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Firsthand Account of the Christie's Star Trek Auction

Posted by Zonk on Sat Oct 07, 2006 11:26 PM
from the that's-a-lot-of-gold-pressed-latinum dept.
Sci-Fi The Almighty Buck Media Television
DustCollector writes to mention a Scientific American blog post about the highly successful Star Trek auction at Christie's on Thursday. The props, from many different shows, went for far more than was estimated. From the article: "The auction board flickered in perpetual motion as dollars changed along with the equivalent in euros, British pounds, Hong Kong dollars and Japanese yen (what, no quatloos?). Picard's Enterprise-E captain's chair, estimated to sell for $7,000-$8,000, went for $52,000. Two prop wine bottles of 'Chateau Picard,' estimated to go for $500 to $700, sold for $5,500. 'That's probably a record for empty wine bottles,' the auctioneer quipped. The sale prices so exceeded the estimated price that absentee bidders--those who place a maximum and hope for the best--hardly stood a chance: I counted only two successful absentee bids in the first 124 lots."
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[+] Christie's Auction House gets Star Trek Props 87 comments
circletimessquare writes "A New York Times reporter was granted access to the trove of 40 years of Star Trek props that Christie's, the auction house, is cataloguing for auction in October. 'The stuff of "Star Trek' — uniforms, communicators and other props, including pointy rubber ears — has boldly gone to a place where the intrepid crew never took the Enterprise: the Bronx.' For an opening bid of $1,000 to $1,500, you can own an original tribble. 'It's an Auction, Jim, but Not as We Know It.'"
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  • Shocking (Score:5, Funny)

    by eldavojohn (898314) * <my/.username@@@gmail.com> on Saturday October 07 2006, @11:28PM (#16352693) Homepage Journal
    You know those guys we always used to beat up in gum class?

    Yeah, they ended up with all the money.

    I'm being sarcastic of course, I lacked the bicepts to ever raise a fist in anger/frustration ...

  • obviously (Score:5, Insightful)

    by macadamia_harold (947445) on Saturday October 07 2006, @11:29PM (#16352699) Homepage
    The high bids made me wonder just why people were willing to pay thousands of dollars for cast resin and foam.

    It's not just "cast resin and foam". It's "cast resin and foam" that was in Star Trek

  • Full scale models (Score:5, Funny)

    by waynemcdougall (631415) on Saturday October 07 2006, @11:38PM (#16352737) Homepage
    Full-scale models of the Enterprise-A and Enterprise-D dominated the front of the room.

    Full-scale? That must have been a large room.

    • Now, if only I was fast enough to find a Star Trek equivalent to the Magrathea factory floor. Unfortunately, someone will probably beat me to that, too, with an episode that actually shows an auction house that big...

      Oh well, Hitchhiker's doesn't have quite the stigma of Trekkie.
      • The Dyson Sphere from "Relics" was pretty close. think of Larry Niven's Ringworld, but a whole sphere that size. 1 au radius. Bazillions of planets could fit inside.

    • Re:Full scale models (Score:5, Funny)

      by jcr (53032) <jcr@mac. c o m> on Sunday October 08 2006, @08:01AM (#16354317) Journal
      Full-scale? That must have been a large room.

      Nah, the actors were tiny.

      -jcr
  • No mention of the flute from 'The Inner Light' that Picard played. I was thinking of putting in an absentee bid on that, but I knew no way I'd get it. I think they first listed it for something like $300, then upped it to $800 because of interest. Can't imagine what it really went for.

  • Authenticate it! (Score:3, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 07 2006, @11:44PM (#16352765)
    You better get some kind of certificate of authentication so your
    parents can sell it after you move out of the basement.

    • Re: (Score:2, Informative)

      by tehlinux (896034)
      ftfa: No jokes about living in parents' basement, please--these buyers can afford their own places.
      • Yes, but have they ever kissed a girl?

      • ftfa: No jokes about living in parents' basement, please--these buyers can afford their own places.

        True. Makes me wonder how many of the buyers are going to either appreciate what they got or let others appreciate it, and not just use it as an investment or marketing gimmick.
        IMHO, a few of these items truly belong at the Smithsonian.

        Regards,
        --
        *Art

  • FTA (Score:5, Informative)

    by nihaopaul (782885) on Saturday October 07 2006, @11:52PM (#16352799) Homepage
    Some notable items and sale prices, along with original estimates in parentheses:

    -Borg alcove: $8,000 ($700)
    -Borg mannequin: $9,000 ($800)
    -Worf's Klingon baldric sash: $3,200 ($300)
    -Six Romulan Senate chairs: $1,900 ($800)
    -Type 2 phaser from Star Trek: Nemesis: $3,200 ($1,200)
    -17-inch tall latex-foam statue of Zephraim Cochrane: $5,500 ($500)
    -Captain Picard's black-and-grey uniform: $15,000 ($8,000)
    -Borg cube model, 30 inches across (the small one): $80,000 ($1,500)
    -Enterprise-E model: $110,000 ($12,000)

    --
    i got a picture i drew when i was a kid of the enterprise, i've priced it at $3 for cost of supplies, its coloured in pen to! taking bids
    • From the looks of things, it looks like the estimators consistantly undervalued these items by either 50% or an entire order of magniture.
    • -Enterprise-E model: $110,000 ($12,000)

      That's odd. Maybe it's just me, but I thought the Enterprise-E was a 100% digital effects model? Why would they bother creating a physical model if they're only shooting the digital set? The only thing I can think of is a rough model to prototype the design before making a digital version.

      Anyone have the deal on this, or do I need to run scandisk on my brain?

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by DarrylM (170047)
        "That's odd. Maybe it's just me, but I thought the Enterprise-E was a 100% digital effects model? Why would they bother creating a physical model if they're only shooting the digital set? The only thing I can think of is a rough model to prototype the design before making a digital version."

        <geek_mode>
        From the Star Trek The Next Generation Companion, the First Contact movie used minatures for most of the space scenes, including a 10 foot model of the Enterprise-E. I'm assuming this was the one sold
        • no it was the E, First Contact used a physical E model along with its digital one. Only later when they changed the E did it become fully digital

        • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

          by istewart (463887)
          The ramming scene in Nemesis actually used a physical model of the Ent-E's saucer. Everything else was digital, though.
    • The 78" Enterprise-D model built by ILM went for $576,000. How low was its estimate?
    • > -Captain Picard's black-and-grey uniform: $15,000 ($8,000)

      Fuck I hope that was laundered before it was auctioned off. I imagine it was worn quite a bit and I know I wouldn't pay USD15k for a sweaty jogging suite worn by Patrick Stewart a few years ago.
  • I am wondering if anyone knows where I could find a complete list of items and their sale prices? I am curious what some of it went for.
  • How much for William Shatner?
    • How much for William Shatner?

      You get him, and the next thing you know, you're going to be hit by a crap-ton of paternity suits.

      By women.

      Alien women, at that.

      Goodluck, buddy. Now, Tasha Yar on the other hand...

  • Funding (Score:5, Insightful)

    by PresidentEnder (849024) <wyvernender&gmail,com> on Sunday October 08 2006, @12:10AM (#16352865) Journal
    So... wait. People are willing to pay a grand total of hundreds of thousands of dollars for the old props, right...?

    How much does it cost to make a season of Star Trek?

  • Estimates are bogus. (Score:5, Insightful)

    by rolfwind (528248) on Sunday October 08 2006, @12:14AM (#16352883)
    The Summary:
    The props, from many different shows, went for far more than was estimated.


    Appraisers working for auctions routinely set estimates lower than what they really expect the item will fetch at auction - both to encourage bidders to step up to the plate early on and so the auction can claim to get "much higher prices" than expected, thus enforcing the Christie's premium name to sellers/estates who are thinking of consigning items there. Afterall, they have to compete with Sothebys.

    And if it turns out to be a very bad auction, at worst, they'll probably just hit estimates - and that doesn't sound as bad P/R wise than missing estimates entirely.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by no haters (714135)

      Appraisers working for auctions routinely set estimates lower than what they really expect the item will fetch at auction - both to encourage bidders to step up to the plate early on and so the auction can claim to get "much higher prices" than expected

      This is ridiculous. Please try to use some common sense. Have you ever worked in an auction house? The Christie's premium name to sellers/estates has to do with 2 things: The amount of money (people) they can bring to bid to an auction and the ACCURACY

  • Interesting comment about currencies. (Score:3, Funny)

    by techno-vampire (666512) on Sunday October 08 2006, @12:20AM (#16352891) Homepage
    I found the number of currencies used interesting, and can imagine the work needed to get them converted back and forth fast enough to keep up with the action. One thing, though, there was no mention of bars of gold-pressed latinum.
    • One thing, though, there was no mention of bars of gold-pressed latinum.

      This was essentially a memorabilia auction, and as such consisted mainly of props and not metals/currency. For the current prices of metals, you may want to look to the New York Mercantile Exchange, and google for precious metals retailers. I'd give you a direct link for gold-pressed latinum, but I think my computer is acting up, as I can't seem to find a good one just now.

      "Computer, what are the nearest sources of gold-pressed lati

  • .. the formula for transparent aluminum.
  • Cure world hunger or bid on an original Enterprise model. Decisions, decisions.
  • I'd hire Bill Shatner to sing me a "happy birthday" song. Will be worth every penny (or quatloo)!
    • I'd hire Bill Shatner to sing me a "happy birthday" song. Will be worth every penny

      I don't know dude. Based in his previous commericial recording experiments, I don't think I want to be there when he hits a note that no man has hit before.
         
  • A ferengi is crying happy tears.
  • I wonder if the auctioned off the costume of the character Kivas Fajo [memory-alpha.org] from the TNG episode "The Most Toys"? It would have been an appropriate acquisition for these bidders under the cirumstances.
  • Wouldn't it be much cheaper to hire the prop makers?
    • This has nothing to do with ST being still a good brand-name. This is about idiots willing to drop $45,000,000 for bits of sets. The Ent D seats look almost exactly like minivan seats, yet they go for $200,000.

      It's a feeding frenzy based on the idea that "rare" is the same as valuable. Same as what happened in St. Louis when they tore down old Busch Stadium. You could buy just about anything -- and people did. I don't know exactly *why* people were paying thousands of dollars for used urinals from ol

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