Prop heists

bobnwprt

bobnwprt

New Member
I know this is a dated article (2018), but it makes me wonder how often robberies, heists and forgeries occur in the collectible hero prop world. Anyone have any insights? Occasional opportunists or a bigger brewing problem?

www.hollywoodreporter.com

A Marvel Heist and the Booming Business (and Seedy Underworld) of Movie Collectibles

With the market for memorabilia breaking records, collectors and auction houses must contend with thieves, fakers and skeptical police who wonder, 'Who in their right mind would pay that much for that?'
www.hollywoodreporter.com www.hollywoodreporter.com
 
Well, we only have to look at the latest ST debacle (Phaser) to see that a lot of fakers are here to make a mighty buck:mad: It will happen more and more since some of the tech used by those is readily available to everyone! Some stuff is easier to pull, while others...not so much.
And with more and more of the old school dying; it's going to be difficult to check the who, when, where, etc...
 
i dont get it... one i could never steal from someone.. never... but two.. even if i stole this stuff... how the heck could i ever sell it? the chances of getting caught... how do you advertise this kind of stuff?

i honestly dont know their mind set.. are they stealing this to sell? or stealing for their own personal collection? i remember the rebel scum robbery.. and he was stealing to sell.. all of this just doesn't make sense to me.. i dont get why someone would just take claim to something that doesn't even belong to them? i dont get it
 
Back when the final season of Enterprise was in production and the mirror episodes were starting up, Paramount had sent over "original" series props to have replicated. The phaser they had sent was identified as, if my memory is correct on the termination, a red button replica. This was from the Paramount vaults so someone would have had access to these items with the knowledge of where and how to source a replica and the opportunity to swap them out. In the end MR replicas were moulded and cast for use in the episodes. I also recall the painter deliberately altering the color of a button or something on those to mess with the fans.

Most inside jobs like this would have to be by someone with repeated access and some knowledge of the inner workings. Such as the security guard that was a serial prop and costume thief of various lots and studios.
 
Halliwax said:
i dont get it... one i could never steal from someone.. never... but two.. even if i stole this stuff... how the heck could i ever sell it? the chances of getting caught... how do you advertise this kind of stuff?

i honestly dont know their mind set.. are they stealing this to sell? or stealing for their own personal collection? i remember the rebel scum robbery.. and he was stealing to sell.. all of this just doesn't make sense to me.. i dont get why someone would just take claim to something that doesn't even belong to them? i dont get it
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Same in the Art World: it's to show the piece to a selected number of people known to the thief/collector to be trustworthy (very small club to say the least:rolleyes:) They aren't interested in selling using public known media. It's all done, in secret, within that small club. Well known painting/sculptures and others have vanished without a trace for decades. They're still with us, just tucked in somewhere.
 
joberg said:
Same in the Art World: it's to show the piece to a selected number of people known to the thief/collector to be trustworthy (very small club to say the least:rolleyes:) They aren't interested in selling using public known media. It's all done, in secret, within that small club. Well known painting/sculptures and others have vanished without a trace for decades. They're still with us, just tucked in somewhere.
Click to expand...
Such a freakn shame… if I stole something I would be so paranoid I wouldn’t show anyone.. plus the more people you show the larger chance you take getting caught..

I could never do this, I couldn’t sleep. I can’t go to jail.. I’d be passed around like a bag of Oreos for kripes sakes
 
Halliwax said:
Such a freakn shame… if I stole something I would be so paranoid I wouldn’t show anyone.. plus the more people you show the larger chance you take getting caught..

I could never do this, I couldn’t sleep. I can’t go to jail.. I’d be passed around like a bag of Oreos for kripes sakes
Click to expand...
I can only think of a few reasons someone would do this, in descending order of probability
1) money. They have a buyer or buyers on the black market. This seems like the most likely option.
2)private collection - though it would be hard to sit on something like this without showing and telling
3)competition - like the above mentioned art thieves, perhaps an underground society competing for the best hero props
4)for the thrill of it. Prop thief junkies.

Admittedly , the last two seem improbable.
 
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bobnwprt said:
I can only think of a few reasons someone would do this, in descending order of probability
1) money. They have a buyer or buyers on the black market. This seems like the most likely option.
2)private collection - though it would be hard to sit on something like this without showing and telling
3)competition - like the above mentioned art thieves, perhaps an underground society competing for the best hero props
4)for the thrill of it. Prop thief junkies.

Admittedly , the last two seem improbable.
Click to expand...
Very good points, never really thought of number 1 before until you mentioned it

I would be a terrible thief lol
 
robn1 said:
They used DST toy phasers, though the communicator was an MR.
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No idea what may have been swapped out on the day. But an Mr was molded. Once and half actually. The idiot that was directed to cover the trademarks with tape before moulding failed that simple task placing the tape in another location. Instead of making an all new mould the part was put back into the mould and half repoured to correct it.
 
The props/costumes/models have not achieved the importance of Art Theft (a completely different story for a different type of trade: drugs).
I don't think that organized crime is involved...yet. Once they'll see the importance of it, they'll be all over it.
For now and most of the stories involving the Law/Police/FBI show that it's still a "Geek Niche" and not taken very seriously in some instances.
It's a shame, because a prop like Robby The Robot is into the million of $$$ for example.
 
joberg said:
The props/costumes/models have not achieved the importance of Art Theft (a completely different story for a different type of trade: drugs).
I don't think that organized crime is involved...yet. Once they'll see the importance of it, they'll be all over it.
For now and most of the stories involving the Law/Police/FBI show that it's still a "Geek Niche" and not taken very seriously in some instances.
It's a shame, because a prop like Robby The Robot is into the million of $$$ for example.
Click to expand...
They havent ripped off the right/wrong person.

Get the right person upset and their connections will engage.
 
joberg said:
The props/costumes/models have not achieved the importance of Art Theft (a completely different story for a different type of trade: drugs).
I don't think that organized crime is involved...yet. Once they'll see the importance of it, they'll be all over it.
For now and most of the stories involving the Law/Police/FBI show that it's still a "Geek Niche" and not taken very seriously in some instances.
It's a shame, because a prop like Robby The Robot is into the million of $$$ for example.
Click to expand...
No organized crime lords.. but maybe organized geeks? :p
 
Wasn't there a story, several years ago, about a guy who stole a few reels of SW and tried to sell them, the day after, on Ebay:lol:?
Of course, when you're that dunce, it's no wonder that the Police arrested this individual real fast:oops:
 
joberg said:
Wasn't there a story, several years ago, about a guy who stole a few reels of SW and tried to sell them, the day after, on Ebay:lol:?
Of course, when you're that dunce, it's no wonder that the Police arrested this individual real fast:oops:
Click to expand...
Sounds like a reel moron!
 
joberg said:
Wasn't there a story, several years ago, about a guy who stole a few reels of SW and tried to sell them, the day after, on Ebay:lol:?
Of course, when you're that dunce, it's no wonder that the Police arrested this individual real fast:oops:
Click to expand...
Reminds me of my cousin on Nantucket… got drunk.. broke into the only convince store on the island.. stole all the scratch tickets.. went home.. scratched them.. and tried to claim the winners the following morning… yeah cousin Joey wasn’t the head of his class…
 
Jodo said:
Exactly what a master thief covering his tracks would say!
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Damn…

They are on to me…
EA3A485E-FF25-4812-AE3D-F5E65BA8C976.gif
 
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