BS ALERT: THE TROUBLE WITH THIS TRIBBLE

Profiles In History, the auction house that sells a ton of entertainment memorabilia and is the subject of the SyFy Channel's "Hollywood Treasures", seems to have a recurring approach to many of their auctions best described by the old saying "if you can't dazzle them with brilliance, baffle them with bullshit". And in their current catalog "Hollywood Auction 56", the BS is definitely flying.

As usual, when the catalog first came out on-line, I immediately did a search for Star Trek. Of most interest to me was the original series Phaser prop that I wrote about HERE. Of secondary interest was an original series "Walking Tribble" from the classic Trek episode "The Trouble With Troubles", one of the most-loved episodes in all of Star Trek. And while I think the Phaser is likely a real original Star Trek prop, I have no reason to think that the Tribble is genuine.

Here's the listing as it appears in the Profiles catalog:

Profiles Tribble auction listing

According to the copy, the Tribble being shown is not just an original prop, but it is actually the most prominent one shown in the episode that is picked up by none other than Captain Kirk himself. What proof of this is offered? A postage-stamp-sized photo comparison of the prop in question and a fuzzy screen capture of a frame from the original episode. Here's the cleanest scan I can offer due to its small size:

"Comparison" image from catalog

So based SOLELY on this photo comparison, Profiles expects this piece to sell for at least $7200 (the small end of the given estimate Profiles has assigned to it). Can you determine an exact photo match from the images shown with 100% certainty? I sure can't. Not even close.

There is no history (provenance) given for this piece. How did it originally get off the Star Trek Desilu film lot way back when? How did it come into the possession of the current owner? What solid proof is  being offered beyond light and dark patterns of fake fur that only match up in a very general way? 

The real reason we have to question ANY AND ALL original series props that come onto the market is simple – there are far more fakes in the marketplace than originals. Phasers, Tricorders and Communicators are known to have been widely faked for sale to ravenous fans. Tribbles are no exception. How do I know? Take a look at this:

Tribble comparison

I, too, own a walking Tribble. For all intents and purposes, it's a twin to the one Profiles is selling. Oh, the hair isn't exactly the same – a different comb job. But it's incredibly similar, don't you think? Especially considering that the two were not photographed together under the same lighting with the same camera. For future reference, please keep in mind that the look – INCLUDING DARK AND LIGHT AREAS – can easily be affected by how you lay the fur – by the way you comb it, for lack of a better term. If Profiles had shown a shot of the bottom of their piece (which I have seen), I could show you mine as well – and again it is a virtual twin. Inside of my Tribble is an old toy walking dog, just like the Profiles version.

But here's the kicker. Mine is a fake. 

I bought it thinking it was real, but I discovered after the fact that it isn't. As it turns out, a collector friend of mine named John Mahon has an original walking Tribble that has been in his family's possession since the 70's, and it has a very convincing provenance, in my opinion. And John was nice enough to clue me in on those distinguishing characteristics – called "tells" – that a REAL walking Tribble possesses. These tells are neither mentioned in the Profiles auction nor, most importantly, are they shown. And as stated before, the darks and lights are easily changed by a comb-over. So what are we left with to prove that this piece is a true, original Star Trek prop?

Nothing. 

Please note that I am not accusing the seller of trying to pass off a fake. He may well believe it to be the real thing. Unfortunately, the seller, who I am familiar with, has other pieces in his collection which people who are widely acclaimed as true experts by most collectors (though not the seller of this item) feel are fakes as well, so this is not the first time this seller has faced this issue. He steadfastly stands behind his self-appointed title of "authority" no matter what others may say. And as long as he keeps those pieces in his collection, I don't really care if they are real or not. But when a piece is offered up with such slim evidence as the Tribble has, it's time to speak up.

Let me be clear – I cannot say beyond a shadow of a doubt that this piece is not real. What I can say is that, in my opinion, Profiles has offered no real proof that it IS real and the onus is on them to do just that. And for those who don't know anything about Profiles, they have actually featured fake pieces ON THE COVERS OF THEIR CATALOGS, only to have to remove them from their auctions when independent evidence showed them to be the fakes they were. In other words, Profiles stinks at authenticating the things they sell. 

Nobody likes to think that they were duped. I know I sure don't. I've been burned twice and I can tell you that it truly sucks. It's frustrating and it's embarrassing. But in my opinion, when you make a mistake, you need to own it. You have to take the evidence as it stands and admit to yourself that you made a mistake. You can't simply cherry-pick the facts in your favor while ignoring everything else that isn't. At least I can't. When I discovered my Tribble was fake, I could have tried to pass it on to another unsuspecting buyer. But I have to live with myself, so that would never happen.

Neither Profiles nor the seller will appreciate my take on this piece. But my approach to these things is always the same: when you offer something up that is a true rarity – and anything from the original Star Trek is rare – you'd better not only expect scrutiny but welcome it and be prepared for it. And if a piece can't tolerate tight scrutiny, it shouldn't be for sale.

So if you're considering buying this Tribble, I would encourage you to do your own research. I am neither an expert on these Tribbles (few are) nor do I set myself up as the final arbiter of what is real and what is not. But PLEASE don't simply take the word of the auction house which stands to make thousands on the sale of this item using blurry photos and no provenance. Look into what the likelihood is of this being either real or fake and then judge for yourself. 

My thanks to John Mahon for his invaluable assistance and in proving that I'm an idiot for buying my Tribble in the first place!

LLAP,

Don

A TALE OF TWO TRANSLATORS – Screen-matching Props

Several years ago I was fortunate enough to acquire a screen-used Klingon Translator used in Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country. From the photos of the piece, I thought it might match one used by Captain Kirk/William Shatner in the pivotal courtroom scene. Once I got it in hand I was able to specifically confirm that connection – it was indeed Kirk's translator!  The more imperfections there are, the easier it is to match a piece. And Klingon props are purposely "weathered" to emulate great use. The rough, handmade quality of the prop acts as a fingerprint.

My version showing identical weathering
made with brushed-on silver paint

Fast forward to February 2013. I saw where Propstore was selling another Klingon Translator. I hoped that it might perhaps be the translator used by Dr. McCoy/DeForest Kelley in the same scenes with Shatner. If so, I'd have a complete, screen-matched set. I eagerly pored through my photo archive desperately trying to match the translator to McCoy, but no joy. I couldn't say that it was never used by either Shatner or McCoy, only that I couldn't prove it either way. And since it would make sense that they made more than two of the props in case something happened to one or both while in use, I figured the Propstore version was an "extra" – made but not necessarily used. With that, I decided to pass on buying it. 

As it turned out, a collector friend of mine named Doug was the winner (Doug is a member of the Star Trek Prop Room). Knowing of my Kirk version, he contacted me and asked me if I could lend any insight about his version. I shared my findings with him and told him that I was unable to prove specific use. And since I owned the Kirk, and his didn't match the McCoy, I couldn't give him any useful info as to whether or not it was actually screen-used. There was no doubt that it was a production made piece, but proving screen-use was another matter. I was bummed, but probably not as much as Doug.

But then something cool happened.

Like many collectors, I'm a voracious keeper of reference images. As such, I frequently check out Trekcore, an invaluable resource for Trek collectors. Among other things, Trekcore posts screen caps from every episode or film of Star Trek ever made. And they constantly update those images, so that when something is released on HD, for instance, new, BETTER images are posted. So back in April I decided to check their HD images of Star Trek VI to see if there was anything noticeably better that would act as better reference for screen-matching my translator. Sure enough, there was a great series of HD images of the courtroom scene and they were much clearer than older images. I downloaded everything that I thought would be useful and started sorting through them to see which showed the details I was looking for. And that's when I noticed something that I hadn't been able to see before. 

In some of the frames, Kirk is definitely holding a translator that WAS NOT MINE. There were several great shots that showed mine clearly, but a handful were definitely NOT a match to mine. Because of the lower image quality of earlier screen caps, it had not been possible to notice this fact. But now I had pics that were clear enough to show two different examples, both used by Shatner. I got a little excited and pulled out the reference shots I had kept of the Propstore version. Hey, I told you I was voracious.

Doug's version showing tons of organic
features that match perfectly

As I scanned the photos, I saw exactly what I hoped to see – details seemingly matching the new screen caps. I couldn't definitively say they were a perfect match – the Propstore shots didn't show the area I needed in great enough detail for that. But it definitely looked possible. I quickly shot off an e-mail to Doug and told him about what I had found. He didn't have his translator in hand yet, but told me he'd forward some shots to me as soon as he did. 

Last week, those shots showed up in my in-box. I was working at the time, but I was so anxious to see if there was a match that I quickly pulled up my reference shots and started comparing. It took me all of twenty seconds to confirm the match. Doug had a Kirk!  Later on I took my time with Doug's shots and created the comparison image below. I showed it to Doug as well as a few other collector friends to get their opinions. It was unanimous – the prop was a definitive match. I've since been told by Doug that he was able to open it up, put in a new battery and it lit up, just like we see on screen. Even better!

Along with defining the prop's use, the experience also taught me a bit about how props are used on set. Since all the translators looked alike on-camera,  the prop masters would not have needed to keep track of which was which. As props were put down for breaks between takes, there was no need to keep them sorted so that for any given take, the actors might be holding any given version. The courtroom scene undoubtedly took days to shoot, so the translator props could have easily exchanged hands any number of times. There's also the fact that my Translator was damaged, perhaps during shooting (it has since been repaired). If that was the case, my damaged one might have been replaced with Doug's intact version. There's a number of possible scenarios.

So that's the story. I'd be lying if I said that I didn't wish I'd bought the piece for myself. After all, you can never have too many hero props! But Doug is a really nice guy and loves the movie stuff like I do, and I'm always happy when a deserving collector ends up with something cool. Even if it isn't me! 

So congratulations, Doug, you've got a true rarity – a screen-matched hero prop used by Captain Kirk himself! VERY cool. Q'Pla!

LLAP,

Don

UPDATE 3: TOS Phaser Rifle auction stuns!

The TOS Phaser Rifle I've been fascinated with has sold for a hammer price of $192,500 which means that after the buyer's premium is added ("markup" for the uninitiated) this piece went for $231,000 !  That is a lot of cash and approaches the amount paid for the Enterprise-A model at the Christie's auction in 2006.

Is this a record high number for a Trek prop? It might be, but I need to do some research on that. Either way, it's a princely sum. Keep in mind that the seller doesn't get the whole amount – they have to pay the sellers premium (which is yet ANOTHER word for markup in the auction world!). Julien's doesn't post what that number is, but usually it's similar to the buyer's premium, which in this case is 20% which would make the seller's premium $38,500. The seller would then get $154,000, while Julien's would earn a total of $77,000. I hope the seller negotiated a lower fee!

I have no idea who actually won this piece but it is my hope that it is the Science Fiction Museum in Seattle. That way, all fans would have an opportunity to see this exquisite piece for themselves. If it goes into private hands, I fear it will never be seen again. Until the next time it's auctioned, of course.

ADDENDUM: a friend just e-mailed me a told me that it was collector John Azarian of "The Azarian Collection" fame who bought the piece, not the SciFi Museum. Good for him, bad for the rest of us.

LLAP

Don

UPDATE: Original Series Phaser Rifle Photo Match!!

After poring over as much imagery as I could find regarding the Star Trek Phaser Rifle that Julien's auction house is selling (see my previous story) I've been able to photo match the piece which confirms that it is the one and only, true-blue original Phaser Rifle.

I started by looking at screen-caps of the rifle from the only episode in which it was ever used, "Where No Man Has Gone Before". While it has quite a bit of screen time, it was never large enough or sharp enough in a film frame to see any possible "tells" or unusual details that could be used to match the photos from the auction.

So I moved on to something I've had great success with in the past – PR photos. The rifle was used in at least 2 rounds of PR photos, first when the pilot was shot, and later when the show was actually being launched. Low and behold, I was able to find a great shot that shows conclusively that scratches seen on the sale piece are also evident on the piece in the PR shot. The great thing about scratches is that they are irregular and organic and virtually impossible to fake. Judge for yourself in this photo which zeroes in on the front of the rifle's body:

I've numbered 3 areas that show an absolute match. The color difference is simply the lighting. I've found some other marks that match up, but nothing as clear and specific as this.

While this might seem like flimsy evidence, in prop collecting this is as good as a fingerprint. It's not IMPOSSIBLE to fake, but it's really, really, really hard. And when combined with the total accuracy of all the structural details, I think this makes it a 100% certainty that this is an original – THE original – Phaser Rifle.

So if you've got the better part of a hundred grand, bid with confidence!

LLAP

Don

The Ultimate Star Trek Prop Found: The TOS Phaser Rifle

In Star Trek lore there are plenty of iconic pieces to collect – phasers and tribbles, communicators and uniforms, as well as the various incarnations of the Enterprise itself. All of the original versions of these items – original props, costumes or models – are all highly collectible. And while there are some one-of-a-kind pieces out there, like the original Enterprise shooting model, most pieces were made in some kind of quantity, however low. True phaser pistol props are rare, but there's more than one. Same with comms and, of course, tribbles. Lots and lots of Tribbles.

But one piece was made for the original pilot episode "Where No Man Has Gone Before" (actually the second pilot, but that's another matter) and was never seen thereafter – the infamous Phaser Rifle. Infamous in that it was a cool prop used by Captain Kirk himself in one of the best stories in Trek history, but its whereabouts have been unknown ever since it was last seen on the set of Star Trek in 1966. The famous Christie's Star Trek auction of 2006 sold off more iconic screen-used Trek material than at any other time in the history of the franchise, but the best they could do for a Phaser Rifle was a nice replica.

With that in mind, imagine how floored I was when I read  that Julien's auction house would be auctioning off the one and only ORIGINAL Phaser Rifle! The auction listing states that the rifle was made by toy designer Reuben Klamer for Gene Roddenberry at no charge, "in exchange for potential licensing rights". The prop rifle was featured heavily in the Shatner Star Trek pilot "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and was widely used in various PR shots for the new series. Then, the prop was evidently returned to Klamer, never to be seen again.

Until now! The auction shows several pieces of paperwork with correspondence between Roddenberry and Klamer, as well as some great photos showing the piece "behind the scenes". There's even an original sketch. This all makes for a very compelling story in support of its authenticity. The piece looks to be in beautiful condition and was apparently stored all these years in a custom-made case that was originally used to transport it to the set and keep it safe.

I want to note that for years, actress Sally Kellerman, who appeared in the pilot with Shatner, claimed to have the rifle prop and that it was given to her by the prop man on the set. That now seems even more unlikely than it did when I first read about it. I'm not getting the sense that she's the consignor, but we'll see.

I can't think of a more important Star Trek piece to resurface since Chistie's auctions. While the Galileo shuttlecraft find was cool, the piece was in such awful condition that it can now scarcely be considered to be original. But this looks to be in similar condition as when it was last in Shatner's hands those many years ago. It shows some definite wear and tear but it's all there. And it's a hand prop, which means you don't have to have a garage in which to house it. And it's a Phaser Rifle! THE Phaser Rifle! Infinitely cool!!!

 The estimate of $50,000 to $70,000 might seem high, but not for such an important piece, in my opinion. I would not be surprised to see it go for more. MUCH more! If there's such a thing as a priceless Star Trek piece, this is it.

This announcement has to get the juices of flowing of any fan or collector of The Original Series. It's one of a kind, it's in original condition and it will have a new owner soon! Great stuff!

The auction catalog can be viewed at Juliens.

LLAP

Don

The Complete Guide to Starfleet Style: The TOS Movies Crewman Jumpsuit

Let's start the style guide with a piece that became synonymous with Enterprise crewmen – the maroon jumpsuit.

Starting with Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan (WOK), Enterprise officers began wearing the stylish Class A maroon jackets, and enlisted personnel wore the workaday maroon jumpsuit. The jumpsuits were dyed the same color as the Class A jackets to integrate the two with each other. But while the Class As were created from scratch for WOK, the jumpsuits were strictly hand-me-downs from the Star Trek: The Motion Picture, even though they looked nothing like anything seen in that film.

When WOK went into production, Paramount set a very strict budget for the film in order to avoid the huge over-runs incurred by The Motion Picture (TMP). To that end, anything that could be re-used was pulled out of storage, including sets, models, and the hundreds of costumes from TMP.

But director Nicholas Meyer wanted his Star Trek to look nothing like TMP, which he felt did not embrace the adventure of the original Star Trek series. So while his budget was limited, Meyer wanted his music, costuming, set design, language, and themes to be as far away from TMP as possible. And one of the things he hated most were the drab, boring uniforms used in TMP. They were made to be very utilitarian but they weren't terribly exciting.

To that end, he asked costume designer Robert Fletcher to do the impossible – give him new uniforms that looked nothing like the old ones, without having to create everything from scratch. Fletcher rose to the occasion and gave the main characters – Kirk, Spock and their fellow bridge officers – the new Class A maroon uniforms, while every background crew member would be wearing recycled jumpsuits originally made for TMP, but with a twist.

Fletcher began to experiment with the light-colored TMP jumpsuits and discovered that they could easily be dyed a darker color. Meyer liked the idea of the cast in burgundy red uniforms because they would stand out well against the background, so Fletcher came up with a red dye color that transformed the white and gray Class-D jumpsuits of TMP into the bold maroon jumpsuits of WOK and the entire TOS film series.

It wasn't as simple as just dying the TMP jumpsuits red, though. Fletcher also developed a cream-colored shoulder piece and various other stitched details that, when added, removed any sense of the original TMP design and changed them into customized companions of the new Class-A officer's uniforms.

I have owned four different examples of the jumpsuit and have noticed that there were definitely variations in the maroon color from one example to the next. This could be due to a couple of factors. First, while I think they started with the white TMP jumpsuits, I doubt that they had enough of those and so had to use either tan or gray as well which would yield some variation. Also, since the pieces were dyed individually (rather than their cloth being dyed before construction) variations in color could have entered in based on time in the dyes. Whatever the reason, the variations exist, but they had no impact on the filming. Under the bright lights of the sets, one maroon jumpsuit looked much like the next.

The jumpsuits were finished off with some accessories that tied them into the officer's Class-A, including a high collar (black for regular crew, red for cadets), metal Starfleet badge and beltbuckle, a colored rank band at the left wrist. and black belt and boots, as well as colored shoulder rank tabs (another leftover from TMP), A name plate was added for Star Trek VI.

So a design driven by the necessity of film budgets became a very successful component of the new Starfleet look brought about by Nick Meyers and Robert Fletcher. The transformation of the TMP jumpsuits was so complete as to be undetectable, while being so well done as to be indispensable. These then became the standing crewman uniform for an entire decade of Star Trek films.

Thanks for reading.

LLAP

Don