Film memorabilia

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One pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, on display at the National Museum of American History Ruby slippers.JPG
One pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, on display at the National Museum of American History

Film memorabilia are objects considered of value because of their connection to the cinema. These include costumes, props, advertising posters, and scripts, among other things. Fans have always coveted memorabilia, but in recent years, what was once a hobby has mushroomed into big business, with millions of dollars changing hands in auctions held by such firms as Christie's and Sotheby's. In addition, many popular films have their collectible items sold via independent, online movie memorabilia stores, web auctions, and at film studio charity events. [1] [2]

Contents

History of collecting

In the early days, most people sought autographs or original photographs or posters. Collectors had to rely on a handful of news magazines that were full of various sellers offering mail order catalogues or asking to buy bulk lots, or particular items of interest. Occasionally, events would be organized which were structured around a live auction these, while fewer in number today, still occur, and one can still buy memorabilia in person from trusted sellers on-site. The community was also fairly fragmented, with collectors and dealers spread out across the globe and no real consistent and reliable way to communicate with one another.

Movie studios were slow to recognize the value of their property, [3] "generally viewing the material as junk taking up precious backlot real estate." [4] Often, workers would just take souvenirs or sell items without permission, aware that their employers did not particularly care. [3] One of the more notorious of these was costumer Kent Warner, who amassed a large private collection and made money selling to interested buyers. One of his friends claimed that Warner rescued Humphrey Bogart's Casablanca trench coat, which had been slated for burning. [5]

1970 MGM auction

The turning point came in 1970. Kirk Kerkorian had bought MGM the year before and installed James Thomas Aubrey, Jr. as president. [6] As part of his cost-cutting measures, [6] Aubrey decided to auction off hundreds of thousands of items. The success of this mammoth event made people take notice.

MGM sold the contents of seven sound stages [7] "for a mere $1.5 million" to auctioneer David Weisz. [8] There were over 350,000 costumes alone. [7] Weisz hired Kent Warner to help catalog and prepare for the auction. [5] In the course of his work, Warner found several pairs of the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (it is common practice to make multiple copies of important props). One pair became the centerpiece of the event and sold for a then-unheard-of $15,000. Warner kept or sold an unknown number of other pairs.

Actress Debbie Reynolds spent $180,000 [5] and "purchased thousands of items", [9] the beginning of her large collection. [10] Weisz "recouped eight times" what he paid "from eager nostalgia enthusiasts." [8]

Among the items sold were:

The unsold items, "... truckloads of costume sketches, movie stills and other memorabilia were sent to the MGM Grand Hotel in Las Vegas to be sold in the gift shop and used as hotel decorations." [13] The auction catalogs have now themselves become sought-after collectibles.

2011 Debbie Reynolds auctions

Debbie Reynolds' collection was sold by Profiles in History in two auctions in June and December 2011. [14] The items put up for bid in the first of these auctions included: [14]

On June 18, 2011, the subway dress sold for $4.6 million, far in excess of pre-auction estimates of $1–2 million. [15] Another Monroe dress, worn in Gentlemen Prefer Blondes , fetched $1.2 million; it had been expected to go for $200,000 to $300,000. [15] Estimated at $60,000 to $80,000, a blue cotton dress Judy Garland used in test shots for The Wizard of Oz went for $910,000. [15] In total, the auction grossed $22.8 million. [16]

In the second Reynolds auction, on December 3, 2011, a still-functioning Panavision PSR 35mm camera used to film Star Wars went for $625,000, breaking records for Star Wars memorabilia and vintage cameras. [17]

Influence of the internet

In the early days of the internet, the larger community began to get in touch with one another through UseNet newsgroups (for example, alt.binaries.pictures.movie-posters). As the internet grew, collectors began communicating in ways never thought possible. In 1995, popular on-line email group MoPo was formed, creating a central place for people to keep in touch about things and events important to the community. This group continues to provide information to new and old collectors alike.

By 1997, the community had changed forever. eBay was quickly becoming the alternative marketplace after two years of steady growth. Professional sellers took notice, causing many to close their bricks-and-mortar businesses and focus their attention completely on internet sites and the future of the on-line marketplace.

In the early days of internet selling, prices varied widely. One could find posters normally valued in the hundreds of dollars selling for twenty dollars, or, alternatively, find posters normally valued at twenty dollars going for a hundred or more. Today, the market place for film memorabilia has mostly stabilised. While one can see a rare film poster go for large amounts, it is far more common to find that items are priced either at or near market value, or are bid up to that point.

The Internet has clearly been an important influence on the business of memorabilia, but just as it has given large access to the purchase of legitimate goods, this has also given the opportunity for fakes be them replicas being sold as originals or even fraudulent signatures. [18] Many fall for these scams online making even stars like Star Wars's Mark Hamill choose to raise awareness. [19]

As such the internet has also given access to places that assure you legitimacy with known auction houses and even something as small as certifications of authenticity like the JSA, and the PSA that grant acquired items some proof as reassurance for buyers.

Types

Notable examples

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christie's</span> British auction house

Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, and it has additional salerooms in New York, Paris, Hong Kong, Milan, Amsterdam, Geneva, Shanghai, and Dubai. It is owned by Groupe Artémis, the holding company of François Pinault. In 2022 Christie's sold US$8.4 billion in art and luxury goods, an all-time high for any auction house. On 15 November 2017, the Salvator Mundi was sold at Christie's in New York for $450 million to Saudi Prince Badr bin Abdullah Al Saud, the highest price ever paid for a painting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ruby slippers</span> Magical footwear from The Wizard of Oz

The ruby slippers are a pair of magical shoes worn by Dorothy Gale as played by Judy Garland in the 1939 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer musical film The Wizard of Oz. Because of their iconic stature, they are among the most valuable items of film memorabilia. Several pairs were made for the film, though the exact number is unknown. Five pairs are known to have survived; one pair was stolen from a museum in 2005 and recovered in 2018.

<i>The Wizard of Oz</i> 1939 film based on the book by L. Frank Baum

The Wizard of Oz is a 1939 American musical fantasy film produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM). Based on the 1900 novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum, it was primarily directed by Victor Fleming, who left production to take over the troubled Gone with the Wind. It stars Judy Garland, Frank Morgan, Ray Bolger, Bert Lahr, Jack Haley, Billie Burke, and Margaret Hamilton. Noel Langley, Florence Ryerson, and Edgar Allan Woolf received credit for the screenplay, while others made uncredited contributions. The music was composed by Harold Arlen and adapted by Herbert Stothart, with lyrics by Edgar "Yip" Harburg.

The Wicked Witch of the West is a fictional character who appears in the classic children's novel The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900), created by American author L. Frank Baum. She is killed by Dorothy; in Baum's subsequent Oz novels, the Wicked Witch of the West is occasionally referred to.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Film poster</span> Printed advertising sheet for a motion picture

A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. They normally contain an image with text. Today's posters often feature printed likenesses of the main actors. Prior to the 1980s, illustrations instead of photos were far more common. The text on film posters usually contains the film title in large lettering and often the names of the main actors. It may also include a tagline, the name of the director, names of characters, the release date, and other pertinent details to inform prospective viewers about the film.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sony Pictures Studios</span> Television and film studio complex, California, U.S.

The Sony Pictures Studios is an American television and film studio complex located in Culver City, California at 10202 West Washington Boulevard and bounded by Culver Boulevard (south), Washington Boulevard (north), Overland Avenue (west) and Madison Avenue (east). Founded in 1912, the facility is currently owned by Sony Pictures and houses the division's film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, TriStar Pictures, and Screen Gems. The complex was the original home of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer from 1924 to 1986 and Lorimar-Telepictures from 1986 to 1988.

The Land of Oz is a theme park based on L. Frank Baum's Land of Oz books, located in the resort town of Beech Mountain, North Carolina, US. Carolina Caribbean Corporation opened it in 1970 under the guidance of Grover Robbins, who had been successful with Tweetsie Railroad. Designed by Jack Pentes, the park was fully operational until 1980.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage Auctions</span> American fine art and collectibles auction house

Heritage Auctions is an American multi-national auction house based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1976, Heritage is an auctioneer of numismatic collections, comics, fine art, books, luxury accessories, real estate, and memorabilia from film, music, history, and sports.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">T206 Honus Wagner</span> Baseball card issued 1909–1911

The T206 Honus Wagner baseball card depicts the Pittsburgh Pirates' Honus Wagner, known as "The Flying Dutchman", a dead-ball era baseball player who is widely considered to be one of the best players of all time. The card was designed and issued by the American Tobacco Company (ATC) from 1909 to 1911 as part of its T206 series. Wagner refused to allow production of his baseball card to continue, either because he did not want children to buy cigarette packs to get his card, or because he wanted more compensation from the ATC. The ATC ended production of the Wagner card, and a total of only 50 to 200 cards were ever distributed to the public. In 1933, the card was first listed at a price value of US$50 in Jefferson Burdick's The American Card Catalog, making it the most expensive baseball card in the world at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Costume</span>

Western Costume Company is a costume company in North Hollywood, California which supplies costumes and costuming supplies to the film and TV industry. Founded in 1912 or 1913, it is one of the oldest businesses in the industry.

Jon Baddeley is a fine art auctioneer, an authority on scientific instruments and collectables, a broadcaster and an author.

Kent Phillip Warner was a costume designer, best known for finding and acquiring the ruby slippers from the film The Wizard of Oz o the 1970 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Auction.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Black Givenchy dress of Audrey Hepburn</span> Dress featured in the 1961 film Breakfast at Tiffanys

Audrey Hepburn wore a "little black dress" in the 1961 romantic comedy film Breakfast at Tiffany's. The garment was originally designed by Hubert de Givenchy, with three existing copies preserved to date. A studio copy of this dress was worn during the opening scene of the film, while another during a social party held at the apartment of the main protagonist.

Todd Emmanuel Fisher is an American business executive, architect, sound engineer, and filmmaker. He is the son of singer Eddie Fisher and actress Debbie Reynolds.

Bruce Hershenson is an American entrepreneur who in 1999 founded the movie memorabilia auction company eMoviePoster. He is a collector of movie pressbooks and has edited 43 movie poster history books.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cowardly Lion</span> Fictional character from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

The Cowardly Lion is a character in the fictional Land of Oz created by American author L. Frank Baum. He is depicted as an African lion, but like all animals in Oz, he can speak.

Profiles in History was an auction house in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, who is an auctioneer and dealer of authentic and original collectibles, including Hollywood memorabilia, historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed autographs, and manuscripts. Maddalena was the company's president and CEO. It became defunct in January 2021 when Maddalena joined former rival Heritage Auctions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gingham dress of Judy Garland</span> In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz

In the 1939 film The Wizard of Oz, American entertainer Judy Garland wore a blue-and-white dress in her seminal role as Dorothy Gale throughout the film. Also nicknamed the "Dorothy dress", it was designed for the film by MGM costume designer Adrian, who based it on L. Frank Baum's description of Dorothy's dress in his children's book The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900). Several copies of the dress were made for Garland to wear during production, which were styled to make her appear younger and thinner on camera. The complete outfit consists of a checked blue-and-white gingham pinafore worn over a cream-colored blouse. It is often paired with ruby slippers, another famous clothing item from the film.

References

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