Alleged Screen Used Hero TOS Phaser up for auction (now the aftermath)

[USS Endeav]

I don't think we dissuaded people from bidding...

I for one am hoping that we did. This auction screams SCAM.
HA confirmed GJ is the expert.
HA hasn't said what GJ stated but it can be only one of two possible things.
IF he told them it was a production made prop, why then are they attaching screen shots of props that are clearly not what is being auctioned?
IF he told them it is screen used, why wouldn't they have asked him for the scenes/episodes he matched it to?

I am not able to reconcile any of these concerns and they're half ass attempt to hide behind GJ screams plausible deniability.

 

[Gregatron]

One of these items is not like the others. One of these items does not belong.

Occam’s Razor, people. Handwaving the discrepancies with “It was repaired! That’s why it looks different and sloppy!” does not compute.

Everything we know of points to four heroes. Four distinct heroes have been identified in screencaps. The auction phaser matches none of them, except for the Jein, which also happens to be the only one of those four heroes to have been thoroughly photographed, measured, and examined, thus making it ripe for duplication by someone with ill intent.


Even in this corner of the galaxy, two plus two still equals four. As in four heroes. Which this piece likely is not.

 

[feek61]

For the record, I exchange multiple emails with HA pointing out that this could not be an original screen-used phaser and provided documents proving it but they refused to acknowledge anything that pointed to the auction phaser being a forgery. They brought up the repair theory which I pointed out did not explain why the side dial was in a different place than the 4 (real) heros. Bottom line appears to be they are only interested in the profits from selling a high dollar item rather than proving if it is a genuine article which in this case it is a forgery. I would have a hard time purchasing anything from them based on their authentication process.

 

[genZOD]

It's hard to comprehend the existence of a mystery 5th phaser without any documentation when the studio inventory says there were 4 hero phasers, Wah says he redressed 4 hero phasers and 4 hero phasers can be identified on screen through the unique features of each. None of these are the auction phaser; what would be your conclusion?

What a rollercoaster ride of a hijacked, un-hijacked, re-hijacked and then re-un-hijacked thread…

But yeah, it's also odd that a prop that's main purpose was close up shots (after the mid-grades were built) would be so poorly repainted.

The things a buyer has to accept on faith really start to stack up: It exists with no proof that it was ever ordered or used. Many of the details & finishes used to authenticate a prop like this were altered over time (this is the most believable claim). Both the P1 & the P2 are oddly unique (for ex: the placement of the dial on the side of the P2, the P2's trigger housing, P1's fins).

It does have things in it's favor. The guts look reasonable. It "presents" as a believably aged prop in the photos. Many of the issues I see with the overall shape could be explained by lens distortion.

But at the end of the day: "It's hard to comprehend the existence of a mystery 5th phaser without any documentation..."

 

[DazzlerFan]

A fairly lengthy writeup about the phaser in today’s email from HA:

One of Two Known 'Hero' Phasers from the Original 'Star Trek' Series Beams Into Our' Star-Studded July Entertainment Event

This auction is set to stun.​ Fifty-two years after NBC canceled Star Trek, one of its most sought-after — and rarest — pieces of prop-culture comes to auction for the very first time: a detailed, ready-for-its-close-up Type-2 phaser. The pistol making its auction debut at Heritage Auctions during the July 16-18 Entertainment and Music Memorabilia event is isn't one of the foam vacuum-formed plastic props handed out to redshirts, but one of only two original-series "hero" phasers known to have survived the show's three-season run. This is something right out of Captain Kirk's arsenal, down to the last detachable detail. Designed by Trek's first art director and production designer Matt Jefferies, the man responsible for the U.S.S. Enterprise, this Type-2 phase is called the "hero" for a reason. It consists of three components: the palm-sized Type-1 phaser inserted into the Type-2 pistol, with the brass handle that doubled as a power pack (as seen in the episode The Omega Glory). The phaser features everything a fan could want, from the moving silver thumbwheel (used to adjust settings and raise the targeting site) to the rotating "photon accelerator" on the front nozzle. As Star Trek Prop Authority noted in 2008, "this historic piece, with its intricate internal design mechanisms, represents the pinnacle of 1960s prop making expertise." The phaser joins an all-star line-up of iconic weapons from decades' worth of sci-fi and superhero films, among them Luke Skywalker's lightsaber, Wonder Woman's Sword of Athena, Thor's hammer Mjölnir, a M41-A Pulse Rifle used by the Colonial Marines to kill some Aliens and Katniss Everdeen's bow and quiver. That's just a taste of what's in the Heritage Auctions' armory, stocked like never before for an auction bound to hit collectors in the bull's-eye. The Star Trek phaser tops the list of armaments because of its extraordinary rarity; this is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. The phaser shows the inevitable wear that comes from years and use — it was, after all, repainted several times during the show's brief run. And its provenance is impeccable: This very phaser was acquired in the late 1960s directly from Star Trek prop designer and builder Wah Ming Chang, who the official Trek website calls "one of the great unsung heroes of the show," given his work on the communicator, the tricorder, the Gorn, the tribbles and, yes, the phaser. The letter of authenticity accompanying the "hero" Type-2 phaser pistol says the studio sent the prop to Chang for repair — and that Trek was cancelled before he was able to return it. A second LOA shows that the Type-1 phaser, the weapon inserted into the pistol body, was acquired by a member of the production crew after filming wrapped on the second season. Eventually the respective owners of the two pieces learned about each other. They then allowed a high-profile Trek collector and prop expert to compare their phaser to what was at the time the only known surviving hero. So exact were the matches that the palm-sized Type-1 phaser fits perfectly in both surviving Type-2 pistols. "These things were not meant to survive," says Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Joe Maddelena. "These props were meant to do a job. The fact they survive in any form is remarkable. These things were repainted and repurposed over and over again, and when you have a direct physical comparison to the alpha, there's no better way to vet one. And it's just a thrill to bring an original hero phaser to auction for the first time."

 

[mrwax]

Sounds nice, but there isn't any new verifiable information in there that I can spot. If I were in a position to bid on it, this wouldn't make me any more confident.

 

[Gregatron]

Why would Wah Chang be in possession of a phaser prop after the show ended, especially since he apparently didn’t design or build anything for the show during the third season?

Why would they send the prop back to him for “repairs” when he didn’t even build it in the first place, and when there were already studio craftsmen on-hand to do the work?


The email screams, “pretty please, bid on this item”.

 

[Bigdaddy]

It's a claim without evidence, I'm glad potential bidders seem to be treating it that way.

 

[Gregatron]

Fixed.


“The phaser shows the sloppy painting that comes from simulated wear specifically designed to con unsuspecting fans and millionaires—it was, after all, made to look as aged and sloppy as possible because that’s how people mistakenly believe the original props looked (which helps forgeries sell better). And its provenance is highly questionable: The owner of this phaser says it was acquired in the late 1960s directly from Star Trek prop designer and builder Wah Ming Chang (…which is what they all say. Well, either Chang, Matt Jefferies, John Dwyer, or Gene Roddenberry himself, who were all apparently dispensing props and costumes like candy to passersby on the day the show wrapped.), who the official Trek website calls "one of the great unsung heroes of the show," given his work on the communicator, the tricorder, the Gorn, the tribbles and, yes, the phaser. But not this one.

The meaningless-without-proof letter of authenticity accompanying the "hero" Type-2 phaser pistol conveniently says the studio sent the prop to Chang, who was no longer working on the show at that time, for repair (because close-up props with little chance of being damaged constantly needed repairs that made actually them look worse than they had before the “repairs” were done) — and that Trek was cancelled before he was able to return it (…probably because he was embarassased at what a terrible paintjob he did, especially given what a superior job he’d done when he repainted and re-detailed the hero props for the first season. No wonder he wasn’t back for the third season.). A second highly-questionable LOA shows that the Type-1 phaser, the weapon inserted into the pistol body, was acquired by a member of the production crew (who was probably Gene Roddenberry himself), after filming wrapped on the second season, because running TV show productions are in the habit of giving away expensive hero props before the show has even ended.

Eventually the respective owners of the piece conspired to sell it to an unsuspecting public who wouldn’t have the first clue how to determine its authenticity. They then allowed a high-profile Trek collector and prop expert to compare their phaser to what was at the time the only known surviving hero, and he fell for the scam, because his own hero prop has been replicated by many people in exacting detail, over the years, so it isn’t that hard to make a forgery. So exact were the matches that the palm-sized Type-1 phaser fits perfectly in both surviving Type-2 pistols, which isn’t difficult when you have exact measurements and the Wand Company version to work with when building a replica.”

 

[genZOD]

Why would Wah Chang be in possession of a phaser prop after the show ended, especially since he apparently didn’t design or build anything for the show during the third season?

Why would they send the prop back to him for “repairs” when he didn’t even build it in the first place, and when there were already studio craftsmen on-hand to do the work?


The email screams, “pretty please, bid on this item”.

I can believe that he might have won a contract to repair the P2. The quality of the repairs is a little suspicious.

The lack of proof that either the P1 or P2 were ordered, built or seen on screen is suspicious. HA make claims but provide no historical evidence aside from LOAs. The episode stills on the auction site (worryingly) don’t match the prop they’re selling.

Collectors & enthusiasts want these to be real. I want them to be real. If HA wants to sell them for 100K+, the burden is on HA. Show us any pictures of these props on the the set of Star Trek. Show us a still from an episode. Show us literally any documentation/pictures that confirm the existence of these props prior to the dates on the LOAs. Short of that, explain how these props exist without having created any of that evidence.

 

[Jintosh]

Short of that, explain how these props exist without having created any of that evidence.

Time travel ?

 

[USS Endeav]

If wishes were unicorns...

and my fav...

Aye, and if my grandmother had wheels, she'd be a wagon!

 

[feek61]

I always find it amusing that in the last close-ups of the hero phasers on screen they look great with a great paint job and then after the show they look like ****.

 

[genZOD]

Time travel ?

To me, the problem isn't that these are definitely fakes, the problem is that HA hasn't provided enough information for anyone to make an informed decision about them. (let alone spend 100K+) There is no documentary or photographic record tying the P1 or the P2 to the show, or even to the letters certifying that they are authentic. No expert has examined the materials and stated they are correct, the age is correct and that no chemicals were used to alter their appearance. We have the word of the sellers. They may be telling the truth, lying or may have been duped themselves. We have the word of an expert in model making and Star Trek generally. Personally, I believe him, but he's not an expert in detecting forgeries/fakes.

Nothing that any of us have noticed is irrefutable proof that they are fake. Nothing that HA has provided is solid proof that they are real. For 100K, the burden is on HA.

 

[WinstonWolf359]

Among the pieces of evidence often touted against this prop being real is original documentation; the inventory memo listing four hero phaser props and the invoice from Wah Chang for "reworking" them in the first season. Considering the inventory memo was discovered sitting in UCLA's collection it's...surprising that the folks that are trying to sell the notion of this phaser's repair being a work-for-hire didn't try to find any official documentation to back that claim up. It seems pretty clear that Star Trek kept very detailed records but the best they can provide is a letter (from who? The seller?) stating that the story fabricated around the phaser is true?

 

[Borg69]

The Jeannie bottle they were auctioning off wasn’t proven screen used either, and also had several “mistakes “ in its paint job.

 

[Gregatron]

I always find it amusing that in the last close-ups of the hero phasers on screen they look great with a great paint job and then after the show they look like ****.

Like I said awhile back, the Jein DOES have a sloppy repaint job, but it was also the only hero with the belt-hanger Velcro, and, therefore, the one out of the four heroes which was most likely to fall on the floor and get damaged.

 

[Trebor]

Even in this corner of the galaxy, two plus two still equals four. As in four heroes. Which this piece likely is not.

There are four lights!, er, Phasers!

 

[genZOD]

Like I said awhile back, the Jein DOES have a sloppy repaint job, but it was also the only hero with the belt-hanger Velcro, and, therefore, the one out of the four heroes which was most likely to fall on the floor and get damaged.

The props having quickly done & somewhat sloppy repairs during shooting makes sense to me. What’s odd is the idea the Wah Chang did an even worse job. Photographic evidence indicates that his other Star Trek work (including repaints) was done to a reasonably high standard. Again, this isn’t proof that the items aren’t authentic—but it’s just one more weird thing.

 

[feek61]

I believe this is the last filmed hero in the series from the third season, they would not have been painted again after this. Paint job not even close to being as sloppy as we see on the GJ or the auction phaser.