What's your Opinion of Costume Swatches?

[misterfusion]

So there's the ones that come in gum cards (I've got a couple from "Superman Returns" with cape material, etc.)

While it's the same material as the cape, obviously they didn't cut up a SR cape, just got an extra bolt of material to make the swatches.

But what about cutting up an actual costume to mount and sell as a Limited Edition collectible on, say, a home shopping channel or something?

Would you pay around $100 to add a square of material from a costume to your collection when you would probably never be able to afford he whole piece if it came up for sale?

Is it cool to own a piece of something or is it blasphemy to cut up a perfectly good costume?

 

[jcoffman99]

No reason to cut up a costume. I have a similar problem with game jerseys being cut up. A few years ago I got a game-used jersey from the Pittsburgh Penguins. It was from the year that they opened the season in Japan and had a special patch to commemorate it. I got the away jersey. One day while surfing ebay I found a card from that player and it had part of the patch on it. They had cut up the home jersey. I hate that.

 

[SSgt Burton]

If you cut up that monster maroon... I keel you! :angry

Kidding... well unless you actually... aw you know. :lol

I vote blasphemy. But it depends a little on whether it is a main character's or extra's/stunt costume.


Kevin

 

[Egon Spengler]

It's stupid.

 

[defstartrooper]

Hate the idea, i like that people collect actual costumes because well they're actually preserving a part of that movies history, cutting them up to stick to collector cards just stinks of money grabbing and it's destroying part of that movies history.

 

[exoray]

They sold the hell out of cut up Spiderman costumes on Ebay, so yeah people will buy it... Me personally I think it's just plain stupid...

 

[Ttaskmaster]

So you have a bit of cloth that someone says is part of a costume...

Prove it!!
You can't - It's just a bit of cloth sold to a silly person.
I might as well sit here and sell you an actual screw used in a Pulse Rifle.

With an intact costume part, you can at least see it on screen and know that it's real.

 

[Aegis159]

Blasphemy! :angry They've done it to a bunch of Potter props... just sad!:angry

 

[Apollo]

Those who cut up costumes and sell them will burn in the hottest regions of hell!

 

[Too Much Garlic]

It was mentioned in the Scream Robe thread that the first movie costume is no more because of something like this. I hate that. But hey... guess the guys doing it get some money and I guess that's what they are after.

 

[BDK]

Eh I'm in the middle about it.

If theres multiples, say like Supes costume, go for it.


Not everyone could afford to buy the screen used suit but if theres an extra out there that could be cut up and sold off to fans

*OK OK normally first to a vendor who charges way more than they should but I'm trying to be optimistic*

 

[Cleverlilminx]

I see nothing wrong with receiving a swatch of the same fabric that was used to make the costume, but cutting up a costume just to get a swatch does not make any sense to me.

 

[dualedge]

I personally hate seeing it done. Ultimately, they're really popular so, I dunno, maybe the guys doing it make more money that way and I'm just speculating but maybe it also avoids other problems associated with selling the costume 'as-is' (?). I'm just shooting in the dark with that guess...

I've seen guys argue about it and there's a lot of card collectors who feel like they can afford a card swatch where they can't afford an original prop. In that sense, I sympathize with the guys that like collecting the stuff. I mean, I'd love to have tons of money to buy whatever I want but I often wind up settling for "scraps" from movies myself... set decorations or props that are 'barely-there' if you know what I mean. I think I'd rather have that kind of stuff than *literal* scraps of costumes though.

 

[Ttaskmaster]

They do a similar thing with 'Film Cells', I think - Screenshot Photos, whit a film cell displayed underneath.
However, these are often cut from preview trailers, not the actual film.

Fair enough, as there's plenty of 35mm trailer reels out there and few of us have 35mm projectors...


But to destroy the one original piece?
OK, I probably can't afford it, but someone can - Even if it's a museum!

 

[hankey01]

I have one from Serenity (Mal's shirt), one of the Superman Retruns Cape pieces and one from Superman III. I LOVE them since there is no way I could ever afford a whole cape or shirt.

Some of us have limited incomes and ex wives to bleed us dry.

 

[Art Andrews]

Just a note... I had a chance to talk to someone in the industry that deals with this a few months back and while I am sure this isn't always the case, they assured me that the pieces on those cards are either overstock of the material from production or from costumes that were damaged beyond salvagability during the course of shooting. While I am sure some companies have been foolish enough to actually chop up hero pieces, according to this individual, most of them aren't what you think and the wording on some of the cards are very carefully constructed to protect that fact. Just thought I would throw that out there.

 

[newworld]

Stupid, stupid, stupid idea. And who wants to own a square inch of anything outside of a precious metal?

 

[hankey01]

Those of us who can't afford any more than that.

 

[BIKERFETT]

I know a guy who was selling chunks of fabric cut from the large swatstika flag from Last Crusade because it was to large to do anything else with. I have a big chunk of it and have often thought about making and selling cards.

 

[Shylaah]

I'm not for destroying any kind of an original anything. Though it is done with all kinds of things, some that are very expensive as a whole and some not--books, old textiles, religious relics, artifacts of all kinds......but I don't think it's the right thing to do. I would rather the item be kept whole and hope just to see it one day somewhere. Besides, as others have said, with just a piece, you can never prove it is what it is suppose to be, and opens up the opportunity for frauds and fakers to run rampant.

Shylaah