estimation of the potential price by It's a Wrap. The costume was without the inner corset or the shoes. Anyone who knows Star Trek costumes will tell you that makes this costume incomplete. Two items have now gone over $ 5,000 in the 5 weeks of these auctions (the other being the Phlox Space Suit), and neither has reached reserve. Maybe It's a Warp doesn't realize the rich people who were bidding at Christie's are not bidding on eBay.

What is really interesting is that only 11 items sold for over $ 1,000. That is the lowest total since the second week (during Christmas) and shows a trend we have seen for the last two weeks of common items decreasing in price. This will only continue over the next few months as the people who want the costumes get them and prices keep falling. Already some of the top collectors who I talk with each week have told me they are being very careful with their budgets as they are "pacing" themselves. You simply do not see the emotion and auction hysteria you did at Christie's. In fact a Starfleet Voyager style uniform went for $ 449.11, which is the lowest price yet! A real Star Trek uniform for under $ 500 is a steal, but you will continue to see this.

None the less there were some interesting pieces, with two great Star Trek: The Motion Picture costumes, two of the very desirable Star Trek II style red officer uniform jackets from the movies and rare Starfleet Security Officer costume from Star Trek III, which sadly did not hit whatever absurd reserve It's a Warp set. There was also an outstanding Vulcan Musician costume. The fact that neither the Seven of Nine nor the Starfleet Security Officer uniform hit reserve shows a lack of strategy on the part of It's a Wrap. Faceman99, the high bidder on the Security Uniform, said "I will just wait till they put it back on eBay without a reserve as they have done with the previous items not to hit reserve". At this point, regular bidders know that an item that doesn't hit reserve will show up two or three weeks later without a reserve. So what is the point of the reserve in the first place?

After lengthy discussions with some top Star Trek collectors and analyzing the past few weeks auctions, two trends are clear. First, there is a limited pool of money out there and people are being careful what they bid on. I think this also speaks to people who bid a lot early and were no where to be found this past week. Second, prices will continue to decline, both due to this and the fact that there are lots of duplicates of costumes and people are starting to see that. Why over-pay, when you can wait and get the item when it comes around again?

Here are some prices realized and some sales that didn't close because of high reserves:


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Klingon Warrior Costume $ 2,225

Star Trek: The Motion Picture Two Piece Uniform $ 1,503

Hirogen Hunter Costume $ 1,384

Starfleet Movie Red Uniform Jacket $ 1,375

Next Generation Worf 9th Place Trophy $ 1,341


TOP 5 ITEMS NOT HITTING RESERVE

Seven of Nine Jumpsuit $ 5,033

Star Trek III Starfleet Security Costume $ 1,027

Admiral Jameson Jacket $ 725

Picard Undercover Costume $ 663

First Contact Starfleet Uniform Command Red $ 610


This week is clearly the best week yet. It is a combination of Voyager and "Nemesis" items and features over a dozen "Star" costumes. The biggest item being the Admiral Janeway costume from Star Trek:Nemesis, which is already up to $ 5,100! Also, every main Voyager character is represented. And my favorite piece is the Robot from "The Adventures of Captain Proton", Tom Paris's holodeck program. It is really a classic piece!


So what did I win this past week? Well, I got a feature film enlisted crewman jumpsuit that I have wanted for $ 810. It was a good deal on this jumpsuit and a very similar one went for the same price a bit earlier in this week's auctions. I also won the Future Cadet jumpsuit from Star Trek: Voyager, which had a comm badge on it, making it a steal at $ 535. Gems like this are becoming more common as prices come down.

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 4 results

Week 4

The fourth week of Star Trek auctions on eBay from It's a Wrap Hollywood ended with 75 of the 100 lots selling. 25 lots didn't hit the reserve price. This was an interesting week because it was an almost all "Enterprise" week, with every item in this weeks auctions being from Star Trek: Enterprise. But it also was a week when It's a Wrap decided to put reserves on more auctions than ever, obviously not learning the lessons of the past week, when items that didn't sell with reserves in week 1, sold without reserves in week 3.

No item better exemplified this than the "Phlox" space suit from "Enterprise", which failed to hit reserve and went unsold at $ 5,600 . Now four of these sold in the Christie's auction (Archer and T'Pol for $ 8,000 and Reed and trip for $ 8,500), and I am sure It's a Wrap thought they would get the same for this one. The reserve was likely $ 8,000 or so based on It's a Wrap setting reserves based on Christie's sale prices. Now, if there was no reserve, the item would have sold for $ 5,600, which wouldn't be bad, considering Phlox is not as important a character as any of the ones that sold at Christie's, and there is simple not as big an audience now bidding on these items. Actually, the space suit might have sold higher. I would have bid $ 6,000 easy on it if I didn't think there was an $ 8,000 reserve. These suits are MAGNIFICENT. I have seen the T'Pol, which Stephen Lane of the prop Store of London has on display. When it comes back on eBay (which it will of course), I will be going after it.

Again, the background player costumes that are from TNG, are selling at insanely high prices for non-named actor costumes. This week a red one sold for $ 1,994 and the costume didn't belong to any main character! It was a background player costume. These items seem to be the most in-demand items in the auctions.

The Hoshi Sato at $ 1,800 was reasonably priced as was the Enterprise Phase Pistol and holster at $ 1,526. At Christie's these Phase Pistols went for $ 3,600 before the buyer's premium. Rounding out the top 5 was a model of the runabout \s engine pod from DS9 which went for a respectable $ 1,353.

Now what was really interesting, is that a Terran Empire costume that went for $ 2,225 the second week, only fetched $ 1,000 two weeks later! And the Enterprise jumpsuits that were selling for $ 1,625 and $ 1,575 in Week 1, sold for $ 1,099, $ 910, $ 831 and $ 810. The trend is obvious and not good for It's a Wrap, which surely has many more of these.


The highest priced item not to reach reserve was the Phlox Space Suit at $ 5,600. After that, a Maco jumpsuit only reached $ 560 and didn't hit reserve. A Klingon Rura Penthe guard costume and two Andorian costumes also hit just over $ 500 each and they didn't hit reserve either. Frankly, any reserve higher than $ 500 for costumes like these is really unrealistic. And the fact that there is so little interest in them means the audience on eBay is limited and without unlimited funds.

One of the highlights of this past week, which many collector's missed, was the T'Pau costume from "Enterprise". T' Pau was an important character from the Original Series episode "Amok Time". And her costume from that episode went for $ 45,000 at Christie's. Here the one from Enterprise (granted about 40 years younger than its predecessor's) sold for only $ 1,225. It is a significant costume from an important character in Star Trek lore.

Here are some prices realized and some sales that didn't close because of high reserves:


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Captain Archer Jumpsuit (distressed) $ 2,055

Next Generation Red Command Uniform $ 1,994

Hoshi Sato Jumpsuit $ 1,800

Enterprise Phase Pistol and holster $ 1,526

Deep Space Nine Runabout Engine Pod $ 1,353


TOP 5 ITEMS NOT HITTING RESERVE

"Phlox" Space Suit $ 5,600

Terran Empire MACO uniform $ 560

Klingon Rura Penthe Guard costume $ 355

Enterprise Andorian Captain uniform $ 506

Enterprise Andorian Soldier uniform $ 505


This week may be the most interesting week yet. Already a Seven of Nine costume is up to $ 2,900. And there are many costumes from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. A Guard costume from Star Trek III is a really nice and rare costume (only scene in that movie). It is missing the belt and has the wrong insignia, but none the less, very nice. There are many great costumes, but not a lot of great props this week.

Alec

Displaying Star Trek Costumes

I finally got to display my Sisko and Kirk costumes that I won at the Christie's auction. I bought half-forms and stands just like Christie's had. They look great. Here are the uniforms as they are displayed in my living room.



Now here are what the displays look like:



It is two pieces and costs $ 15.95 for the form and $ 29.95 for the stand. Well worth it. Find them here:

http://www.advantagefixtures.com/htmldocs/halfroundforms.html

Here is how my living room looks now!

Thanks for looking!

Alec

It's a Wrap eBay auctions - Week 3 results

Week 3

It's a Wrap Hollywood eBay auctions, Week 3 results The third week of Star Trek auctions on eBay from It's a Wrap Hollywood ended today with 84 of the 99 lots selling. 15 lots did not sell because they did not hit the reserve price. Several items from the first week that did not sell because they did not hit reserve were re-listed this past week. And while many hoped this meant that It's a Wrap had learned its lesson about Reserves, those collectors were let down when the week 4 listings came out with more reserves than ever. Having talked to dozens of collectors about the auctions, I can tell you that the constant reserves are the only real source of discontent about the It’s a Wrap Auctions. The fact that two Klingon masks, one of which was listed week one with a starting price of $ 2,000, sold for just under $ 600 each, shows that It's a Wrap greatly over-estimate's the value of some of the items it puts reserves and high starting bids on.

The MACO Assault Kit, an item that went for $ 3,800 (before reserve) at the Christie's Star Trek auction in New York, topped this week's auctions at $ 2,425. This is the perfect example that it is unrealistic for It's a Wrap to expect to get Christie's prices for expensive items . Some items, notably the background player costumes that are from TNG, are going at crazy prices, but overall, the prices realized are less than those realized at Christie's. This is clearly because the Christie's auction drew a crowd that was not just collectors, but fans as well. Here on eBay, the people viewing the items are collectors for the most part and you won't see crazy prices for most items.

Of course, then you see that someone paid $ 2,031 for an Engineering PADD. Now it was a light up model, which is kind of rare for anything before Entrerprise, but it seems to have sold for twice what it should go for. This and the fourth highest item of the week, the Next Generation yellow command uniform, which went for $ 1,921.89 prove that some people are willing to pay way too much for some items.

The Dax DS9 black and grey costume was a steal at $ 2,030.25 . Some collectors have been paying high prices for the very desirable black and grey uniforms which have been selling at about $ 2,000 in the eBay auctions from It's a Wrap, easily twice the price a background costume of this type should normally go for. Dana Hammontree, the winner of the Dax uniform said "That is a good price for that uniform. It is about what it should go for now that there are so many available." Hammontree, an experienced prop and costume collector feels that the prices have been too high for props, as in the Christie's auction. "The costumes are pretty much going where they should, with the exception of the background player costumes, which are really insane".

Rounding out the top five items was a Klingon Warrior costume which went to Filmwelt_Berlin, the collector for Germany who has bought many high ticket items, both here on eBay and at Christie's. It didn't have boots, which made it somewhat incomplete. But the price was right at $ 1,827; less than half of what the lowest priced Klingon Warrior costume went for at Christie's.


The highest priced item not to reach reserve was a Star Trek: The Motion Picture "Scotty" shirt that was the subject of much discussion. This shirt was never worn by James Doohan in TMP. And the fact that it has the wrong rank insignia is suspect. Yet it has Western Costume tags that have Doohan's name. Speculation is that this might have been made for "Star Trek: Phase II", the aborted second TV show that became the Motion Picture. This seems to be the most reasonable explanation. Whatever the case, the reserve not being met is ridiculous. The item is simply not worth that price considering its dubious provenance. The other pieces that did not hit reserve were not premium items, though the Cardassian costume was nice. But a reserve over $ 1,000 for it is not reasonable.

Probably the funniest item of the week was a Klingon Targ that was tied and gutted. Very cool for those collectors who never can get enough of the Klingons. Here are some prices realized and some sales that didn't close because of high reserves:


5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD

Enterprise MACO Assault Kit $ 2,425

Insurrection Engineering PADD $ 2,031

DS9 Dax Black and Grey Uniform $ 2,030

Next Generation Yellow Operations Uniform $ 1.922

Klingon Warrior Costume $ 1,827


TOP 5 ITEMS NOT HITTING RESERVE

Star Trek: TMP James Doohan shirt $ 1,625

DS9 Cardassian Uniform $ 1,225

MACO Assault Carbine $ 710

DS9 Dukat as Bajoran Lot $ 610

MACO Hand Gun $ 560

Another 100 auctions have been listed by It's a Wrap Hollywood this week. This week it is all Enterprise items, with a Phlox Space Suit being the premium item (and already up to $ 4,550 on Day Two!).


I didn't win anything this past week as there was nothing that really excited me. I love the Space Suit this week, but those went for $ 8,000 before premium at Christie's!