Is Studio Auctions legit?
- Thread starter Gruson
- Start date
I can't answer you precisely. I think Studio auction has been around for a while. I don't know if you are refering to this, but it seems their current auction is from Goldin, so they are just a middle man for this one.
I would say, as with any auction house, you have to be very carefull, and do your own research work, because it's getting harder and harder to take their word for what is real or not.
take for instance that Naboo detonator! I have never seen something like this, colours are very weird and the shape of the detonator is nothing I have seen before, compared to all the other that sold before and production photos:
so yeah, as usual, of something like this can come up at this kind of auction, then definitely be carefull about the rest they have to offer.
I would say, as with any auction house, you have to be very carefull, and do your own research work, because it's getting harder and harder to take their word for what is real or not.
take for instance that Naboo detonator! I have never seen something like this, colours are very weird and the shape of the detonator is nothing I have seen before, compared to all the other that sold before and production photos:
so yeah, as usual, of something like this can come up at this kind of auction, then definitely be carefull about the rest they have to offer.
eethan Goldin acquired the Studio Auctions company last month, so they're now one-and-the-same, with SA essentially a division of Goldin.
And I wouldn't characterize Studio Auctions as having been around a while; they only started in 2023.
Gruson I'd suggest reviewing the following thread, discussing the first collaboration between Studio Auctions and Goldin just a few months back in March - a claimed original 1977 hero Han Solo DL-44, estimated in the millions and widely publicized, yet proven nearly immediately to be a definitive and laughable fake:
www.therpf.com
Granted, generally-speaking, a company shouldn't be wholly-defined by its greatest blunder. But this was an awfully big one... so it ought to enter the conversation, especially if your target is original Star Wars material.
And I wouldn't characterize Studio Auctions as having been around a while; they only started in 2023.
Gruson I'd suggest reviewing the following thread, discussing the first collaboration between Studio Auctions and Goldin just a few months back in March - a claimed original 1977 hero Han Solo DL-44, estimated in the millions and widely publicized, yet proven nearly immediately to be a definitive and laughable fake:
Han Solo Blaster: 2025 Studio auctions / Goldin auctions
Dust off those grey shirts boyz… looks like we got another one.. https://apple.news/AlXl4aLytTTWf_TkVoqcH2Q For additional context, refer to the following related threads. The previous 2019 Pawn Stars / 2022 Rock Island Auction claim of a mostly-original Star Wars (1977) Han Solo DL-44 blaster...
www.therpf.com
Granted, generally-speaking, a company shouldn't be wholly-defined by its greatest blunder. But this was an awfully big one... so it ought to enter the conversation, especially if your target is original Star Wars material.
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sorry for getting the details wrong, I was not versed in the history of the company.eethan Goldin acquired the Studio Auctions company last month, so they're now one-and-the-same, with SA essentially a division of Goldin.
And I wouldn't characterize Studio Auctions as having been around a while; they only started in 2023.
Gruson I'd suggest reviewing the following thread, discussing the first collaboration between Studio Auctions and Goldin just a few months back in March - a claimed original 1977 hero Han Solo DL-44, estimated in the millions and widely publicized, yet proven nearly immediately to be a definitive and laughable fake:
Han Solo Blaster: 2025 Studio auctions / Goldin auctions
Dust off those grey shirts boyz… looks like we got another one.. https://apple.news/AlXl4aLytTTWf_TkVoqcH2Q For additional context, refer to the following related threads. The previous 2019 Pawn Stars / 2022 Rock Island Auction claim of a mostly-original Star Wars (1977) Han Solo DL-44 blaster...
Granted, generally-speaking, a company shouldn't be wholly-defined by its greatest blunder. But this was an awfully big one... so it ought to enter the conversation, especially if your target is original Star Wars material.
What is important indeed, like we both mentioned, is to exert caution as with any other prop auction company and do our own research to be as sure as possible the items we are interested in are legit.
I have sent them an email regarding the Naboo detonator I mentioned above. I don't know if they will give me an explanation for it or not, but for now it is described as production made, and it is not matching any details, shape or colour with the original, so I'm curious what they will have to say about it.
It's so annoying to see all this fakes at auction lately!
thank you for the details you provided on the history of the company.
eethan No worries; the continued use of the SA name is understandably confusing (as opposed to Heritage's complete absorption of Profiles).
The "do your research" mantra certainly always applies. Just a matter of degree of criticality, one vendor to another.
I usually prefer to give a vendor a few days' opportunity to respond / edit a listing before posting authentication issues, but I'm currently discussing a couple of lots with them... and will more-than-likely make a post here shortly.
The "do your research" mantra certainly always applies. Just a matter of degree of criticality, one vendor to another.
I usually prefer to give a vendor a few days' opportunity to respond / edit a listing before posting authentication issues, but I'm currently discussing a couple of lots with them... and will more-than-likely make a post here shortly.
Gruson
Well-Known Member
Thanks for the replies. I was looking at the Luke lightsaber from Mandalorian. They sold another one a couple of months ago and it looked even different from this one. Both don’t really match the ones in the show from what I can tell. Some of their other stuff also looks iffy like the detonator above. Something just feels off imo.
I also could never match the Mandalorian helmets to specific scenes in the Heritage auction so who knows what is legit or not…
I also could never match the Mandalorian helmets to specific scenes in the Heritage auction so who knows what is legit or not…
Comparison between the Luke mando saber sold by SA in 2024 and the Goldin/SA in 2025. Ignoring the lighting (or paint differences), the main body base design, buttons, etc appear to be very different from each other.
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What is everyone's thoughts on these? Compared to reference photos, the auction slates seem to have sharp vs rounded edges and the "Camera" date tape looks different to what is seen multiple times in the sizzle reel as well.
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Mr Mold Maker
Master Member
There was absolutely some fishy stuff going on with those Mando helmets that were popping up. There were some inconsistencies with the construction, I don’t want to divulge them all but the main three were the visor, the Legacy tag being sewn in upside down, and lastly the paint details. All of the auction helmets I saw seemed to have brown tinted visors, and the copies I saw and one I held of the real helmet all had blue tinted visors. Every copy I saw had the tag sewn in right-side up. What was further interesting to me is that one helmet popped up with specific weathering patterns, and then another helmet popped up with that same pattern replicated. I have not seen that pattern on any screen used helmet in the show or otherwise. As far as the paint, Mando is painted a very specific way in terms of the Alumaluster opacity, the weathering, and the details. Outside of those two where it looked like one was painted to replicate the other, the other auction helmets were very inconsistent with each other, and further very inconsistent from the established look.
Sorry for the quick detour, but I saw it brought up and it’s been on my mind for a while.
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Figure I should add a link here to a rundown of my apparently-futile attempts at correcting several Indy listings through direct contact:
www.therpf.com
There do seem to be a number of Goldin lots getting called out here and on FB over what at least appear at a glance to be substantive concerns.
joez2391 You make compelling points on the Episode VII clapper slates... and I'll add another:
Zoom in on the font of the white box labels.
In your reference images, most of the S's and R's have Star Wars logo-style extended lower horizontals - look at the S and R in "SHUTTER."
In the auction examples, they're truncated; squared-off.
Misleading presentations of Indiana Jones lots by Goldin / Studio Auctions
I can’t say I had immense expectations for the recently-merged Goldin / Studio Auctions following their debut debacle, but I hoped I might at least avoid another immediate headache… or three. This will be a lengthy post, but hopefully fairly straightforward and painless; as with that DL-44...
www.therpf.com
There do seem to be a number of Goldin lots getting called out here and on FB over what at least appear at a glance to be substantive concerns.
joez2391 You make compelling points on the Episode VII clapper slates... and I'll add another:
Zoom in on the font of the white box labels.
In your reference images, most of the S's and R's have Star Wars logo-style extended lower horizontals - look at the S and R in "SHUTTER."
In the auction examples, they're truncated; squared-off.
eethan I keep getting the annoying sense that it's "we'll look into it... for the first time" rather than "we'll reexamine the research we conducted."
Would you mind helping to point me to a good production photo that clearly shows one of the Naboo grenades / detonators? I thought the listing had a screenshot, but don't see one now... and the images I'm finding in a quick search seem to be all very distant shots.
Would you mind helping to point me to a good production photo that clearly shows one of the Naboo grenades / detonators? I thought the listing had a screenshot, but don't see one now... and the images I'm finding in a quick search seem to be all very distant shots.
well, there is that photo I posted above and sent them showing how different their detonator looked from all previously seen detonator, including those from the movie. theirs is on the right:
Right, I saw that; appears to be from a Propstore listing, which did at least include screenshot reference, but still fairly distant. I agree that what's on screen looks more like the left than the right; you just mentioned production photos, so I was curious if maybe one of those shows a better view.
yeah sorry, I read better after posting and saw you asked for production pics. They are never really seen in close up I think, always at the belt and look to be red at least. I think they were in a visual dictionary or another book at least though.
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