LOST auctions : profiles in History defends about criticisms

[movieobjects]

hi everyone,

for days now, some journalists are writing profiles in history was about to sell not matching sreen used props from ABC's Lost.

We have contacted them to get their answer to those attacks :
"This is an ABC sponsored auction. All lots were production-made and come with a certificate of authenticity from ABC Studios"

That means that PiH only certifies that pieces are production made, and some will be certified as screen-used.

Read the all article here (use translation if you can't read)

 

[MooCriket]

Thanks for the link on this.

 

[movieobjects]

I know it's pretty hard to read in french, but we thought profiles in history's Joe maddalena response was necessary to remain objective

 

[EvilRocketeer]

translated in English
"While the big auction of items from filming the series Lost takes place tomorrow, some voices raised to discredit certain parts auctions. When contacted by us, the organizer of the event wanted to respond immediately to those who accused him of wanting to sell parts "production" made "(made to order production but not used on screen) announced as "screen-used" (used on the screen) ...

So we contacted Joe Maddalena for his response to attacks by certain journalists in the field of props. The response from his press is unequivocal: "This is year ABC sponsored auction. Were All production batches-made and come with a certificate of authenticity from ABC Studios. This means that the bidding is sponsored by ABC, which broadcasts the channel the show. All batches are made by the production and have a certificate of authenticity ABC Studios.

Profiles in History thus makes the thing perfectly clear: the proposed exhibits were produced by ABC for the show, but have not necessarily been used on the screen. After a close look at the catalog, there is no mention, or only rare exceptions, to use on-screen objects offered for sale.

Profiles in History Thanks for answering our questions."


Eh, I know in the past there has been several questionable items that were sold on PIH, but this is an ABC sponsored event. Everything is coming straight from the source..Maybe their wording is a little misleading..Rather saying it is an extra costume for so and so, they twist it to make it seem it is screen-used but not really saying it (if that makes any sense)..

seriously, would any-one pay good money for clothing that wasnt used on screen? Most of the clothes used on set were found in local thrift stores etc etc

It seems like PIH doesnt fully check the authenticity of an item before it is sold..I know other companies would complete a more extensive research of an item before they sell it..If an item is questionable, then they would refuse to sell it..

 

[thegreatgalling]

^Thanks for that!

 

[lastdiplomat]

It seems like PIH doesnt fully check the authenticity of an item before it is sold..I know other companies would complete a more extensive research of an item before they sell it..If an item is questionable, then they would refuse to sell it..

Not related directly to this PiH auction, but on a similar tangent: You'd be surprised at how many auction houses don't fully authenticate their items. I once helped get a Christie's auction item pulled because it was a fake. Their experts believed it to be authentic but never actually spoke to people in a position to know for sure. It was a handwritten document that I was suspicious about. I spoke to some experts who all agreed it was a fake. I sent Christie's the info and they realized their mistake and pulled the item. Makes me always double-check auction items, no matter how reliable or prestigious the seller.

 

[movieobjects]

actually, the problem was that some jounalists thought they had been told the items where screen-used, although Maddalena only talked about "production made".

we just came to the conclusion that there were no fault in maddalena former statements...

 

[EvilRocketeer]

Not related directly to this PiH auction, but on a similar tangent: You'd be surprised at how many auction houses don't fully authenticate their items. I once helped get a Christie's auction item pulled because it was a fake. Their experts believed it to be authentic but never actually spoke to people in a position to know for sure. It was a handwritten document that I was suspicious about. I spoke to some experts who all agreed it was a fake. I sent Christie's the info and they realized their mistake and pulled the item. Makes me always double-check auction items, no matter how reliable or prestigious the seller.

I totally agree. I like to double check and ask others for their opinion just to make sure it is real or not. I got ripped off before because I didnt pay close attention to the details...

I had a similar situation few months ago. A rocketeer collector bought a "Production helmet" at an auction awhile back. He saw my collection online and emailed me asking if I could authenticate it or see if it was legit..He sent me all the proper paperwork it came with and photos of the helmet. The auction house had the helmet authenticated by a crew member that had nothing to do with the helmets or wardrobe of the hero costumes...Well, long story short...It was a replica helmet and he got ripped off by several thousands of dollars...I emailed it to a fellow finhead to make sure I was right, and he had the same conclusion..

actually, the problem was that some jounalists thought they had been told the items where screen-used, although Maddalena only talked about "production made".

we just came to the conclusion that there were no fault in maddalena former statements...

Well, it seems like maddalena can be more detail in his descriptions..The description of some items are vague and they do not clearly state screen-used or production made...If you look through the online catalog...Some items just give a basic description that lacks the main detail..is it screen-used or is it an extra copy..

 

[Rik1138]

Actually, there never was any doubt in anyone's mind that these were not production made items used for the show.

What caused the big uproar about this is that Joe keeps saying they have "everything used on the show" in the auction. He's quoted as stating they have "all the key hero pieces", etc. And yet, there's a lot of 'key' pieces listed in the auction catalog that are obviously spares/backups. The 'hero' piece would be the screen-used piece.

The catalog may not be stating all of this, but Joe had been playing up this auction for the last year like they had every single item used on the show. He had specifically mentioned '1000's of items' and that they would have to group large lots together based on episode (like several costumes from one episode in one lot), and that never happened.

The wardrobe has a lot of mis-matched pieces. (Like a top worn by an actress in one episode paired with the pants from the wardrobe from a completely different episode.) Some items that are listed as 'X-actor's wardrobe from episode Y' appear to be stunt worn clothes (or at least part of the costume is stunt worn), and that is _NOT_ mentioned in the catalog.

Joe said all of the wardrobe had studio applied wardrobe tags, were did they go?

He keeps coming back saying 'it all came from ABC, it's all real'. We _KNOW_ that, but we still want to know if the costume is a stunt worn costume or not. We'd like to know why the prop/costume doesn't match a single scene in the show (backup prop/wardrobe, or used in a scene that was cut/re-edited), etc...

If the auction wasn't advertised at all, and the first we saw of it was the catalog, no one would probably be saying anything. But when we've all been expecting 1000's (I think he said 5000-7000 items total), and 'every key hero prop from the show', it's left a lot of wondering where the hell the rest of this stuff is...