Bogus Movie Props

[Monster Bob]

Anyone remember me bringing this subject / auction house up before? I think this story is about to hit the national wire...

http://tinyurl.com/29unkn

[Toy Ranch]

Sounds like they screwed up pretty big, but are taking care of it.  "Props" to them for that, at least. 

[fmofmpls]

Wasn't there a questionable Creature mask on there too at one time? Or was that eBay? I remember an auction of what was purported to be a surviving Creature mask from the film?

[gracebuster]

Yeah, That mask had been around for years. Auctioned off a few times. Last time was PROFILES IN HISTORY!

Thought I had pics, sorry can't find them.

Anyway the "SCREEN USED " mask was made out of LATEX!

Dear Lord, if there is one thing we know definatively about that movie it is that all of the masks were made out of FOAM RUBBER!

How that one got through, I have no idea.

hell, I remember a BUTERFIELDS auction. I was at the preview for it and they were offering PLANET OF THE APES pieces worn by Maurice Evans! It was a DON POST mask. Told them, of course. They told me that I was wrong!

Bottom line in any auction for screen used props- BUYER BEWARE!

Also , if you collect autographs I'd stay away from Checks. In my household, Kelly was signing my checks a month after she moved in- rest assured Karloff's wife was doing the same! 

[michblk]

Also , if you collect autographs I'd stay away from Checks. In my household, Kelly was signing my checks a month after she moved in- rest assured Karloff's wife was doing the same! 

I work with a guy, who I don't ever think has cashed his check since he has been married.

Hey Dan, What percentage of your autograph on ebay would you consider fake?

Thanks!
Brian

[Monster Bob]

*Flash* ...we now take you supernaturally to Dallas texas...


http://www.wfaa.com/video/index.html?nvid=215291&she=1

[Toy Ranch]

That was really interesting, thanks Bob!

[The Phantom Creep]

Yeah Bob thanks, very interesting.

[Monster Bob]

I thought to veeeerrrrry interesting, as Arte Johnson used to say.


The story was just picked up by Associated Press.


Danny- wasn't that CFTBL mask thing something? They too, were told by multiple collectors,etc. what they had and why, and why it wasn't what they were claiming in to be. In 2 full page auction pages, full color. They chose to sell it anyway. I think the reason it ended so high was that included were 3 what they called 'letters of authenticity' from Bob Burns, Millicent Patrick, and maybe Rico or Chapman. They were very weak support...the Patrick one basically saying '[congratulations and glad someone who cares got it]'. I'm not sure the Burns LOA was even from Burns, or what content it contained. It may have well said, 'This is a Creature Mask. Bob Birns' (!)

[gracebuster]

Bob, That video was jaw dropping!

Thanks for finding it.

Yeah, I couldn't undserstand the CFTBL auction because I was with Bob and John (az Gillman) Gilbert, the first time that popped up on ebay. John asked Bob if it could e real and it was Bob, himself, who reiterated that the fact that it was only made of latex precluded it form being authentic.
I don't know what his letter may have said, but he knew it was fake. Did the auction house take a letter out of context? Hell, no one knows more about this stuff then Bob Burns, he's the GURU!
How they could have a letter from him is confusing, to say the least.


How many autographs on ebay are fake? Man, who knows.
My pal who does IN PERSON autographs believes that more then half of the new stuff is fake!
I have seen fakes of my autograph on there. It's really odd, since ...

A) I'm not even at a level that would be worth selling (maybe on LOST pics)

and

B) I am so accesible to anyone who wants one.

Still they fake them. Who knows?

I always suggest buying autographs form dealers you trust or really pay attention to PROVENENCE when these things come up.


I have  a wonderful Karloff autograph that I bought on ebay. The guys pic never loaded and no one else bid. His story was very interesting and he remembered where he bought the still as a child to send to an Uncle in England who knew Karloff's wife. ANd he regrteted that he didn't send a Frankenstein still.

I compared it with Bob Burns IN PERSON autograph from Karloff (on the set of Gunsmoke or Wild Wild West) from the same year and it was identicle!

LOVE that one. Have  afew more which I'll try to post some day soon with the stories of those.

[Wich2]

Wow, these guys REALLY screwed the pooch.

And they sold their souls in a biz where if you loose Trust, you've got nothing...

Great weekend,
-Craig W.

[raycastile]

That L.A. Props guy is creepy.  He reminds me of a lot of dealers I've met who feel like they have an inalienable right to rip you off.

[preyer]

funny, i was looking for props and found this link completely independently of being on this site.

sorry to resurrect an old thread, but it just reminded me for some reason of the horrordome (?) sasquatch/bigfoot costume a couple of doofuses and a 'respected bigfoot hunter' claimed was the real thing, frozen in an icebox, several months ago. i remember the one guy was a cop on leave (wounded while on duty) and was summarily fired once the hoax was found out. i think the guys made a ran for it and was eventually picked up somewhere like south america, if what i was told was correct and/or i'm remembering it correctly.

i find this stuff fascinating. probably why i love 'antique roadshow' and 'history detectives.'

as far as autographs, were i to ever buy one i'd only get it through a reputable dealer. if it turned out to be fake, just let me think it was real. in all reality, had i scribbled names on an 'antiqued' piece of paper and put it under a fancy matting and some glass no one would ever be the wiser as far as displaying it goes.

i remember a story about autographs that makes me very leery. i forget exactly who the celebrity in question was, but his autograph was notorious for changing even during the same signing event. so a guy who got something signed at the start might have a very different looking signature than the guy's at the end. a handwriting expert would probably be able to verify the two were made by the same hand, but the idea is enough to make me overly-cautious to the extent i'd shy away from it altogether. and if they were *too* identical, that'd make me even more suspicious!

for sale cheap: authentic 'preyer' autographs. while supplies last. limited edition. numbered. guaranteed delivery.

[MDG]

This story is from 2002, but, even if I could afford this kind of memorabilia, it put me off it forever:

http://www.duckprods.com/weide/harp.html

[raycastile]

This story is from 2002, but, even if I could afford this kind of memorabilia, it put me off it forever:

http://www.duckprods.com/weide/harp.html

That was a good read.  People need to trust their instincts.  Sometimes your instinct tries to warn you against a course of action, but your intellect can't articulate why.  In these cases, listen to your instinct!  He knew something was wrong as soon as he read the erroneous filmography.  He should have dropped it there and then. 

I don't collect props.  I can't imagine ever starting.  I don't have the money to collect the kinds of props I would want, and I'm quite sure I would get ripped off right and left.  We're not all Sherlock Holmes.  You can only do so much to try to authenticate something.  At some point, you have to rely on the seller's integrity.  And it seems like the prop collecting field is teaming with sellers lacking in integrity.