Well, I was at the Creation Grand Slam Convention this past weekend, and Richard Herd (Admiral Paris in Voyager) was there signing autographs. I told him how my buddy Jim Williams (Thot Pran on the Star Trek Prop Forum) won his costume on eBay and he was surprised at how much it went for! So I had Richard sign a photo for Jim. Being a great guy, he joked around with me and then signed it demanding his clothes back!
If you ever see Richard at a convention, get his autograph, he is a true gentleman and will chat with you at length.
Alec
Many of you already know about IAWs sale at its West Side LA location. Tiara Nappi called and told me that they added more props and costumes. Also, just mention the blog and they will give you 20% off. That means you can get some good deals.
Colin told us what would be in the sale and he, of course, knew what he was talking about since he was putting everything together for the sale. Lots of 
background costumes, background Starfleet Universes from all the different series, some small props and a bunch of set pieces. They added a nice Borg mannequin from First Contact, though I think they are asking way too much at $ 4,000. It is latex and foam, and so you know how I feel about these. They also had a batch of background and civilian boots and some more costumes.
I went by this AM and bought a few costumes (With the discount I couldn't afford not to and bought two Starfleet Uniforms and a Vulcan) and a fire extinguisher prop from Enterprise with some cool graphics.
If you are in L.A., it is worth going by and seeing what they have, but don't expect to find any hidden gems. Just the basics, but worth it for a Star Trek fan.
Alec
We have instituted a new award each week, the "Cool Item of the Week". Each week, the members of the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum nominate and vote on what is the coolest item of that week.
This week:
55 forum members voted and The Viceroy Costume was a huge favorite, getting about half the votes.
63rd week of IAW auctions (auctions ending March 28th)
While this is the 63rd week of auctions, It is titled Week 67 to be consistent with the Star Trek Auctions Archive.
Note that I will not generally be covering Buy It Now items, as they are mostly background costumes, or boots or uniform parts. None of which is either interesting or important to write about!
This was a big week for costumes,the exact opposite of last week! Some very good costumes and very few spectacular props.
The Admiral Kirk Civilian Costume went for $ 5,301 and was pretty fairly priced I think. It had neither the jacket or belt buckle that the two that sold at Christie's for $ 10,000 had, and it had some moth damage. But still a fair deal for an important costume.
The Nemesis Reman Viceroy Costume certainly upstaged the Kirk costume as Costume of the Week. At $ 3,828, it was rich for a stunt costume, but that is because the Reman Warrior costumes generally go for $ 2,000 (and rightly so as they are stunning!). So this went for $ 1,800 more than that which certainly is justified by cooler, knee-high boots, a cape and a knife and scabbard! I wish we would see more spectacular costumes like this. But i know IAW is holding many of the best costumes till the end.
The Star Trek V Spock Commando costume was a bit high at $ 3,050 I felt as the undershirt wasn't Spock's, and there were no rank or even boots. There have been a bunch of these, so I don't think they are too special, but none the less it is a Spock and so very cool for the new owner.
The Counsellor Deanna Troi costume went for $ 2,650 and I think that was a good deal for a beautiful costume that even came with rank pips. A Nemesis style of Troi's went for $ 2,651 in week 23 and her non-uniform costumes have been going around $ 3,000.
The Vice Admiral Patterson Costume from Voyager's episode "Relativity" went for $ 1,294. I think this is a lot less interesting than the TNG style with the deep V in the front, but it is an Admiral none the less. Priced about right here.
While I don't mention the Buy It Now's as they are mostly common and uninspiring items, I will mention the Nurse Ogawa Maternity Uniform. Forum superstar and graphics specialist Chrissy from Australia, won this for $ 1,200, which was a good deal as this is pretty unique.
Finally, I won the Kor, the Dahar Master costume lot for $ 677 and was pretty fired up about it. I had John Colicos at the last show he ever did back in 1999. It was a Battlestar Galactica reunion and John was everyone's favorite guest. He was such a gentleman and sadly died shortly thereafter. I have a photo of him as Kor that he personalized to me and I look forward to displaying it with this costume.
As far as props go:
The Xindi Repitliian Rifle went for $ 1,592 and it was a light-up version, which we haven't seen before. Forum member Jay got it after he had agreed to sell me his non-functioning one a few weeks earlier, so I guess he is trading up! These are truly spectacular props and I am happy to be getting one. The paint job on these rifles is not short of amazing.
The Enterprise Romulan Console was a good deal at $ 1,225 and went to my buddy Anthony. I would have gone for it, and I really love these, but I simply don't have enough space to display it! So I am glad it got a good home.
I won the Vulcan Lirpa from the Enterprise episode "Kir'Shara" for $ 1,075 and am pretty happy about that. This is one of those semi-iconic props that everyone knows and has seen. It was of course made famous in the TOS episode "Amok Time" where Spock and Kirk kicked the crap out of each other with them! This of course is the updated version from "Enterprise" and well worth the price.
Forum members Donna and Chris won the Romulan Senator Stools for $ 1,044. There seems to be an unending sup[ply of these, and I hope so as I really want a pair for my new home theater (so don't ever get to my place late or you wind up watching Star Trek on these!).
THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:
Best Costume of the Week: The Nemesis Reman Viceroy Costume at $ 3,828 was a beauty and definitely the best costume this week!
Best Prop of the Week: The Xindi Repitliian Rifle at $ 1,592 is a stunner that you need to see in person to appreciate.
Best Buy of the week: The Starfleet Uniform Jumpsuit Command Gold at $ 565 and the Starfleet Uniform Jumpsuit Sciences at $ 544 were both STEALS!
Worst Buy of the week: None. Stay smart everyone!
Sleeper of the Week: Lt. Reed's Universal Translator from "Demons" was cool and well priced!
HIGHEST PRICED ITEM THAT SOLD
Star Trek: IV Admiral Kirk Civilian Costume at $ 5,301
Star Trek: Nemesis Reman Viceroy Costume at $ 3,828
Star Trek: V Spock Commando costume at $ 3,050
Star Trek: TNG Counsellor Deanna Troi costume at $ 2,650
Star Trek: Enterprise Xindi Repitliian Rifle at$ 1,592
Alec
The new Profiles in History auction continues today with the Star Trek items at 2:00EST. You can find the Star Trek Items here.
Now Profiles was the main source for Star Trek props and costumes before Christie's and IAW. They had some impressive auctions like the Matt Jeffries auction of 2001. They have had a ton of props and many costumes for auction and their catalog is brilliant and fun to read through.
But there are also a lot of people in the collecting community that question the authenticity of some of the Star Trek props that seem to pop up in their auctions. Rumors of new props from the original molds coming out of the back door at HMS, the prop house that did a lot of work on the different TNG and later TV shows, have been circulating for years. (I should note that I spoke with Michael Moore for over 2 hours during the last PiH auction, and he denies anything like this has ever occurred. HMS does make most of the prop kits for Roddenberry.com and is very well known, Mike even authenticates props for Profiles)
Brett Jones if Federation Surplus and I did check out the Star Trek items in person at the last auction and there were a number of the props that looked very suspicious. Most of the props from one consignor (supposedly a former prop shop employee) were purposely aged with a brownish patina. A few like that might have gone unnoticed, but most of them? I know I have not seen any props so aged from Star Trek, and neither had Brett, so that was a huge red flag. The two Phaser rifles were very suspicious and didn't sell. (They were also very overpriced).
PiH also won't give you any provenance on the pieces, or even tell you who the consignor was. And since last time all the suspicious pieces came from one seller, it made for a very difficult situation for buyers to have full confidence in. Now, there were pieces from another consignor from Japan (who we believe we knew) and his pieces were very clean and looked dead on. I actually split one of those lots with Brett. The consignor's two Suliban pistols went at INSANE prices.
Now, there are no pieces in this auction that fall in the above category. Authenticity is not the issue this auction.
With Profiles problems with the alleged Planet of the Apes Statue of Liberty piece, one would think that PiH would bend over backwards to provide clear provenance. But even in this month's auction, key pieces like the Star Trek III Communicator, have no provenance whatsoever.
Examples of Shaky Descriptions
Profiles doesn't put much effort into their descriptions and puts misleading text and photos in. Last time they incorrectly identified a rifle as a TR-116 when it was clearly not. They also stick by these claims even when confronted with the facts. This time we have more bad, or incomplete descriptions.
The Star Trek III Communicator's, history is in question, even according to Profiles. PiH claims it comes from an associate of Jein's (unnamed) and that it was made at the same time as the others for Star Trek III, but wasn't made for the production. Sounds like some prop guy made an extra one for himself.
The Star Trek III Phaser is NOT the one Profiles claims. They claim it was used by Kirk in the final scenes on the Genesis Planet, but the one Kirk is holding has flashing lights and this one does not.
The Static Starfleet PADD is claimed to be from First Contact, but it is clearly NOT. In fact Trek expert Jorg can't find this PADD ever being used. It is in fact a Cardassian PADD repainted, and the photo Profiles uses isn't even of this PADD! PiH did tell me that this came from John Dwyer, the Trek set decorator, so it is legit. But that piece of information should be in the description.
Ridiculous Prices
As mentioned in my previous blog post on this auction (reprinted below), the opening bids for many of these items are insane.
The Klingon Bird of Prey Wing Section is priced at Christie's levels as that is where the consignor won this. But market realities are that this is worth maybe half that now.
The Geordi holo-Suit Apllicator is 1 1/2" long and someone wants $ 1,000 for it??? STAY AWAY. This is a total joke. The prop isn't of any significance and it is tiny.
The Model Miniature Casket/Probe sold for $ 2,200 at Christie's and now the seller wants $ 6,000? What drugs is this guy on? This guy expects a 3-fold increase in price for a mediocre prop in 17 months? Get a life.
The Data Head Appliance snd Lore's SFX Thumb are both crazy at $ 4,000 starting bids. On eBay, these are $ 2,000 props max.
The Picard De-Assimilation Neural Link is another joke. $ 1,500 for what? A background box? STAY AWAY
Finally, someone is smoking crack if they think the Trill Computer from DS9 is worth a $ 6,000 starting bid ($ 7,200 with Buyer's Premium). This prop is MAYBE worth half that.
Remember the Buyer's premium is 20% and so you have to add that to the final price.
Frankly, I think half the item sin this sale are totally out of control and not worth half what teh starting bid is. Profiles needs to come to Jesus on where the market is now.
PRICING (I wrote this blog last week, but it is worth repeating here)
Now I know PiH lets consignors set the opening bids, but many of their Star Trek items are just ridiculous. The prices often have no basis in reality and many sellers are just trying to make a quick buck. (The Doctor Chaotica costume sold last year for $ 2,700 at Screen Used Props and now that buyer expects the bidding to START at $ 4,500!).
Someone needs to tell Profiles in History and the consignors, that the market is flooded at this point. With over 7,000 items sold in the past 17 months, it's a buyer's market.
So what is totally overpriced?
The Klingon Costume at an opening bid of $ 10,000 is absolutely insane. I know the seller bought this at Christie's and so could have paid over $ 9,000, but I bought one just like it for $ 2,500 last year from IAW. Yeah, if you bought a Klingon costume at Christie's you are WAY under water, like a lot of homeowners these days.
The Geordi LaForge uniform starts at $ 4,500 and is WAY overpriced. An identical costume with a comm badge and boots sold for $ 3,000 at Christies. So why would this seller think that it was now worth 50% more WITHOUT the comm badge and boots? A Generations LaForge just sold for $ 4,055 WITH a VISOR.
The Distressed LaForge Tunic is an even worse buy. A $ 3,000 starting bid????? Give me a freaking break. That is a $ 1,500 item MAX.
Same with the Worf Tunic, which is distressed. Starting bid is $ 4,000, but this is a $ 2,000 MAX, even with the comm badge.
Finally, a Burned Starfleet Uniform with an opening bid of $ 1,000? This is MAYBE a $ 500 item, since you can get a perfect one for under that on eBay from IAW.
All I can say is AVOID THESE COSTUMES. PiH doesn't seem to want to come to grips with market realities, and they have nothing you can't get for significantly less on eBay through IAW. These prices will never be recovered in the secondary market in my opinion.
Alec
We have instituted a new award each week, the "Cool Item of the Week". Each week, the members of the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum nominate and vote on what is the coolest item of that week.
This week:
The Valiant Master System Display was the overwhelming winner.
62nd week of IAW auctions (auctions ending March 21st)
While this is the 62nd week of auctions, It is titled Week 66 to be consistent with the Star Trek Auctions Archive.
Note that I will not be covering Buy It Now items, as they are mostly background costumes, or boots or uniform parts. None of which is either interesting or important to write about!
Well, there were only THREE costumes this week! And none of them were very interesting.
The Travis Mayweather Starfleet Uniform went about where it should at $ 1,625. We have seen plenty of these (8 total) and so a pretty common costume.
Carolan and Chrissy, two rather prolific Forum posters won the Voyager Tuvok Starfleet Uniform and Costume Lot. At $ 870 it was a good deal for a bunch of pieces and a distressed Starfleet Uniform.
The Ferengi Waiter Costume Lot went to another forum member, Francis, and went for a reasonable $ 768. Francis is a big Ferengi collector,and this was a very good deal.
As far as props go:
The USS Valiant Master Systems Display was a great piece and went pretty high at $ 3,383. It was big and a lot of people showed interest in this piece. I figured it would go at least $ 2,500, so this price was not really a surprise. This will make a beautiful centerpiece to any collection.
The Starfleet Power Cell was a re-list and my good buddy Anthony won it this time at the bargain price of $ 1,525. This piece had so many interesting aspects to it and lights up! For Anthony to get it so cheap is a coup.
The Interplexing Beacon Power Actuator was an interesting prop that we have seen a few times, but I am not sure how the two pieces go together! At $ 1,339 I felt it on the high side, but obviously this turned somebody on!
The NX Beta Flight Control Panel Wall Unit was a nice piece and I won one that was similar about a month ago. This one went for only $ 1,025, which was about half what I paid. Mine did have a much better and bigger light up central graphic though, and so I feel good about that!. Still a great piece and very big. It took me an hour to unpack this and then clean up all the peanuts!
The Borg Queen Skull and Spine Mold was actually a casting, not a mold. My buddy Brett of Federation Surplus won this for $ 1,005 and I know he was excited about winning it. Brett is a master prop maker and hopes to make some copies from this, so we all might be able to have one.
The Voyager Hirogen Pistol was a beauty and went to Forum member Jay, who I know is pretty fired up to get it. It was a resin piece so pretty sharp and the paint job was nice and the colors vibrant. The price was pretty fair as well.
The Voyager Warp Plasma Container from "Fair Trade" was a cool piece that was prominently featured in that episode. At $ 760, I think the buyer got a neat prop for a fair price.
The DS9 Circuitry Bay 47 PADD went for a very reasonable $ 695. The Path Analysis PADD went for $ 577, so that was a pretty good deal as well. And the world's biggest PADD collector, Willie Bath from the UK, won the Ds9 Systems Integration PADD for $ 544. This was probably the nicest of the lot as well.
The DS9 Federation Console Computer went for a very reasonable $ 660. I think we are seeing a ceiling in the $ 700 range for nice props that aren't recognizable from a particular episode. This week we saw a lot of nice props in the $ 300-700 range. This is one. If the buyer back lights it, this will be even more impressive.
THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:
Best Costume of the Week: The Travis Mayweather Starfleet Uniform was the best in a bad week.
Best Prop of the Week: The USS Valiant Master Systems Display was awesome!
Best Buy of the week: The Enterprise Commander Tucker's Harmonica was a very cool, signature prop, and at $ 359, a great deal!
Worst Buy of the week: Nothing this week!
Sleeper of the Week: The Feature Style Klingon Communicator at $ 188.50.
HIGHEST PRICED ITEM THAT SOLD
Star Trek: DS9 USS Valiant Master Systems Display at $ 3,383
Star Trek: Enterprise Travis Mayweather Starfleet Uniform at $ 1,625.
Star Trek: Enterprise Starfleet Power Cell at $ 1,525.
Star Trek: Voyager Interplexing Beacon Power Actuator at $ 1,339
Star Trek: Enterprise NX Beta Flight Control Panel Wall Unit at $ 1,025
Alec
We have instituted a new award each week, the "Cool Item of the Week". Each week, the members of the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum nominate and vote on what is the coolest item of that week.
This week:
The Borg Costume was the big winner and deservedly so. It was quite a beauty.
The Enterprise Half a Missile came in second (maybe if it was a whole missle things would have been different!).
61st week of IAW auctions (auctions ending March 15th)
While this is the 61st week of auctions, It is titled Week 65 to be consistent with the Star Trek Auctions Archive.
Note that I will not be covering Buy It Now items, as they are mostly background costumes, or boots or uniform parts. None of which is either interesting or important to write about!
The Cal Hudson Starfleet Uniform was used by famous character actor Bernie Casey in the DS9 episodes The Maquis, Parts I & II. This lot even came with two scripts, which is a nice touch. At $ 1,358, a reasonable buy for a TNG two piece by a named actor.
The Future T'Pol Civilian Costumes were a great deal at $ 987. For two costumes, you can't go wrong! Now we all would prefer a T'Pol jumpsuit, but a $ 3,000+ we also need to be realistic. So getting these was a good move.
The Borg costume from Descent Part I & II was a steal at $ 961. For a full Borg costume to go this cheap is amazing. This was a nice one and had all the right pieces. and since these aren't like the foam and latex ones from the movies, it will last longer. Stay away from the foam ones as they will disintegrate quickly. (Some already have started). This will need a full mannequin, but will look great when displayed.
The Captain Kirk Nexus uniform from "Generations" was incomplete, not having the vest he wore and it was a stunt costume, but still cool and at $ 928 reasonable. If you need a Kirk, you can either get a civilian costume or a stunt uniform. Depends how bad you want a piece that Shatner wore. Both options are less expensive than a full blown Kirk costume. (I am sure there are more rock climbing costumes!).
At $ 810, I really liked the Enterprise Away Team Jacket prototype. This is one of those unique pieces that shows something of the evolution of the costumes and I think it looks great.
The Ensign Vorik Starfleet Uniform at $ 798 was a great deal on a character costume from Voyager. A smart buy and I like these in Operations gold. Background costumes of this type gor for at least this much, so bravo here!
As far as props go:
The Enterprise Half a Missile was cool and will look great mounted on a wall. My buddy Daryl bought one and then upgraded to a whole missile and it is truly impressive. I think this was reasonably priced at $ 1,253.
The DS9 Turbo Shaft Model went for $ 999 to model maniac Adam. I am not sure how all the pieces go together, but I am sure Adam will figure it out.
The Enterprise Communicator and Translator were very cool, though sadly, not the working versions my buddy Anthony snagged at the Vegas Con. He had paid $ 1,800 for those and that was a good deal. So $ 910 for non-working versions is about right I think.
At $ 899, the Quantum Dated Xindi Probe was a great deal for a beautiful prop that has some great metal craftsmanship to it. A prop like this probably cost Paramount a few thousand to get built. I like this one a lot and think the buyer got a very good deal.
The LCARS style Computer Interface Panel went for a healthy $ 895. I guess that is OK, but there are so many of these panels, that I think they just aren't that rare. However, they are rather iconic in that every TNG era show has had them.
The DS9 "Waltz" prop and concept drawing lot was interesting as it had Sisko's cast from that Episode, 4 Dabo chips and a lot of copies of concept drawings. I had some interest in this, but the fact that the drawings were just copies made me back off. None te less a cool lot and at $ 622, a good deal, since Dabo chips by themselves have been going at $ 500 a set of four.
THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:
Best Costume of the Week: The Borg costume from Descent Part I & II at $ 961.
Best Prop of the Week: The Enterprise Half a Missile at $ 1,253. Who wouldn't want one?
Best Buy of the week: The Borg costume from Descent Part I & II was a steal at $ 961.
Worst Buy of the week: Nothing this week!
Sleeper of the Week: The TNG Lt. Worf Civilian Costume at $ 545 was a great deal.
HIGHEST PRICED ITEM THAT SOLD
Star Trek: DS9 Cal Hudson Starfleet Uniform at $ 1,358.
Star Trek: Enterprise Half a Missile at $ 1,253
Star Trek: DS9 Turbo Shaft Model at $ 999
Star Trek: Enterprise Future T'Pol Civilian Costumes at $ 987
Star Trek: TNG Borg costume from Descent Part I & II at $ 961.
Alec
We have instituted a new award each week, the "Cool Item of the Week". Each week, the members of the Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Forum nominate and vote on what is the coolest item of that week.
This week:
The Engineering Kit and case had plenty of tools and was definitely popular, going for $ 2,600.
A good and dear friend of mine, who was known throughout Star Trek Prop colletcing has passed away. Darrell Hyde, known as Phaserfetish on numerous prop boards, passed away from complications from the flu. He was young, in his 40's I believe, and leaves a wife and son.
Darrell and I had become very good friends, though we had never met. We spoke a few days ago after playing some phone tag. We would spend 30-40 minutes on the phone every couple of weeks. We spent a lot of time talking about his experience with Mark English fakes. He and I were finally going to meet at the end of the month when I came out to California.Darrell had been in the hobby for 20+ years and had seen the hobby change a great deal. He knew a lot about Mark English fakes and was upfront about being taken in by ME fakes. I would talk to him just to learn about the history of Star Trek Props. His knowledge was amazing. He had so many friends in this hobby, and everyone is really saddened by this.He also was instrumental in my identifying my TMP Klingon Death Sting. I spent about 4 hours on the phone with he and Brett Jones when trying to determine if it was real (we thought it was fake) and then after I got it we spent another 3-4 hours on the phone trying to figure out if it was real. Darrell produced the photo that proved it was after some digging.Darrell had decided to go into counseling and that was why he was in school. I had a lot of respect for him for doing that. As was mentioned previously, he had just bought his dream car, a black Corvette.I am truly saddened by this and send his family my condolences. Darrell will be sorely missed.Alec
60th week of IAW auctions (auctions ending March 8th)
While this is the 60th week of auctions, It is titled Week 64 to be consistent with the Star Trek Auctions Archive.
The Voyager Tom Paris Uniform Lot and Rank Pip Box at $ 2,104 got some interest because it was a different version of this costume we have seen so many times. I don't like that it doesn't have a turtleneck undershirt, but the small wooden box with the rank pips was very cool. I think it was a good deal overall.
The Nemesis Reman Military Uniform at $ 1,985 was right on traget as far as the price goes. It is amazing how these consistently sell at almost the same price, right around $ 2,000. And they are worth it! These are spectacular costumes and I strongly urge you to buy one if you have any interest. They are amazing works of craftsmanship and they look absolutely amazing in person. But fi you want to wear one, you better be skinny, as these guys were THIN! (The two piece Xindi variant would be easie rto find one that fits).
The Dr. Carol Marcus Regula 1 costume at $ 1,932 was an absolute steal. Why? Well, this is simply one of the most recognizable and important female guest star costumes in all of Star Trek. They are BEAUTIFUL on display as I have one and I can tell you it is stunning. My good buddy from the UK Andy, won the top at Christie's (for about 1/10 of what he would have paid!) and so he and my buddy John went in on this as there were two sets of pants with this lot, obviously, the pair that should have been with the Christie's lot Andy won was included here. So Andy and John went in, allowing Andy to finish his, and John to join the very elite World Wide Carol Marcus Costume Owner's Society.
I thought the B'ellana Torres Starfleet Uniform went for $ 841, which was OK, but boy, was this beat up! It did come with a Maquis Rank Pip though.
A really nice Bajorn Militia Uniform went for $ 710. It was complete and about $ 150 mor ethan these usually go for, but still a great deal.
The Star Trek V Spock Camping Costume had tags indicating it was a sample and not scre used, but still, at $ 666 a great deal I think for a recognizable costume.
Finally, the Star Trek, TMP Costume was a top we haven't seen before and so very interesting. At $ 632, a decent buy for something unusual.
As far as props go:
The Voyager Engineering Kit and Carry Case at $ 2,600 was a fantastic prop because it had so many pieces in it. This went about where I thought it would, as it was clearly the cream of the crop this week and really intriguing for all its pieces.
The Enterprise Molecular Analysis Scanner Case at $ 1,314 was a nice prop, but not very interesting I think. Just seems a little bland to me.
The Klingon Knife was not a Mek'Leth as IAW described, but actually a D'K Tahg as they have correctly reported in previous auctions. At $ 1,294, this was priced about right. IAW noted it was the last one in this good condition, which is what had me go after it. I need one for my Klingon Costume.
The Nemesis Phaser Rifle at $ 1,136 was incorrectly described as a Type III Mark III, when it is in fact a Type 3c. You can read about Type 3 Phaser Rifles on my blog here. None th eless, this is a good deal. I paid $ 2,000 for one just like this, though mine was in better condition. Still a good buy I think.
The TNG Starfleet Cortical Stimulator was crazy at $ 1,051 for a prop that was 2" wide!! Why anyone would spend this kind of money for a tiny prop is beyond me, unless the buyer assume it was the one used on Picard (which would be a very bad assumption!).
The Romulan Disruptor Rifle was a good deal at $ 800. I have one of these and they are beautiful. To get a Star Trek rifle, made of resin and from one of the main races, is very good indeed.
THIS WEEK'S AWARDS:
Best Costume of the Week: The Carol Marcus Regula 1 costume at $ 1,932 is iconic!
Best Prop of the Week: The Voyager Engineering Kit and Carry Case at $ 2,600 was very cool!
Best Buy of the week: The Alien Tsuntkatse Fighter Costume at 168 was complete and a great deal at $ 168.
Worst Buy of the week: The Red Themed Starfleet Inventory Application Sheet at $ 405 was CRAZY! It's a single sheet of stickers!
Sleeper of the Week: The Star Trek V Spock Camping Costume at $ 666 was a very wise buy.
HIGHEST PRICED ITEM THAT SOLD
Star Trek: The Voyager Engineering Kit and Carry Case at $ 2,600
Star Trek: Voyager Tom Paris Uniform Lot and Rank Pip Box at $ 2,104
Star Trek: Nemesis Reman Military Uniform at $ 1,985
Star Trek II: TWOK Dr. Carol Marcus Regula 1 costume at $ 1,932
Star Trek: Enterprise Molecular Analysis Scanner Case at $ 1,314
Alec
Well, the new Profiles in History auction catalog is out and available on eBay as well. You can find the Star Trek Items here.
Now I know PiH lets consignors set the opening bids, but many of their Star Trek items are just ridiculous. The prices often have no basis in reality and many sellers are just trying to make a quick buck. (The Doctor Chaotica costume sold last year for $ 2,700 at Screen Used Props and now that buyer expects the bidding to START at $ 4,500!).
Someone needs to tell Profiles in History and the consignors, that the market is flooded at this point. With over 7,000 items sold in the past 17 months, it's a buyer's market.
So what is totally overpriced?
The Klingon Costume at an opening bid of $ 10,000 is absolutely insane. I know the seller bought this at Christie's and so could have paid over $ 9,000, but I bought one just like it for $ 2,500 last year from IAW. Yeah, if you bought a Klingon costume at Christie's you are WAY under water, like a lot of homeowners these days.
The Geordi LaForge uniform starts at $ 4,500 and is WAY overpriced. An identical costume with a comm badge and boots sold for $ 3,000 at Christies. So why would this seller think that it was now worth 50% more WITHOUT the comm badge and boots? A Generations LaForge just sold for $ 4,055 WITH a VISOR.
The Distressed LaForge Tunic is an even worse buy. A $ 3,000 starting bid????? Give me a freaking break. That is a $ 1,500 item MAX.
Same with the Worf Tunic, which is distressed. Starting bid is $ 4,000, but this is a $ 2,000 MAX, even with the comm badge.
The Model Miniature Casket/Probe sold for $ 2,200 at Christie's and now the seller wants $ 6,000? What drugs is this guy on? This guy expects a 3-fold increase in price for a mediocre prop in 17 months? Get a life.
The Data Head Appliance snd Lore's SFX Thumb are both crazy at $ 4,000 starting bids. On eBay, these are $ 2,000 props max.
Finally, a Burned Starfleet Uniform with an opening bid of $ 1,000? This is MAYBE a $ 500 item, since you can get a perfect one for under that on eBay from IAW.
All I can say is AVOID THESE COSTUMES. PiH doesn't seem to want to come to grips with market realities, and they have nothing you can't get for significantly less on eBay through IAW.
Alec
Well, I was at the Creation Grand Slam Convention this past weekend, and Richard Herd (Admiral Paris in Voyager) was there signing autographs. I told him how my buddy Jim Williams (Thot Pran on the Star Trek Prop Forum) won his costume on eBay and he was surprised at how much it went for! So I had Richard sign a photo for Jim. Being a great guy, he joked around with me and then signed it demanding his clothes back!
