Prop Store

TCM?Bonhams - Raiders fertility idol Ghostbusters, LOTR props up for auction

Probe Droid

Probe Droid

Master Member
A Raiders fertility idol is included in TCM/Bonham's next auction.

If you click on the tack-sharp pic it opens into a zoomable pop-up window. Good detail.

Lots of other cool stuff to see as well.

Enjoy.
 
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The description of the Raiders Idol is so goofy. Are they claiming it's screen used? They allude to this, but don't come out right and say it. All they do is describe the prop and then explain who Doc Fuller is and hope we connect the dots and decide it's a screen used prop. Very shady if you ask me.
 
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Re: Bonhams - Raiders fertility idol up for auction

Probe Droid said:
Ghostbusters II gun. Read the description.
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Super ugly, and never a production design? Someone bolted two irrelevant prop guns together to shoot blue screen footage for animation tests? I assumed "Bill Murphy" was another effects guy until it changed to "Murray" at the end of the description. Why would Murray shoot the test action? A few really weak or sketchy auctions in this lot for sure...
 
A cast-brass idol? When would this have been made for the production. From everything I've read and we know they didn't use any cast metal idols. What would have been the use of one?
 
And why would they have used that ugly mishmash of a gun for Ghostbusters test shots? The guns in GB2 looked like the ones from the first one and had a totally different rear grip.
 
The "GB 2 Test Gun" can't be legit. They had the original props, so why would they need a stand-in that wasn't anything remotely close to the real thing?

And the "terror dog" doesn't look anything like what was in the film, nor have I seen anything like in in ANY of the behind-the-scenes stuff I've seen.
 
The GB gun thing *could* be totally legit. The visual effects company wouldn't necessarily have access to the props when doing early visual effects tests and could have thrown something together just to have their model holding a representative piece. They clearly put no effort into it though, whoever may be responsible for it, and it's got nothing to do with the movie in the end. It's a super "who cares" piece... That said, with so many things in the catalogue being suspect for one reason or another I don't see any reason to give it the benefit of the doubt.
 
Westies14 said:
...with so many things in the catalogue being suspect for one reason or another I don't see any reason to give it the benefit of the doubt.
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Hi Westies, I'm curious about what you said above.

Could you post a quick list of all the things you believe are suspect?

I'm sure some of the members here would love to research the items for clarification.

Thanks :) .
 
MoviePropCollector said:
Hi Westies, I'm curious about what you said above.

Could you post a quick list of all the things you believe are suspect?

I'm sure some of the members here would love to research the items for clarification.

Thanks :) .
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I was mostly referring to this thread - one post after another questioning the items or descriptions of the items. I'd need some serious provenance before shelling out for that gun as an artifact of the Ghostbusters films.
 
Westies14 said:
I was mostly referring to this thread - one post after another questioning the items or descriptions of the items. I'd need some serious provenance before shelling out for that gun as an artifact of the Ghostbusters films.
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I see. Thanks for responding :) .

Maybe those folks could list all of those the items in this thread they believe are suspect and why. Providing screen grabs, links, or first hand knowledge supporting their observations would help . It would be a great reference and assist in the auction process.
 
The Casablanca "Transit Papers" are misleadingly named and described. https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/22196/lot/84/

If it is a genuine production prop, it looks like a version of Laszlo's travel authorization that was reviewed by Strasser and Renault in Renault's office, not the actual "Letters of Transit" that Rick gets from Ugarte and everyone is trying to get their hands on. And it doesn't look like it was screen used, since the document in the screen cap they show from the scene in Renault's office has an additional stamp on it. It'll be interesting to see if it goes for the $100,000 to $150,000 estimate.
 
MoviePropCollector said:
I see. Thanks for responding :) .

Maybe those folks could list all of those the items in this thread they believe are suspect and why. Providing screen grabs, links, or first hand knowledge supporting their observations would help . It would be a great reference and assist in the auction process.
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I think the issues raised here are fair warning to anyone considering a bid on these items. Anyone who's raised a concern about any prop has given their reasons. It's a lot of work to set about proving its authenticity or inauthenticity after that. The digging and comparisons and further steps should belong to anyone who reads these posts and still feels like bidding. Understand that most of the concerns are difficult to prove one way or another - many of them are about sketchy language/descriptions. Jumping into auctions for props like these can be a matter of faith, and this thread doesn't inspire a lot of confidence in the auctions.
 
Westies14 said:
I think the issues raised here are fair warning to anyone considering a bid on these items. Anyone who's raised a concern about any prop has given their reasons.
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Making claims for or against items being real or not should include supportive facts, not guesses. Some of the claims mentioned here gave their reasons, others did not.

Westies14 said:
Understand that most of the concerns are difficult to prove one way or another
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Exactly. That's why anyone making claims on authenticity need to support and verify what they are claiming. That goes for sellers as well as potential buyers.

There have been past instances where people claim something is fake or not as described because "they thought so" (without supportive facts), only to be proven wrong later after their damage was done.

I'm not making any claims as to the authenticity of any of the auction items mentioned within this thread. Nor am I saying that those raising concerns are right or wrong. In my first response within this thread, I mentioned providing screen grabs, links, or first hand knowledge supporting observations assists in determining the authenticity and or attribution of items. Doing so would be a great reference and assist in the auction process.
 
Well, alrighty then...

Doing so would be a great reference and assist in the auction process.
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There is where I disagree. The members of this board, and others, are not part of the auction process - they are members who have opinions and should be free to voice them. Often, the search for truth starts with just a suspicion while others are spot on with proof. I feel no compunction to offer iron clad pictorial displays at this point, since we all know most of the auction houses ignore it anyway. If, an auction house feels the need to further investigate, then they are free to do so - but seldom do.

cjh5801 noticed something I think most have missed with the CASABLANCA documents, in that the lot does not match either still they used, and for $100,000 I think such a piece should have been a slam dunk. I appreciate a sharp eye and am glad he posted it, but I would never agree to any suggestion that members cannot voice concern or must meet a legal standard you set. This is a social group with a common interest - not the auction house clearing board.
 
Stairstars said:
The members of this board, and others, are not part of the auction process
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I disagree with you there Rick. People who are interested in purchasing/bidding on auction items are part of the auction process. Otherwise there would be no auction if no one participated. Some members here consign to auctions which is another form of participating in the auction process. If there were no consignors and no bidders there would be no auction.

Stairstars said:
- they are members who have opinions and should be free to voice them.
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I'm glad we both agree on that. One of the purposes of this forum is to share opinions and views. Therefore, sharing as much fact based information with one another further adds to the conversation. Just saying an item is fake without supporting facts is not helpful . How many times have we seen people say, "this is fake", without any credible supporting facts? Doing so sometimes scares people away from bidding. Then, after the auction, it's discovered that the same person who scared away potential bidders wins the item. I'm not suggesting this happens is in every case, or that anyone has done that within this thread. However, it does happen.

Stairstars said:
Often, the search for truth starts with just a suspicion while others are spot on with proof. I feel no compunction to offer iron clad pictorial displays at this point, since we all know most of the auction houses ignore it anyway.
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This forum is for the members of The RPF, not the auction houses. Therefore, it benefits members and potential bidders to share as much information that will help one another in the auction process.

Stairstars said:
I would never agree to any suggestion that members cannot voice concern or must meet a legal standard you set. This is a social group with a common interest - not the auction house clearing board.
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I never said you or I should or would. My comments encourage sharing as much information as possible in a clear, supportive fashion. Cjh5801's post is what I am talking about. They state their observation and why. The why is additonal support to what they are saying.

Regarding your "auction clearing house" comment. I originally said:

Maybe those folks could list all of those the items in this thread they believe are suspect and why. Providing screen grabs, links, or first hand knowledge supporting their observations would help . It would be a great reference and assist in the auction process.
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Sharing as much information about this (or any other auction) on this board would be a great reference and assists in the auction process, of which potential bidders are part of. It's about the collectors.

The RPF's Production Made Costumes and Props section is an excellent tool for enthusiasts and collectors to share information, news stories, and subjects of interest, as well as communicate with one another. It's a valuable resource.
 
process: a series of actions or steps taken in order to achieve a particular end.

No, we are not part of the process; we do not select the ingredients, recipe, cook or serve the meal. We are the end users who "eat" it by bidding or buying. But, if we get sick from it, or it smells bad, we do have the right to express that here. Your main point, written twice, was that we should refrain from making these things known due to possible "damage" our words can cause. My contention is that here there is no standard; we are not part of the process of gathering, pricing or authenticating the lots, so we can say whatever we want to. We are the potential consumers and kicking the tires is our right. There is no fiduciary obligation or moral imperative. This is a social group, who are free to bitch and moan as we please, with only courtesy as our guide. We owe no auction house anything; quite the contrary - they owe it to us to get it right. But, when they don't, and we have showed proof positive they have failed, the pieces, more than not stay in the sale.
 
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