| Whether you're building a wardrobe for an independent movie or collecting old movie memorabilia, apply the following rules of movie prop preservation and trading etiquette. The cardinal rule of prop collecting is "know your pieces." Just because a prop comes from a classic film, like The Godfather or Scarface, doesn't mean that it will fetch huge prices at auction or even arouse interest in collectors. Certain props, like director-signed scripts or the DeLorean from Back to the Future, can sell for tens of thousands of dollars. On the other hand, minor props, such as wigs worn by secondary characters, pieces of paper which briefly appear onscreen, plants in the windowsill of a sitcom coffee shop, and the like, will likely be valueless. Learn which kinds of props are considered collectors items, and then research the best-selling props by browsing prop forums online. Modern box office smashes, like E.T. and Titanic, produced thousands of lucrative props. Even minor cult classics, like Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid and The Princess Bride, have yielded some valuable props. Sentimental "era collectors" may be willing to pay small fortunes for film cells from odd movies from the 1940s and 1950s. There's no catch-all rule for housing props. Paper products should be kept away from humidity and too much light. Clothes should be preserved in "mint" condition, if possible. The more you wash an old Audrey Hepburn dress, for instance, the more value it loses. Beginning collectors should speak to like-minded collectors and get to know the lingo that they use. In general, successful collectors will master a small corner of the prop market, but stay appraised of the big picture. |
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