Heads Up Profiles In History fans!
Less than one day to go until the most epic auction filled with loads of Hollywood Treasure is set to rock the world!
We are speaking about the fabled Dreier Collection, a decade long effort, in fact a labor of love by , this outstanding collection contains some of the most of the priceless items in television and movie history and you can click here to download the entire catalog for free from the great team of folks at Profiles in History!
Many of the rare artifacts were provided by Joe Maddalena of Profiles in History to the Dreier’s over the past ten years!
Now these and other fantastic collections of Hollywood artifacts will be auctioned off at four incredible events beginning with the first auction of two parts of The Dreier Collection being conducted Saturday July 28, 2102 11 AM PST at fabulous Profiles in History headquarters 26901 Agoura Road Suite 150, Calabasas Hills, CA 91301.
The fun follows with the Animation Auction on July 29 and the Hollywood Auction on July 30 and 31 making this one of the most sustained auctions of rare artifacts in history !
Joe Maddalena discussed the monumental undertaking which has taken over a year to catalog with WormholeRiders at Comic-Con San Diego 2012.
As you may be aware, WormholeRiders News Agency has been a huge admirer of Profiles in History dating back nearly three years when we first covered the LOST Auction. We therefore made it a priority to be sure to stop by and pay our respects to Joe Maddalena and his wonderful team at Comic-Con San Diego 2012!
During our visit to the cool Profiles in History booth at Comic-Con San Diego, we had a lot of fun chatting with Joe Maddalena, Fong Sam, and special convention celebrity guest Sean Astin where we learned more about The Dreier Collection which begins a four day auction starting tomorrow!
Courtesy of Profiles In History , we include our exclusive interview conducted Saturday July 14, 2012 with Joe Maddalena and Sean Astin for your enjoyment during the San Diego Comic-Con festivities!
About Profiles In History Fabulous The Dreier Collection, Animation and Hollywood Auctions:
Courtesy of press releases provided by Nancy Seltzer and Associates, Profiles In History’s public relations specialist, and Profiles In History themselves, we include a few of the many incredible items featured in the 219 page catalog chronicling Part One of The Dreier Collection auction as well as the Animation Auction and Hollywood Auction catalogs .
Some of my favorite items in The Dreier Collection include the 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea large-scale Nautilus submarine and squid. (Disney, 1954) This 11-foot Nautilus was built by master model-maker Scott Brodeen, whose extensive production credits include Star Trek, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, Enterprise, Waterworld, and Batman Forever. Brodeen has been a 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea “student” for over 48 years.
“Recently, he was selected by Disney to join the exclusive team of artisans tasked with restoring the original 11-foot submarine at Disney World. He has studied every nuance that went into building the original 11-foot submarine.”
“With hands-on experience working on the 11-footer, Brodeen was subsequently commissioned by Master Replicas to build its 31 in. Nautilus. Drawing on his experience with the previous Nautilus projects, Brodeen was able to create this 11-foot miniature in exacting detail, which is the most accurate Nautilus ever built. Over 1,000 man-hours went into building this submarine with no expense spared.
This impressive model was hand-built by Brodeen from scratch, using styrene, plastic, urethane and metal components, all of which were also fashioned by hand. Numerous elements were created from the original mold masters used to create the screen-used ship, including propeller blades, propeller shaft, propeller guards, struts, raker teeth, front “ram spur,” speed screw brackets, phosphoric atomizer, hatches, the skiff, dorsal and condenser. Some of the highlights of the piece include the grand salon which contains the organ, as well as specimen cases, settees, the fountain, writing desk, library, aquariums and oriental rugs – all of which were re-created to exacting specifications.”
“An ornate spiral staircase leads up to the wheelhouse, which features a large helm and various navigation controls. Both the salon (and its surrounding lights) and wheel house are fully illuminated. On top of the hull rests the detachable skiff. The hull features simulated iron plates and rivets, all of which have been painstakingly weathered to match the full-size set. The air intake gills also open, adding yet another touch of realism.”
“To accompany the Nautilus, Brodeen and prop makers at HMS Creative Productions created a giant squid to be displayed with the submarine. Crafted of fiberglass and resin, it is an anatomically correct rendition of a Humboldt squid with body and arms measuring approx. 52 in. long (including mounting bracket) with 9-ft long tentacles (detachable for transport) and hand painted to detail. To keep the public from encroaching on the Nautilus are original custom made stanchions mimicking the Victorian rail posts aboard Nemo’s fantastic vessel.
Brodeen crafted six custom stanchions, each standing 32 ¾ in. tall, hand-painted black and gold, fashioned of resin from a casting from the original molds used to create the actual rail posts on the 1954 Nautilus set. Built entirely by hand at a cost of over $100,000.00 in labor alone,this is the only one of its kind ever constructed. With exceptionally fine detailing, this model of Capt. Nemo’s famed submarine is the most accurate, museum-quality display piece from the classic Disney film that a collector could ever hope to obtain. Special shipping arrangements will apply. $60,000 – $80,000“
With a little less than a day until their four day July Hollywood auction, I spotted a wonderful offering from Profiles in History, the largest collection of Cracker Jack toy premiums ever amassed will be up for auction.
The Cracker Jack toys are a part of The Dreier Collection, which will be auctioned off on, Saturday, July 28th. Their Animation Auction will be, Sunday, July 29th, and the Treasures from the Hollywood Vaults auction has been moved to, Monday, July 30th and Tuesday, July 31st. All auctions will take place in Los Angeles.
“When German immigrant Frederick “Fritz” William Rueckheim and his brother Louis concocted an early version of their popcorn, molasses and peanut confection at the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair, they called it simply, “Candied Popcorn and Peanuts.” But in 1896 Fritz devised a way to keep the popcorn kernels separated by adding a small quantity of oil to each spinning vat. Prior to this innovation, the product stuck together in chunks. In 1896, the first batch of “Cracker Jack” was made. “
“An enthusiastic customer is said to have coined its household name by exclaiming, “That’s crackerjack!” Later, the song, “Take Me Out to the Ball Game” gave Cracker Jack priceless publicity for free when the line, “buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack!” was first sung in 1908. In 1912 mystery novelty items or “prizes” were included in every box of Cracker Jack. Among the very first prizes were baseball cards.”
“Over time, prizes have included everything from charms to whistles; from tin toys to temporary tattoos. The original tagline for Cracker Jack was, “Candy coated popcorn, peanuts and a prize.” The prizes attained pop-cultural fusion with the term, “came in a Cracker Jack box,” referring to an object of limited value.
To this day, Cracker Jack mystery prizes are as popular as the product itself. In this special collection, you’ll find some of the earliest, rarest and most sought after examples of Cracker Jack memorabilia in existence. It spans a century and is the most extensive single private collection ever assembled for offer to the public”
Profiles in History strongly encourages interested parties to come view this massive collection in person at their offices. Just some of what is included: a set of 1898 Paper Dolls, over 80+ pre-1910 Riddle Cards, 17 Victorian Women pin backs, Cracker Jack Bears postcards sets, 11 riddle books, baseball score counters, baseball spinner, water guns, various cast metal battleships, metal train cars, movie slide cards, metal baseball score counters, standing tin soldiers, spinning tops, storybooks, pot metal and celluloid lamps and trinkets, tin dollhouse serving trays, movie flip books, tin-litho horse and carriage, button mirrors, painted wooden boats, wood buildings, tin-litho parrot, and many more. It is quite possibly the last time this number and variety of Cracker Jack memorabilia will ever be sold at one time.
The collection is pictured above and expected to fetch $40,000 – $60,000.
Perhaps my most favorite item that is totally beyond awesome is an original complete Cylon Costume From Battlestar Galactica (ABC-TV, 1978-79)
“This particular costume was used in close-ups, such as within the cockpit of the Cylon Raiders. This costume features all of the twelve original chrome-plated plastic armor pieces, as well as a dark pewter gray vinyl rat-tail ribbed spandex under tunic.
The chrome-plated plastic helmet features the iconic strobing electric red eye. Also included is the dark gray chainmail back skirt and chromed plastic covered battery belt, with chrome sword/scabbard. Approx. size 46, this suit fits a 6’7” actor. The costume is in exquisite original condition and has not been restored.
Accompanied with a signed letter of authenticity from designer Jean-Pierre Dorleac.
Special shipping arrangements apply. $40,000 – $60,000”
For fans interested in Walt Disney Studios and the Profiles In History Animation Auction, one of the incredible items is one of only three known Disneyland Prospectus copies in existence!
“Discovered in an estate sale in the early 1980s was an important document drafted by Walt Disney and artist Herb Ryman to give words and images to Walt’s idea of a family fun attraction. This 1953 Disneyland Prospectus is one of only 3 supposedly produced personally by Disney and Ryman for Walt to take to New York and find a partner to invest $5 million to finance the building of Disneyland.
Disney gave each of the three documents to a different banker in New York, but left without an investor. Since 1984, this particular Disneyland Prospectus has belonged to the same owner, collectibles expert and appraiser Gary Sohmers, who has done extensively research to determine the document’s rarity and importance.”
“It has been viewed by Dave Smith of the Walt Disney Archives and deemed authentic. The document includes an outer 9” x 12” folder featuring what appears to be rub on letterings for “DISNEYLAND.” Inside the folder are 9 typed pages describing Walt’s planned park with descriptions of the different “lands,” including some that never came to fruition such as “Lilliputian Land” and “Happy Holiday Land.”
“One page features only the following: “Walt Disney – sometime – in 1955 will present to the people of the world – and children of all ages – a new experience in entertainment. In these pages is proffered a glimpse into this great adventure – a preview of what the visitor will experience – Disneyland.” This is an extremely rare document in the history of Walt Disney and has never been reproduced in whole or in part. Although several sources on the Internet reference the document in research and company history, this is the only copy known to exist. Pictured at top, it is expected to fetch $80,000 – $120,000.”
From the Hollywood Auction Collection, my favorite item is the Whitney Houston screen-used “Rachel Marron” “Queen of the Night” costume from The Bodyguard recently discovered on the season finale of Hollywood Treasure!
“Costume designer Susan Nininger penned the original design for this incredible “Queen of the Night” costume. Inspired by Maria, the Maschinenmensch (machine-human), in the 1927 Fritz Lang classic Metropolis.
The Art Deco costume consists of a chromed thermal formed chest plate, a stylized corset with chrome and aluminum accents, a metallic gray undersuit with attached garter straps detailed with metal studs, silver lamé crepe skirt, pair of aluminum arm cuffs with chrome ball detailing, broad Egyptian-style collar festooned with chrome balls, a waist belt with attached strings of hanging chrome beads, a pair of gray over-the-knee high heel boots accented with metal diamond-shaped studs running down the sides of the legs and gray opera-length gloves with both metal and hematite beading.
In the film there is a “Queen of the Night” music video playing on the back screen of the stage while Whitney is performing her number. Whitney also wore this costume when Kevin Costner’s character holds her (sans chest armor) in his arms following the stage incident—the very image used for The Bodyguard movie poster. One cannot find a better costume worn by Whitney Houston—one of the greatest musical performers of all time—at the peak of her storied career.
Comes with a letter of authenticity from Chris Gillman. It is pictured above and expected to fetch $20,000 – $30,000.”
About Profiles In History:
“Founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, Profiles in History is the nation’s leading dealer in guaranteed-authentic original historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed photographs and manuscripts. Born into a family of antiques dealers in Rhode Island, Joseph “Joe” Maddalena learned early on how to turn his passion of collecting historical autographs into a career. Needing to support himself, Joe turned to his hobby of buying and selling historical documents as a potential way to earn revenue. On weekends he scoured old Hollywood bookstores for letters and rare books.
Upon graduation from Pepperdine University, Joe pursued his passion to become a full-time dealer of historical documents, and opened his first office in 1985. A lifetime member of the Manuscript Society, Joe is widely recognized as the nation’s leading authority on entertainment memorabilia and historical documents.
Profiles in History has established itself as the world’s largest auctioneer of original Hollywood memorabilia, having held some of the most prestigious and successful auctions of Hollywood memorabilia and owning virtually every Guinness Book record prices for original screen-used memorabilia.
With an extensive network of dealers, collectors, and institutions, Profiles in History is proud to play an important role in the preservation of motion picture history. Prior Profiles in History Hollywood auctions highlights include the “Cowardly Lion” costume from The Wizard of Oz ($805,000); Steve McQueen’s “Michael Delaney” racing suit from Le Mans ($960,000); a Panavision motion picture camera used by George Lucas to film Star Wars ($624,000); a full-scale model T-800 Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($488,750); Marilyn Monroe’s platinum & diamond wedding band from her marriage to Joe DiMaggio ($504,000); Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds” dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ($356,500); a King Kong 1933 six-sheet movie poster ($345,000); Luke Skywalker’s light saber from Star Wars ($240,000); Margaret Hamilton’s “Wicked Witch” hat from The Wizard Of Oz ($230,000); and The Invisible Man 1933 one-sheet movie poster ($230,000).
From the history-making Debbie Reynolds Auction in June 2011, Profiles in History sold the Marilyn Monroe “Subway” Dress from The Seven Year Itch for $5.52M, the Marilyn Monroe signature red-sequined showgirl gown from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for $1.44M and the Audrey Hepburn Ascot Dress from My Fair Lady for $4.44M. In February 2012, Profiles in History arranged the sale of a pair of Judy Garland screen-used Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
In addition, Joe Maddalena is the star of Hollywood Treasure, which just ended its second season on Syfy. Hollywood Treasure takes viewers into the fascinating world of showbiz and pop culture memorabilia.”
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Best Regards,
Kenn