Found a website that sells pieces of props, sets and costumes.

[Egon Spengler]

I won't name the website here but it looks as of they purchase fully together props and costume pieces and then chop them up to sell as prop miniature pieces. I'm not naming them here because I'm not trying to get something started. What they do with what they purchase is up to them, but I find it to be a tragedy to take items and chop them up for individual resale. There's a market for that type of thing I suppose but I just weep for prop history when I see this sort of thing.

 

[laellee]

I agree with you on this. I understand the idea when, let's say heat shielding from a NASA craft gets divided up in that way, giving a lot of people an opportunity to purchase an affordable bit, or if a large prop is beyond repair as a whole (or is just too big for one person to realistically own) gets parceled out... But slicing up a costume from a production just to distribute piecemeal almost feels like more of a long-game for the money than it is creating an opportunity to genuinely share a piece with more people, if that makes sense. I suppose it could depend on the item (like examples above), but it does leave a bad taste in my mouth otherwise.

 

[Too Much Garlic]

I'm not a fan of chopping up costumes and props. But I kinda understand it with sets, as they are pretty large.

 

[Force]

I vehemently detest chopping something up into unrecognizable itty bitty pieces. I am of the opinion that it's destruction of an item (that will never exist again) simply to make a buck.

I also think buyers are basically tricked into purchasing these slabs of scraps from these chop shops into thinking they're worth something in that state. There are plenty of small, affordable items available that are still fully intact--no need to resort to buying these tiny "affordable" scraps chopped up from something from production.

I've rescued a handful of costumes, props, and a set piece that were heading towards that fate, but thankfully, except for one piece that had already started the chopping process, the rest were intact and now safely reside in my collection.

 

[AvZ]

I don't mind cutting extra pieces of cloth, but chopping props or related is a none. There was that company that actually cut up Babylon 5 costumes. Makes me sick to think about it.

 

[TazMan2000]

(Joking...) I have for sale the left pinky finger of the glove that someone wore in Mad Max. How much is it worth and who wants to buy it?

TazMan2000

 

[nivektunk]

They do this with game worn NHL, NFL, MLB and all other major sport jerseys too. Drives me insane. Ruining a valuable collectible to eek out more profit is reprehensible. Doing it with props and costumes is equally bad. Just my thoughts.
Cheers,
Kevin

 

[Lost in Trek]

This is nothing new. Costume cards have been around for years… selling cut up pieces. I used to think it was probably material from the bolt of fabric. But, assuming they are being truthful, the company that sells Trek cards stated these are not from spare fabric but really are a cut up costume.
I have mixed feelings about this. It does allow a collector to get at least a piece of the real thing. And as much as we would like to believe these are all museum pieces, frankly many are not.
But I get it… kinda makes me sick knowing a costume or prop us being chopped up.

 

[drusselmeyer]

Provenance is questionable at best in such situations.

I'm reminded of a John Wayne movie titled The Shootist, his final film. In it, he plays an aging gunfighter who is dying. His final appearance is an event and everyone around the town he is in wants some momento. When he gets a haircut, the barber realizes he could sell the hair clippings from the gunfighter. The barber realizes that no one will be able to tell which hair belonged to the gunfighter and which didn't, so he sweeps all the hair in his shop into one pile, intending it for sale.

Who will be able to dispute that this is the true Captain's uniform, codpiece, helmet or whatever?

Selling pet rocks is far less slimy.

 

[Force]

I have mixed feelings about this. It does allow a collector to get at least a piece of the real thing. And as much as we would like to believe these are all museum pieces, frankly many are not.
But I get it… kinda makes me sick knowing a costume or prop us being chopped up.

I have zero mixed feelings about it. I think these swatch cards are ultimately pointless and just help to further the destruction of props/costumes for profit.

A collector can do better than a tiny swatch if they want something from a show/movie.

 

[Funky]

Not much to add that hasn't already been said. But my issue (mostly) is who the heck is going to want a 1" by 1" piece of red fabric on a card? First of all, it's just a piece of fabric. How do I know for a fact that this is a piece of that costume? But, let's pretend it is. Who the heck can I impress with it when someone comes to my house? They'll just look at it and say, "Ummm...it's just a red swatch of fabric..."

 

[Lost in Trek]

I very briefly picked up a few costume cards. And to your point, I just never enjoyed the pieces. I’m just not a fan of buying pieces of something.
I’m sure there could be an exception to that rule at some point. But for now… I just don’t care.
I do get though that some do enjoy collecting those cards. Many are card collectors and I’m sure some prop/costume collectors who can’t afford the real thing.

 

[trimmersparks]

Is it the Movie Reliquary? I have supplied items to them and the Little Museum ebay guys. Movie Reliquary only uses the hem of costumes or already broken fragments and the Little Museum phased out cutting pieces from props that were not already messed up beyond repair last year as I understand it. Would never give them a perfect prop to cut up regardless.

 

[mluder]

Yeah... My beef is with the people who buy a collectible like a Hot Toys figure and then sell the individual parts... Pants, jacket, helmet, etc. There's a special place in hell for these people.

 

[drusselmeyer]

What makes hot toys so special? They are not enduring art, they are overpriced and they are not always in correct scale.

Some parts are very good, others, not so much.

Their value is artificially inflated. $40 mass produced figures cost $400. Not a great example to use for comparison to props which are extremely limited hand made works of art.

 

[joberg]

Provenance is questionable at best in such situations.

I'm reminded of a John Wayne movie titled The Shootist, his final film. In it, he plays an aging gunfighter who is dying. His final appearance is an event and everyone around the town he is in wants some momento. When he gets a haircut, the barber realizes he could sell the hair clippings from the gunfighter. The barber realizes that no one will be able to tell which hair belonged to the gunfighter and which didn't, so he sweeps all the hair in his shop into one pile, intending it for sale.

Who will be able to dispute that this is the true Captain's uniform, codpiece, helmet or whatever?

Selling pet rocks is far less slimy.

Same with James Dean car cut into too many pieces

 

[Too Much Garlic]

Don't see the issue with Hot Toys parts sellers. It's a mass produced product compared to limited quantity pieces produced for films.

Lots of customizers benefit from that and it makes the other complete figures' worth go up. What I usually have an issue with is what those people charge for single pieces.

 

[jkno]

Yeah... My beef is with the people who buy a collectible like a Hot Toys figure and then sell the individual parts... Pants, jacket, helmet, etc. There's a special place in hell for these people.

Hot Toys are not quite limited edition pieces, like other licensed lines, nor a screen used prop which is unique. I am happy someone does this with Hot Toys figures, as I was able to buy a few parts to improve other figures I had (blasters, pouches, pauldrons, gloves, helmets etc.).

 

[knight1705]

Not much to add that hasn't already been said. But my issue (mostly) is who the heck is going to want a 1" by 1" piece of red fabric on a card? First of all, it's just a piece of fabric. How do I know for a fact that this is a piece of that costume? But, let's pretend it is. Who the heck can I impress with it when someone comes to my house? They'll just look at it and say, "Ummm...it's just a red swatch of fabric..."

I agree with the only exception being for cosplayers/costumers who want a price of the original material to compare with whatever the are using to make a replica costume.
I know there are other ways to find out what was really used, but if I were making a star trek tunic for example especially TOS where the gold/green color debate seems never-ending in spite of evidence and testimony...having an actual scrap...well you get my point.

 

[knight1705]

Hot Toys are not quite limited edition pieces, like other licensed lines, nor a screen used prop which is unique. I am happy someone does this with Hot Toys figures, as I was able to buy a few parts to improve other figures I had (blasters, pouches, pauldrons, gloves, helmets etc.).

I wish companies like playmates or hot toys etc would plan from the beginning to sell spare parts/costumes/accessories.
Personally I like to make customized playmates figures of characters that were on screen but never produced for sale. That means a lot of cannibalizing figures for costume or physical features and mixing/matching to make new figures. I wish the would just sell some of the stuff like Legos, get a bucket of fodder and make 10 different Figures!