Starting and investing into purchasing a screen-used piece for beginers?

[tubachris85x]

I've lately have been searching through various sites (such as the propstore) to try and "start" my hand at collecting a screen-used piece. Want to start small, within my budget of course. Any suggestions? Hate to sound vauge, but I am having a hard time trying to pin-point what I want specifically, as I have no real "preference" to any one film as I would enjoy a piece from alot of the main-stream Sci-fi flicks, moreso pieces from classics, and preferably the Rocketeer :angel

Just want to make that "step" into actually owning a real used piece

 

[The Prop Stop]

Hmm...well I feel like passing on some advice...so I guess since you asked so nicely Ill give you some tips.

Number 1: Collect what you like....don't collect for others or because you think it will make you rich.

Number 2: Buy cheap...sell high. If you can't sell high then at least 10% more than what you paid for it. It'll make you feel better about letting the item go in the long run, plus when you do lose money it won't hurt as much.

Number 3: Don't run into a fad. Years ago it was Xena....then it was sequest....recently andromeda....stargate....These auctions are littered with stuff that sold high and now your married too it. Now of course if you love it and don't intend to sell...fine. But one should always buy with a view to someday selling...you might have to.

Number 4: Do not fall into the trap that an item has to have a COA from some expensive dealer or its not worth anything. Bottom line...learn your stuff...make friends and learn from them...and trust your instinct. Even the best dealers have made mistakes....and the way they have got incredible collections? They started at the bottom and worked their way up.
They just didn't sell something cool to buy something else....remember that one.

Number 5: Try not to get into the ruling of selling all your good stuff to buy that must have piece...see above.

Number 6: Talk to people...make friends.....don't be Mr Secret....share your views.....call people on movies....find actors at shows and ask them if they have anything in a nice way.....be creative.....just don't assume that things will come to you.....go out there....(watch American Pickers on History channel to see creative finding stuff)

Number 7: Before you move onto a big money piece ask a few valued friends is it a good piece....should I do it....is it right.

Thats a good run down. I recommend Propstore....Screenused....Propmasters highly. You can also find some lower totem pole dealers who don't have websites but have access to cool stuff. I don't like Stargate or Battlestar but Propworx has done some cool stuff.
Unless you know what your doing avoid Premiere props....or the big auctions....until you know what your doing.

Good luck.

 

[movieobjects]

The Pacific sales on Prosptore are pretty cheap... I would start with 'em

 

[Deleted]

Propdealers do not sell items "cheap". They sell them for as much as they think they can get for them.

Don't buy props as an investment. Buy props that you like and spend as much on them as they are worth to you.

Tim

 

[JoeR]

As above, great advice, and it can't be said enough - only buy what you love.

 

[tubachris85x]

True that guys, thanks for the advice! I guess I'll just keep up the research!

 

[Guardian Devil]

Propdealers do not sell items "cheap". They sell them for as much as they think they can get for them.

Don't buy props as an investment. Buy props that you like and spend as much on them as they are worth to you.

Tim

100% agree with Tim on both points. Buy them for yourself for your own enjoyment, if you end up parting with something, chances are you might have to take a hit on it. If you can't decide on an item yet, it's not the item for you. Buy what you've seen in a film and just can't live without and you'll never be disappointed.

 

[omp uk]

All of the above is great advice....especially to only collect for yourself and spend only what you can afford. I'd recommend purchasing more significant items less frequently than splurging on lesser items more often.

I'd also recommend joining the Movie Prop Forum if you wish to get some additional views on screen used items - it's got 6 years worth of information.

The Movie Prop Forum

Regards,

David

 

[Fidelio]

If you buy from a dealer the fact is they have factored in at least 4 to 5 years of any profit into the price. Thats if you are lucky.

Buy HERO. It's the future!!

 

[The Prop Stop]

But some people can't afford hero. Thats where stunt comes in.

I think that theres some things right now going on in the propworld that will make big changes for the future. Number 1 is that the economy is DEFINATELY hitting long time collectors. Its my opinion and talking to some smaller dealers opinion too that there is a growing number of people defaulting on payment plans, changing their mind on deals at the last minute and other such annoying issues.

Im old school. I want it....arrange a price and pay. I think that is a thing of the past since payment plans were introduced. They have there place but at the end of the day every week there seems to be a new prop...another auction...another deal. The market is flooded. People don't seem to want to admit that....whether its good stuff or not is immaterial. Its flooded.

The lost auction was very interesting to me. Not alot of old school bidders...alot of new blood. But will that transfer into other auctions. I don't think so....but that is my opinion.

What is really annoying is a new trend at auction. Speculators....and unpaying bidders. Again its come to my attention, mainly thru talking to dealers and people with their finger on the pulse that prices at auction realised are not always getting paid for. This of course has been going on for years but it seems to be getting worse. The information super highway has opened up new avenues for other countries....but having a credit card is not proof of getting payment. Limits can be reached....cards cancelled. This will have a dire effect on the hobby especially since prices realised at auction are a signal of the market...and like the stock market the prices are being...and again on some...not everything......artificially inflated. Since Profiles operates on the opening bid system and the lots tend to get one bid only this is not a fair indication of maket value anyway. Even two people pushing a piece up isnt. This is why the first item can sell more than the second.....if the first guy doesnt want to push up the second guy next time round he will get it for less if theres no counter bidder. Its a broken system....but there you go.

As prop sellers tend to know finding someone to pay Profiles money for an item is very unlikely...those people tend to not be on public forums.

Anyway...just some thoughts....

As usual backed up with plenty of experience.

 

[movieobjects]

Propdealers do not sell items "cheap". They sell them for as much as they think they can get for them.

Don't buy props as an investment. Buy props that you like and spend as much on them as they are worth to you.

Tim

i agree. I just noticed that the Pacific props sold on Propstore are good pieces to start with

 

[EvilRocketeer]

Propdealers do not sell items "cheap". They sell them for as much as they think they can get for them.
Don't buy props as an investment. Buy props that you like and spend as much on them as they are worth to you.
Tim

I agree with this.

I would avoid propstore etc etc...Some of the items on these websites are ridiculously priced...

I remember seeing a patch for $300....that imho is pretty ridiculous....Those are worth around 50 maybe 75 at best.....

I got the majority of my rocketeer props from crew members and disney auctions

 

[dualedge]

Gotta ditto all the points made previously. Ketzer and Tardis know their stuff and their advice is solid.

Definitely do not look to start a collection as an "investment".

Stick to what you LOVE. If it's something you "like", be careful. Everybody falls prey to that temptation at times.

For example, I bought an original production item from the Rocketeer and briefly considered selling it for a while. I couldn't get the price I wanted so I kept it and I'm quite happy that it didn't sell after all.

However, I bought some minor items from the 2004 Punisher film (which I still "like" but don't "love") and I couldn't resell the items when my excitement for the movie dwindled. It was still something that I didn't mind keeping, mind you, but if I had plunked down thousands and then had to sell it for hundreds, that would have royally sucked.

It's good to be able to step back and view your likes and loves objectively and recognize what you likely might not feel so passionate about later on.

For starting out, just take baby-steps and get plugged into the MPF.

I would somewhat disagree on the point of avoiding places like the Propstore. Ketzer and Mike's points are completely valid but when you're getting started out, it takes time to get good contacts and the source you buy from can impact the value if you decide to resell. You WILL spend more buying from them and may not be able to make back all of what you paid but their perceived name and reputation does lend some stability to the value. It's just like an "official" CoA. Official CoA's can be completely wrong but yet they still give the associated item a perceived boost in value among many collectors. It may seem dumb but it is what it is.

Personally, I found that collecting screen-used stuff outside of my Rocketeer obsession is just a bad idea and simply prohibitively expensive for my budget. So, you've just gotta "salt to taste" and find where YOUR collecting hobby is going to go.

 

[EvilRocketeer]

I would somewhat disagree on the point of avoiding places like the Propstore. Ketzer and Mike's points are completely valid but when you're getting started out, it takes time to get good contacts and the source you buy from can impact the value if you decide to resell. You WILL spend more buying from them and may not be able to make back all of what you paid but their perceived name and reputation does lend some stability to the value. It's just like an "official" CoA. Official CoA's can be completely wrong but yet they still give the associated item a perceived boost in value among many collectors. It may seem dumb but it is what it is.

Personally, I found that collecting screen-used stuff outside of my Rocketeer obsession is just a bad idea and simply prohibitively expensive for my budget. So, you've just gotta "salt to taste" and find where YOUR collecting hobby is going to go.

I can see your point of buying through propstore...The way I looked at it is that he seems to be on a strict budget like I have been...Buying an expensive item on propstore will take away most of your funds..It would suck that you came across a cheaper prop, but unable to purchase it because you blew all your funds on an over-priced item....Sometimes it is better to wait and see what comes up...I was patient with msot of my items and I was able to get some amazing stuff...

Also, if you ever go the crew member/ actor route....make sure to ask them to write an COA and sign it..The people I dealt with never had a problem with it. They even provided other info as well to show that they worked on the film...

Also, remember you have lots of competition out there. Tons of other collectors looking for the same props as you are...I am sure I am a pain in the butt for some collectors....

 

[tubachris85x]

I have to admit, that the Rocketeer is probably the only film I can confidently say that I want to collect from. It's the one movie that I've absolutly loved since Pre-school (I can remember that far back lol )

As for "investing," I think that was probay the wrong term to use. I really meant saving up for, without the intent of voluntarily selling it unless I had to.

 

[dualedge]

I can see your point of buying through propstore...The way I looked at it is that he seems to be on a strict budget like I have been...Buying an expensive item on propstore will take away most of your funds..It would suck that you came across a cheaper prop, but unable to purchase it because you blew all your funds on an over-priced item....Sometimes it is better to wait and see what comes up...I was patient with msot of my items and I was able to get some amazing stuff...

Also, if you ever go the crew member/ actor route....make sure to ask them to write an COA and sign it..The people I dealt with never had a problem with it. They even provided other info as well to show that they worked on the film...

Also, remember you have lots of competition out there. Tons of other collectors looking for the same props as you are...I am sure I am a pain in the butt for some collectors....

Yeah, it's more of a situational kind of thing, really. It really depends largely on your budget which is where the "salt to taste" thing comes in.

Considering how expensive screen-used collecting is, even like yours and mine which is primarily focused on one movie and often smaller items, if paying a few hundred extra for a smaller item breaks your budget, it's maybe the wrong hobby to get into, y'know Heaven knows I should have gotten into collecting something else but I'm too hooked to let go now. :lol

And also, places with good reps like the Propstore isn't bad for beginners that don't have any contacts yet, particularly if you're talking about smaller items that you're not really going to break your budget on. Hopefully. :angel

And, yes, you are a pain to other collectors, namely me but I still like having somebody else to obsess with. Besides, there's always the chance that one of us will get hit by a truck and will include the other in our last will and testament if we're nice enough to each other :lol

 

[dualedge]

I have to admit, that the Rocketeer is probably the only film I can confidently say that I want to collect from. It's the one movie that I've absolutly loved since Pre-school (I can remember that far back lol )

As for "investing," I think that was probay the wrong term to use. I really meant saving up for, without the intent of voluntarily selling it unless I had to.

It's a good film to collect from because it's also not as popular as stuff like Star Wars, Batman and Aliens. There are some good smaller items to be had. Heck, sometimes just set decorations make awesome collectibles and look great in a display.

I was 21 when the film came out and you were in preschool so I hate you for making me feel old. :lol

 

[tubachris85x]

It's a good film to collect from because it's also not as popular as stuff like Star Wars, Batman and Aliens. There are some good smaller items to be had. Heck, sometimes just set decorations make awesome collectibles and look great in a display.

I was 21 when the film came out and you were in preschool so I hate you for making me feel old. :lol

Meh, at least you could drink beer then!

What sites would you find better for Rocketeer props then? (Assuming you get them from dealers Vs others)

 

[dualedge]

Meh, at least you could drink beer then!

What sites would you find better for Rocketeer props then? (Assuming you get them from dealers Vs others)

That's sort of the thing... there aren't any singular sites that are good for finding particular items in screen-used collecting. The best you can do is build a network of friends and then just be persistent. And have money. For better or worse, the fact is that money greases the wheels of networking.

And every once in a while somebody like myself or Mike might come across something and say, "I don't want this but lemme see if such-and-such might be interested." It's rare but it happens. I've done it for friends before. When I had my hero Rocketeer helmet, I hooked one friend up with an original marketing helmet I located and I hooked another friend up with an original stunt helmet. I mean, I never planned to sell my hero helmet so I didn't see the need to buy a marketing helmet or stunt... So, now that I don't have the hero helmet I just have the one-of-a-kind prototype helmet (sans lenses and fin). I snagged the prototype and the stunt by a pure fluke of networking and passed the stunt on to a friend...

Honestly ebay is the only site I search daily and there's not an awful lot of original items that show up on it these days.

I've gotten a few items from guys that worked on the movie but most from auctions.

I've bought lots of little stuff through ebay, some stuff through Profiles in History and a couple of items through screen-used.com when they became available.

It's just about snagging what becomes available or what you can find that fits your interests and your budget.

You've just got to be persistent and have the funds to nab stuff when it pops up which is usually when you least expect it.

Hope that helps...
Rob

 

[tubachris85x]

No problem! That's what I figured, thanks!!