Exactly my point.
Alleged Screen Used Hero TOS Phaser up for auction (now the aftermath)
- Thread starter Anakin Starkiller
- Start date
Exactly my point.
I remember the year scam artists were selling boxes of AIR to senior citizens in Las Angeles. Since they have SMOG, they were told that these (actually cardboard boxes) contained large quantities of clean air, so on a smog day, you just open the box and let the clean air out.
What exactly are we comparing here?
joberg
Legendary Member
The angle of those pics is wrong...therefore, it's very difficult to do a proper comparo.
Can I ask where are those pics from (phaser on white background)? I don't think I've seen those before. NICE!!
robn1
Master Member
It's a replica made by Ron Shanko, which he posted anonymously several years ago as an original just to gauge reaction. It didn't go over well.
healvis
Well-Known Member
Here's my Shanko version ll.
If it is a Shanko that would explain the crazy sanding to get the trigger box curve more correct.
The front did have the "bow" in it like robn1 shows I just sanded the hell out of it to get rid of what I could.
Middle MR phaser.
Top Wand phaser.
If it is a Shanko that would explain the crazy sanding to get the trigger box curve more correct.
The front did have the "bow" in it like robn1 shows I just sanded the hell out of it to get rid of what I could.
Middle MR phaser.
Top Wand phaser.
phez
Sr Member
Thats what i thought that was Lol. It was unlabled in my refrence pic folder.
USS Endeav
Sr Member
Wasn't it GJ that someone said has made mistakes in authenticating TOS props before? That he authenticated a prop which was later disproved as such?
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jheilman
Sr Member
It's been years, but what I believe I heard is that he purchased a Mark English prop believing it to be genuine. But, I have no direct evidence, so could be completely wrong on that. As to this phaser, I'm like most here. Would love it to be real, but must remain in doubt until more evidence is made public.
USS Endeav
Sr Member
I see. Would you, the members here, accept GJ's expert opinion, without provenance or explanation if he asserted it is genuine?
No one is infallible. And, just because he owns the only surviving original doesn’t automatically mean that he could definitively state that another one which he examined was actually made for the show’s production, especially if said piece was a direct copy of his own. Remember, the dimensions and internal working parts of the real Jein hero have all been thoroughly studied and replicated, over the years.
Again, I say this in no way to denigrate Mr. Jein or his experience, but it’s a distinct possibility that he saw the auction
piece, with its attention to detail in terms of the construction materials and complex inner mechanisms, and said, “Oh, hey, this looks just like mine, inside and out. It’s gotta be real, right?”.
Not without proper provenance, no, not at all. Not even on any experts best day. Not for an item that can not be matched to the show in any way such as a screen shot, document of manufacture, identifiable maker mark, etc.
A copy can look exactly like an original and still be a copy. (And yes, this statement is undeniable ! )
USS Endeav
Sr Member
I was curious what the consensus would be if he was the expert they hired. The pool of qualified candidates is pretty small, even smaller if your aiming to hire someone with TOS prop expertise. As I see it, it comes down to two metrics, neither of which can be proven conclusively. The provenance is murky at best and that leaves the prop itself which without more invasive tests, is also inconclusive. Some very invasive tests would have to be performed in order to validate it, in terms of the components it is comprised of and if they reflect the age expected. The University of Arizona has been carbon-14 dating human remains that are just 20 years old so I'd imagine it is possible with this prop.
I’d like it to be an original. I just can’t buy the provenance. I do not believe it is vintage Velcro, (if it’s got any rayon in it it’s a fake and I’m not buying that particular hook parttern for the 60’s) and I really don’t buy the circled area. I am not aware of any screen-capped hero having this spacing.
Now, I’d love to be wrong. It would be cool to actually have a ‘new’ hero phaser as reference. Until someone can definitively prove it is a match to a screen cap or carbon date elements of this to the sixties, or match some vintage Velcro to the p1, I’m extremely skeptical.
Now, I’d love to be wrong. It would be cool to actually have a ‘new’ hero phaser as reference. Until someone can definitively prove it is a match to a screen cap or carbon date elements of this to the sixties, or match some vintage Velcro to the p1, I’m extremely skeptical.
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