Alleged Screen Used Hero TOS Phaser up for auction (now the aftermath)

[JMSupp]

Oh man, I could totally do that. But I'd have to spend the better part of a year on research, contacting glue specialists, sub contracting metal work, purchasing vintage wire & connectors (from antique shops selling 60's telephones & electrical junk), and getting era specific paint. In the end, I'd spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours. All for one payday that would not actually set me up for life?
Not worth it.

On top of all that... doing it quietly!

"One payday that would not actually set me up for life" is really the telling part. The risk of failure is high, and stakes are, frankly low. For the time and effort involved, the money doesn't really make sense.

The prop auction biz has shown us that people are more than willing to sell their reputation and souls for much less than $250k! Some people pass fakes just so they can be smug in the knowledge of pulling the wool over someone's eyes, or fooling the "experts".

 

[Chrisisall]

On top of all that... doing it quietly!

"One payday that would not actually set me up for life" is really the telling part. The risk of failure is high, and stakes are, frankly low. For the time and effort involved, the money doesn't really make sense.

The prop auction biz has shown us that people are more than willing to sell their reputation and souls for much less than $250k! Some people pass fakes just so they can be smug in the knowledge of pulling the wool over someone's eyes, or fooling the "experts".

.... so they can die saying they messed with Star Trek history? Makes me wonder why they watched the show in the first place.

 

[JMSupp]

.... so they can die saying they messed with Star Trek history? Makes me wonder why they watched the show in the first place.

No, you've got it all wrong... they are now a PART of Star Trek history... Their name will be a footnote in the Big Book of Scammers, Frauds, and Cheats... or at least, Memory Alpha.

That is real immorality. I mean, Immortality.

 

[Chrisisall]

No, you've got it all wrong... they are now a PART of Star Trek history... Their name will be a footnote in the Big Book of Scammers, Frauds, and Cheats... or at least, Memory Alpha.

That is real immorality. I mean, Immortality.

Density. I mean, destiny.

 

[Ronldheld]

Maybe few fooled here if at all. What about the rest of the world?

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

And if they have... how would we know? That is the scariest case. An 95% accurate reproduction that's a few decades old with a bit of damage from handling would be really hard differentiate from an original.

There are always ways to tell. My big thing is paint matching. I have automotive paints that are over 50 years old that I've used off and on over the years even with everything I know there are some things that can't be done period correct because we do things far to precise now days that even my worst paint jobs would be considered very good back in the 60's

Good.

What most here forget is even IF we had the parts to do so perfectly there's less than 5 people in the hobby that actually would dare try.....

Most of us are simply too honest to bother.

 

[Chrisisall]

Maybe few fooled here if at all. What about the rest of the world?

There's always the idea that some non-fan dope would buy some piece of crap as an investment.

What most here forget is even IF we had the parts to do so perfectly there's less than 5 people in the hobby that actually would dare try.....

Most of us are simply too honest to bother.

Speak for yourself bro, I'm gonna weather this baby up & cash in BIG TIME. (don't say nuthin....)

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

Speak for yourself bro, I'm gonna weather this baby up & cash in BIG TIME. (don't say nuthin....)

Hahahahaha!!!! I'll give you a 99 cents for it

Density. I mean, destiny.

No, your just desperately seeking attention of Star Warries fans

 

[Chrisisall]

No, your just desperately seeking attention of Star Warries fans

Tell me you never saw Back To The Future....

 

[Gregatron]

On top of all that... doing it quietly!

"One payday that would not actually set me up for life" is really the telling part. The risk of failure is high, and stakes are, frankly low. For the time and effort involved, the money doesn't really make sense.

The prop auction biz has shown us that people are more than willing to sell their reputation and souls for much less than $250k! Some people pass fakes just so they can be smug in the knowledge of pulling the wool over someone's eyes, or fooling the "experts".

As we've established, these scammers are the type to put tells into their work which they know will fly over normies' heads. It's an ego thing. Pure arrogance.

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

As we've established, these scammers are the type to put tells into their work which they know will fly over normies' heads. It's an ego thing. Pure arrogance.

Exactly some even advertise their tells on eBay.....

 

[Chrisisall]

As we've established, these scammers are the type to put tells into their work which they know will fly over normies' heads. It's an ego thing. Pure arrogance.

There's a movie in this here:
Bill & Ted's Bogus Phasers.
"Dude, why did you fake the most non-heinous of Captain Kirk's phasers??"
"They Melvined me..."

 

[publiusr]

Vermeer painted the best fake phasers

 

[joberg]

Oh man, I could totally do that. But I'd have to spend the better part of a year on research, contacting glue specialists, sub contracting metal work, purchasing vintage wire & connectors (from antique shops selling 60's telephones & electrical junk), and getting era specific paint. In the end, I'd spend thousands of dollars and thousands of hours. All for one payday that would not actually set me up for life?
Not worth it.

For a lot of fraudster, making a fake (papers/props/painting, etc...) is, not only, a personal challenge, but also the pleasure of selling that fake to either "experts" (museum for example), or rich collectors. The "hoodwink" part is the adrenaline they search for to feed their narcistic personality.

 

[Gregatron]

For a lot of fraudster, making a fake (papers/props/painting, etc...) is, not only, a personal challenge, but also the pleasure of selling that fake to either "experts" (museum for example), or rich collectors. The "hoodwink" part is the adrenaline they search for to feed their narcistic personality.

Yep. As noted, the fake consignor names on the LoAs for the hand phaser and pistol body from the 2021 auction were “Phillip Boyce” (the doctor in “The Cage”) and “Robert Shorley” (as in “Shore Leave”), with are both subtle enough to slip past normies and casual fans. Pure narcissism, worthy of Edward Nygma.

On a related noted, has there been any news or updates on the fake Nichols midgrade from Studio Auctions? Any new hostage videos of her, or anything? Frankly, I can’t stomach watching their videos or reading their lies, so I haven’t looked into it, lately.

 

[Chrisisall]

Anyone who has not read this thread from the start, or at least not in a long time, I suggest you do. It's highly informative & entertaining. And it started over a year before I attempted my first hero replica, and if I knew then what I know now after building two, I could have recognized the fakeness of that phaser in an instant. The nozzle has only 5 raised bits, the side turn has a questionable shape, and the rear fins are clearly brand new & too perfectly straight. And that's just the easy stuff. I can't believe how much I've learned in just a couple of years....

 

[Leinads]

It’s a shame that it highlights this mess, because I have to say the photography for the piece with the warm lighting and black background, makes for a stunning presentation. Sad

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

Anyone who has not read this thread from the start, or at least not in a long time, I suggest you do. It's highly informative & entertaining. And it started over a year before I attempted my first hero replica, and if I knew then what I know now after building two, I could have recognized the fakeness of that phaser in an instant. The nozzle has only 5 raised bits, the side turn has a questionable shape, and the rear fins are clearly brand new & too perfectly straight. And that's just the easy stuff. I can't believe how much I've learned in just a couple of years....
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Yep that phaser 1 was the big tell for me... They tried so hard to copy the Jein phaser and keep it just different enough it wasn't an obvious copy

On a related noted, has there been any news or updates on the fake Nichols midgrade from Studio Auctions? Any new hostage videos of her, or anything? Frankly, I can’t stomach watching their videos or reading their lies, so I haven’t looked into it, lately.

Not as of late I think it's going up for auction very quietly since almost everyone figures it's a fake...

It's pretty bad when the prop community let's prop forgers be the "experts" who declare a prop screen used...

Yet it's not surprising from JPL though

 

[feek61]

I know several people put up a valiant effort to let the auction house know but they did not want to hear it or any evidence.

 

[AdmiralBaxter]

I know several people put up a valiant effort to let the auction house know but they did not want to hear it or any evidence.

Of course there are always the very honest folks in the community that try our best....

I have grown leery of the auction houses these last few years this N. Nichols Phaser forgery had so much money exchanging hands before it went to auction it's not funny