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I was able to schedule my business trip to the West Coast so I was in LA this past weekend for the annual Creation Grand Slam Convention, which I knew It's a Wrap was scheduled to have a booth at. I wanted to meet their team and see what goodies they brought to the event. I also wanted to meet both Anthony Pascale, the editor of Trekmovie.com, the premier site for Star Trek news (who published my weekly reviews on his site) and Brett Jones of Federation Supply. Brett produces what are without doubt, the best Star Trek prop replicas in the business.
This post would have had lots of photos, but I left my camera on the airplane last night and of course some clean-up guy walked off with it and now has a nice shiny digital camera (with lots of Star Trek convention photos).
THE CONVENTION
Now I used to go to the Grand Slam Convention when I lived in LA. This was Grand Slam XV and I went to the first 5 and then one about 6 years ago. Sadly, with the diminishing interest in Star Trek, this con, which once had huge crowds and filled the Pasadena Convention Center, now is relegated to the Burbank Airport Marriot. Now, the location was actually quite nice, rates were reasonable, as the facilities were compact and more than adequate. But there may have been 2,000 patrons total, where this convention used to attract 10,000. My understanding is that the Vegas Creation Star Trek convention is now the best and biggest Star Trek con. I know everyone there was talking about Vegas and I am planning on going as are a bunch of other prop collectors I know.
THE IAW TEAMWhen I arrived on Friday, I immediately found the IAW booth as there were probably only about 20 booths in the whole show. IAW had a 10x10 booth stuffed with costumes and a table with some props. I got to meet the whole team and spent a lot of time chatting with them over the three days. It was very informative as I got a good feel for the way they run their operation, what each of them does and the challenges they face with the limited resources they have and the restrictions that Paramount has put on them. Colin, the project manager, is a great guy who was very open about their operation (while not revealing anything of what they have to sell!). I think if there was one thing that became obvious, it was that the frustrations we sometimes have with IAW are not because anyone is not trying or not working hard, but because it takes so much work to get these auctions done and they don't have a technology system that can really help them streamline the workflow.
I always say to be patient as there is an enormous amount of product in those warehouses, and you shouldn't overpay as there are a lot of many of the costumes. But from now on I am also going to tell you to be patient with the IAW team because they really do try very hard and are working under difficult circumstances. I think that last piece is something we don't realize, and something Colin helped me understand. So if you have a problem with your shipment or item, don't assume IAW isn't interested, they are just overwhelmed.
Of course everyone wants to know how long the auctions are going to go one for, and what they have in stock etc. But Colin was pretty consistent in not letting on any "inside" news. I can appreciate that despite our insatiable curiosity. I can only tell you that there are a lot more auctions to come! THE IAW BOOTH
IAW had only a 10x10 booth, so that isn't a lot of space, but they packed in a lot of stuff. On the table were two Nemesis style Phaser rifles, one of resin and one of Rubber. A rubber Xindi Reptile rifle (truly a beautiful piece), a Bat'Leth that was wood, a Mek'Leth made of rubber, a rubber Reman rifle, a resin Romulan Disruptor Rifle and two Klingon masks from Star Trek VI. The costume selection was limited to background costumes, no main character costumes, but this was a smart move considering the audience they were playing to at the conventions. (Not a lot of money in the crowd, and what there is is generally sucked out by Creation).
On the costume racks were a host of Star Trek Voyager costumes that were incredibly cheap at $ 600. There were some Enterprise jumpsuits around $900, a few TNG jumpsuits at the same price, and some great Nemesis style black and gray jumpsuits at $ 800. Yeah the last was a fantastic deal. There were about a dozen ST: TMP costumes of various types, some Bajoran uniforms, several Romulan Senate Robes, a Vulcan Zombie costume from Enterprise, a Vulcan Captain costume, a Klingon costume and an Enterprise style Klingon costume. They also had a Xindi Reptile costume, a Reman costume, a Nemesis Romulan Officer costume and a couple two piece Next Gen costumes. There were more, but I cant remember them all. You could walk into the booth (small as it was) and go through the two racks of clothes and check out each costume. Over the three days the IAW team wore different costumes every day, which added a lot to booth.
IAW was VERY smart in their selection of costumes and props for the event, as they had great prices because they focused on the background costumes, which are very affordable. I highly recommend that you all save your $ and come to the Vegas Star Trek Convention and browse their booth!
MY PURCHASES
And what did I buy? Well, it turned out to be a Nemesis event for me. I bought a nice Nemesis resin Phaser rifle for $ 2,000 (which I have wanted for some time, and this had a working flashlight), a Reman costume (which has also been on my hit list) for $ 2,000, a Romulan Officer's Uniform for $ 600, a Romulan Senator's robes (which were really amazing and came with the Romulan Empire pin) for $ 600 and a Bat'Leth. The Bat'Leth was a rare wooden one which is why I bought it. You all know I am not a big fan of rubber, and while the rubber they used on many of these props is much denser (I am told they mix resin in with it) you still have the problem of paint flaking and cracking over time. So a wooden one was most welcome!
Well, that is all for now! And if you have photos from this weekend, please send me them!Alec
Week 17
I am writing this Sunday morning at the Creation Grand Slam show in Burbank, CA. Though it is a shame to see that what was once the best Star Trek convention of the year (a title now held by Creation's Vegas show) has become pretty average, with only about 2,000 people in attendance, it has been a great show as far as prop and costume collecting go. I have made 5 very good friends in the prop collecting hobby, gotten to spend a bunch of time with all the IAW people and spent about $ 5,700 on some great costumes and props (more to follow in my next post).So on with the review:
The highest item was the Admiral Kirk Casual Wear from Star Trek II:TWOK which sold for $ 5,700. This was a nice piece and was sure to go high. This is the costume Kirk is wearing when Bones drops by with Romulan ale to celebrate Kirk's birthday, and you can see the screen caps here. Pretty important scene in what is still the best Star Trek movie.
The Spock Commando costume went for $ 4,292. I really think this is high considering it has no boots or rank insignia. There is another in the IAW inventory that has both, so it will be interesting to see what that goes for.
The Star Trek IV Admiral Kirk costume went for a healthy $ 4,050. Now, as was pointed out by one reader, the pants seem different 
from the ones you see Kirk wear in most of Star Trek III & IV, and so these may well be the ones worn in the water scene at the end of ST IV. A logical explanation as the pants for those would naturally need to be of a material that were thicker in order to hold their shape better in water. This is the most common Kirk costume we have seen so far in that there are four known examples, as two went at Christie's that were complete (with jacket and belt) and there is one with the jacket at the IAW web site. I was also told that Profiles in History had one a few years ago, but I wasn't able to confirm that.
The classic TNG Councilor Troi costume with boots went for a very healthy $3,389. TNG hero costumes are going to go higher just because they are older and rarer, many having been given away, taken from Paramount or such. Now, that doesn't explain why the Dr. Crusher costume went for only $1,575. That was CHEAP and a great deal by whoever got it.
The Chekov costume from Star Trek IV at $ 2,429 was a great deal as well. I know a friend was going to go up to $ 5,000 and bowed out because his friend wanted it, and then his friend messed up when bidding and neither of them got it! UGH. (second time that has happened to a friend of mine). This is a memorable costume and has a very rare black undershirt. We saw this costume a lot in ST IV and so I think this was a great deal.
The Captain Kirk Commando Costume was a stunt, so not used by Shatner, but went for $2,125 none the less. These are good looking costumes that display well. Try to get the ones with the boots if they 
come up because the boots were specially made by Reebok and are dynamite.
The Picard Romulan costume at $1,890 and the Data Romulan costume at $1,448 were both good deals on main character costumes. There are good deals to be had when you want a main character costumes when you look for important non-uniform costumes. These costumes were used almost the whole of two episodes, so are very recognizable, and any Romulan costume seems to always be well made as the heavy structure of the costume is representativ e of the Romulan culture.
The Admiral Bullock jacket went for $1,855 and got a lot of interest. It is pretty sharp and will look great on display. You just need to get appropriate rank pins. My good friend Grant won this one (don't tell his wife).
The red engineering Enterprise jumpsuit went high for a background costume at $1,275, but new bidders can always thrown things off. None the less, a fair price for a piece of Star Trek history.
The TNG Starfleet Admiral costume went for $1,275 as well, which was a fair deal on a pretty rare costume. (UGH, early Next Gen could be so lame).
The James Doohan Jumpsuit went for $1,136, which is fair considering it has no boots, rank insignia or Starfleet patch and an unattached bio-monitor buckle.
Finally, I think the Ambassador T'Pel's robes at hat at $899 was a good deal too for an important guest role costume.
As far as props go:
Eline's Probe Shapes necklace at $2,706 was the top selling prop in a week that had few desirable props. This is one of the most loved episodes of TNG and considering that the Ressikan flute went for $ 45,000 at Christie's, this was a bargain.The Large Silver 24th Century Carry Case at $1,112 was I think that was a bit high for this prop, but it looks nice and again, not a lot to choose from this week!
I liked the Defiant Mess Hall serving tray, but not at the $ 565 it went for. Seems a bit high, but it was quite nice.
The Romulan Monitor console at $ 495 was a big piece, and the shipping may well be more than the cost of the item! But it is cool to have an item like this in your basement or office.
The Captain Picard Ready Room Data Module went for $ 375, which was right in the range I predicted. I think we will see more of these. Ironically, the smaller, Enterprise E data module went for $ 434. None the less, bolth aree cool props are reasonable prices.
Finally, two different sources who know the history of Star Trek props well told me that the resin ranks pins were simple extras made in case they didn't have enough metal ones. These all went for pretty reasonable prices for the lower ranks, though the Captain badge hit $ 306.
Resin
Rear Admiral $127.50
Captain $ 306
Commander $ 202.50
Lieutenant $ 91
Lieutenant JG $ 53.50Master Chief Petty Officer $ 59.06
Master Chief Petty officer $ 35.78
Chief Petty Officer $ 56
Petty Officer Second Class $ 35
Ensign $ 51
Metal
10 Year Service Marker $ 63
Commisioned Commendation Marker $ 61
Officer Commendation Marker $ 47.08
So here are some awards for the week:
Best Costume of the Week: ST II: TWOK Admiral Kirk Casual Wear at $5,700. An important costume in the best Star Trek movie ever.
Best Prop of the Week: Eline's Probe shaped necklace just has too much history to it and is from a great episode. Plus, no other prop this week comes close.
Best Buy of the week: Dr. Crusher jumpsuit and lab coat at $1,575. For a TNG costume, a total steal!
Worst Buy of the week: Councilor Troi Yoga costume at $1,201. It is a freaking ugly swim suit!
Sleeper of the Week: The Dark Page Kirsten Dunst costume. This is an important costume that slipped by. You get a major star's costume from a guest shot in a very good Star Trek: TNG episode.
And here are some prices realized:
5 HIGHEST PRICED ITEMS THAT SOLD
ST II: TWOK Admiral Kirk Casual Wear $5,700
ST V Spock Commando Costume $4,292
ST IV Admiral Kirk Costume $4,050
ST: TNG Councilor Troi Purple Jumpsuit $3, 389
Eline's Probe Shaped Necklace $2,706
Hey all!I am in LA the next couple days and will be at the big Star Trek Convention in Burbank on Friday. It's a Wrap will have a booth there and be selling some items. If you are local, send me an email and we can try and meet up at the IAW booth and chat. Maybe we will have a group and we can all go grab dinner afterwards and share collecting stories.Alec
Week 17 PreviewThis week sees a range of Star Trek movie items including 3 Captain Kirk costumes. The prop selection is pretty weak, with the exception of a full range of movie costume rank pins, though most of these are resin, which is a curiosity.
The highest item now, which will probably top this week's auctions, is the Admiral Kirk Casual Wear from Star Trek II:TWOK. A nice costume, with good detailing. It will be interesting to see where a casual costume goes for on these auctions. I really can't give any guidance here because of the lack of history of this type of item so far.
The Star Trek III Admiral Kirk costume is one of two we know that It's a Wrap has, and there are probably more. The two best examples of this costume were sold at Christie's for $ 10,000 each, complete with jackets and belts. IAW has one on their web site which has the jacket but not the belt. They are asking $ 10,000 for it, which is totally unrealistic, and it hasn't sold in the 4 months on their web site. You can see that one here. Now the pants on this one look wrong, and one of my good friends, who is a serious Star Trek movie costume collector pointed that out to me. If you are going to bid on this, make sure you ask IAW about this first.
The Captain Kirk Commando Costume is a stunt, so not used by Shatner. None the less, it is a cool costume and different from the 
other commando costumes, most notably the color and the neck line of the under shirt, which has a notched front. It has the belt, which the previous versions of these costumes lacked, but has no rank pins. Also, the boots are really beautiful with these costumes (I have an Uhura with boots) and the boots are not part of these offerings.
The Spock Commando costume is similar to the Kirk, though this is an actual Nimoy costume. It has a belt, though no rank pins or boots. Note that it was used in the turbolift shaft scene where Spock uses the rocket boots, so it has a hole in the back of the sweater.
I have told you many times about how many of a costume IAW probably has and how to figure it out for yourself (see the last post). Well, we now know that two of these costumes, the ST III Kirk and the Commando Spock are lesser versions of other costumes that IAW has in stock. (A better Spock Commando has been on display at IAW's Burbank store with rank pins and boots).
What this tells us is that IAW is auctioning off the lesser quality costumes first. So as always, be patient!
I think the James Doohan Jumpsuit is not a choice piece. There are no rank insignia or Starfleet emblem and the bio buckle is not attached.
There is a classic Councilor Troi costume with boots (a nice touch) which should appeal to Next Gen fans. As should the Dr. Crusher costume (a similar one went on their web site for $ 3,000 back in December), which has the lab coat, though it has some distress as noted in the description.
The Admiral Bullock jacket is a really nice piece, though sadly without pants. I am sure this is a beauty in person. The TNG Starfleet Admiral costume is nice as well, though I was never a fan of this style. As you can see in the photos, it just doesn't display as well as the Bulloock one.
The last costumes I will mention are the Picard and Data Romulan costumes, which I think are quite nice. This is an interesting way to get costumes of your favorite character.As far as props go:
The Large Silver 24th Century Carry Case is the top item, which I think kind of shows the weakness of this week's prop offerings. It is nice on the outside, but unremarkable inside. And while it will look nice on a shelf, how high can this item go and still be a good value?
The TNG Eline Probe Shaped Necklace is from "The Inner Light" which is on everyone's top 5 TNG episode list. Considering that the flute went for $ 45,000 at Christie's, I think this could get some serious interest. It is certainly a $ 2,000 item.
The Captain Picard Ready Room Data Module is nice, but I don't think is worth more than $ 300-400, since you can see a bunch of these props in many episodes.
Finally, there is a whole range of resin rank pins (with a couple of metal ones in there). Now the question is were these screen used, and if so, where? Talking with a couple of Star Trek collectors I know, they all say that all the rank pins on the movie costumes they have are metal. I know they are metal on my Orange Radiation suit. So what are these made for? I don't know and would love to hear from anyone who has any theories.
Good hunting!
Alec
"Since before your sun burned hot in space, and before your race was born, I have awaited a question."
The Guardian of the Star Trek Auction, Prop and Costume Blog recently received this question from Jon Sligh.
"I have been reading your blog and enjoying it greatly. I see that you said that you lost out on the auction for Nog's uniform " but I didn't bid higher because I know there are more of these". Does that mean there are going to be more of the eBay auctions from ItsAWrap? Do you know how many more auctions are they going to have? Do you know what they are going to be selling? I am interesting in bidding on more items but I don’t want to waste my money upfront for fear there aren’t going to be any more items they put up. I have a limited amount and if I go over my wife is going to kill me. :-) So basically I am looking for any information you might have.
Thanks so much.
Jon"
Well, Jon, I don't have any inside information on what IAW has or what will be coming. IAW is very secretive and doesn't release information about what they have or what they are going to have. When I make comments about being patient and that there are many of an item, it is based on a few things.
First, each season there were a number of uniforms made for each actor. Refer back to what Robert Blackman, the Star Trek costume Designer since TNG, said in the Robert Blackman interview:
"During the season we make 4-6 uniforms for each actor."
So that is the first piece of information that I use. After that, there is the History Channel Special that was recently on in which we see a ton of views of the warehouse where all the Star Trek costumes and props were stored and it is abundantly clear that there is a massive amount of costumes and props available. Some of those scenes are mind-boggling. All my friends who are collectors, many of whom have been collecting a lot longer than I have and have much more experience, agree that there is a huge supply, and we have only seen a part of it all. I think it is entirely reasonable that these auctions will last over a year. It has been over 4 months already!
So it is really collecting all the available facts and making reasonable conclusions about what exists. As far as the Nog costume, he was an important character and so the Blackman axiom goes. There should be 8-12 of these. If you say, "Well, he was a secondary character", then maybe there were only 4-6. Either way, that is a lot of costumes. So, I decided to be patient.
I hope that helps!
Alec
Hey all:I have been getting a bunch of email as of late from y'all (as we say here in Atlanta) and I love reading the email and appreciate all the great comments. I will respond to every email I get and I have made some great friends from doing this. Please do me a favor though, and if you want to ask me a question, in addition to emailing me, please post the question here as a comment, so, in addition to answering your email, I can also answer it here for all to see. Blogs are meant to be a dialog, not just an article, and I want everyone to get used to being part of that dialog.
Thanks!
Alec
