The Prop Blog Chronicles: Covering the Lost Auction

The Prop Blog Chronicles are, in every sense of the word, a narrative record of my introduction and establishment into the world of prop and costume collection. They are all based on personal experience and reflect my opinion and interpretation of the experiences. This is not an editorial, research article or press release.

For the better part of the last few months my focus has been on Profiles in History and their recently completely Lost Auction (see: Reviewing the Profiles in History Lost Auction). Admittedly, the constant coverage and research has been a bit tedious, but in the end it all seems to have been worth while.

Covering an auction in such significant detail is a task the likes of which I never expected when I began prop blogging. The countless hours that go into the research and screen comparison is far more significant than any sports writing I had ever done in my life. However, as I noted above, the National media coverage my work received made every second worth it.

Photo Credit: Erik C. Andersen

I’ve had people tell me that the coverage seemed like more of an attack on PiH than anything else, but I was able to dismiss that easily because I know for a fact that’s not the case. Sure, the vast majority of my coverage was of the negative variety, but that certainly wasn’t my fault. I’ve covered a few other PiH auctions and never approached the sort of negative press associated with the Lost Auction…and the reason for that was the sloppiness that had gone into both the planning and research of said auction.

It would be easy to sit here and recount the various issues and mistakes made by Profiles in History, but that’s not the purpose of these chronicles. Rather, I want you, the readers, to see it through my eyes. I want you to understand what went into the coverage of that auction and how I feel I helped the community. I also want you to see that I make mistakes as well, and that I can be just as critical of myself as I can be of others.

Photo Credit: Erik C. Andersen

Positive Results of My Coverage:

• Mainstream media carried several of my articles which ultimately led to some corrections by PiH.
• Many new collectors were made aware of inconsistencies before spending their money at the auction.
• Collectors new and old were given a reason to have faith in a blog; they learned not all sites can be bought.
• My coverage proved to the big time auction houses that laziness and sloppiness will be exploited.

Negative Results of My Coverage:

• A lot of negative attention was brought on the industry.
• Many new collectors now feel they can’t trust anyone in this industry.
• Any potential communication between myself and PiH has been shut off for good.

I think at least two of the three negatives can be rectified in coming months by companies like Propworx, Juliens, Premiere Props and Heritage. All have relatively good reputations and track records, so it shouldn’t be too difficult for them to help disburse the black cloud currently hanging over the industry. As long as they do business as they’ve done business in the past, it wouldn’t be a leap to expect the vast majority of that negative press turn into positive press.

Photo Credit: Erik C. Andersen

Now, although I wouldn’t call it a negative for the hobby of prop collection, there was one additional thing that has eaten away at me since the conclusion of the Lost Auction. I seemed to have let one obvious thing slip my mind during my coverage of this auction, and I feel partially responsible that some new collectors ultimately paid for it…literally.

I failed to truly explain the meaning of high and low estimates as it pertains to a specific prop. Many new collectors went into this auction thinking that a high estimate is what they should expect to pay for a certain prop. Unfortunately, that’s not the case and rarely a realistic expectation.

When you look at the estimates for the Lost Auction, nearly every single piece was far below its sale price. While you can’t really fault Profiles in History or ABC for that, none of us can say we didn’t expect it. There were so many new collectors storming this hobby hoping to get a piece of the action, it was inevitable that certain pieces went for ridiculous amounts of money.

That is where I should have stepped in and made everyone aware of what was going to happen. Perhaps it would have saved at least a handful of collectors from making the trip to Santa Monica only to walk away empty handed.

Maybe I’m being a little hard on myself, but fair is fair. If I can knock PiH for an oversight, I can certainly do the same for myself. If it’s my job to report and make collectors aware of everything little detail regarding an auction, it should also be my job to make sure they are aware of all potential pitfalls.

Either way, it’s a lesson learned for everyone involved.