Welcome! As part of its ongoing mission to document the Art and Production History of Star Trek, this site will present technical articles on Star Trek prop and costume authentication - focusing on The Original Series - with detailed photos and episode screenshots to complement the information presented; as well as feature pictorials to showcase Star Trek memorabilia in private & public collections, present rare Behind The Scenes TOS imagery & discuss other topics.
Gerald Gurian is a 40+ year collector of screen used Star Trek memorabilia and a passionate fan of TOS
     
- Star Trek TOS At Auction Part I - Gurian Collection Highlights - Greg Jein TOS Hero Type II Phaser
-Authenticating a TOS Communicator -6 Myths About Star Trek Prop Design -Star Trek 3rd Season Command Tunic
- Design Features of TOS Tricorders -Star Trek Props At National Air & Space - TOS Leatherette Tricorder
- TOS Federation Sciences Dress -Desilu Studio TOS Prop Fabrication - Unreleased Allen/Gurian Prop Photos
- The Beautiful Women of TOS Part I -TOS U.S.S. Enterprise 11' Filming Model - Captain Kirk's Chair from TOS
- Spock Ears -TOS Control Panels & Displays - Mr. Spock's Science Station
- TOS Soundstage at Desilu -TOS Shatner Romulan Pants - The Beautiful Women of TOS Pt. II
- TOS Galileo Shuttlecraft -Greg Jein TOS Cage Laser Pistol - TOS 3rd Season Midgrade Type II Phaser
- Dr. McCoy's Sickbay on TOS -TOS Balok Puppet Head - Captain Kirk "Mirror, Mirror" Tunic
- Greg Jein TOS Hero Tricorder -1992 Smithsonian TOS Cast Video - TOS 1st Season Command Tunic
- TOS "Where No Man" Silver Contact Lenses -TOS Special Effects: The Transporter - The Art of Matt Jefferies
- TOS "Space Seed" Gold Mesh Jumpsuit -Gorn Costume from "Arena" - Rare TOS Behind-the-Scenes Videos
- TOS Stunt Type II Phaser -1993 Bill Theiss Estate Auction - TOS Shatner Command Dress Tunic
- TOS Elasian Royal Guard Tunic -TOS Finnegan Silver "Shore Leave" Tunic - TOS Science Officer Tunic "The Cage"
- TOS Shatner Early 1st Season Command Tunic -William Shatner TOS Tunics At Auction - TOS Shatner Late 1st Season Command Tunic

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Greetings - An Inaugural Post

Welcome to all fellow Star Trek enthusiasts and Original Series prop & wardrobe collectors. This is the first post in an ongoing series that will concentrate primarily on Star Trek: TOS, but may venture into presentations on the subsequent series and feature films as topics of interest arise.
Not only do I hope to touch upon technical issues relating to Star Trek prop and costume authentication, and update readers on the published "doctrine" or history of Star Trek prop creation as advanced by the creators of the series such as Justman, Solow and Roddenberry in their published works - but I shall present special posts dedicated to photo-documenting some of the historic items in private collections and on public display; update readers on the latest thinking of today's most respected Star Trek prop experts (by referencing published internet articles from well-known prop-makers and inviting guest posts); and also hopefully dispel some of the myths in circulation concerning authentic TOS prop design characteristics - of which there are many. Star Trek: The Original Series prop & wardrobe authentication is certainly a topic that is surrounded by much controversy; and there are honest differences of opinion amongst today's most highly regarded experts. There are also well-intentioned but uneducated fans that tend to oversimplify the process of prop authentication and state mere opinion as fact without sufficient underlying analysis or supporting data from the historical records. I promise never to doctor or misrepresent the statements/writings of experts in presenting information to the readers of this blog.

What qualifies me to oversee the "Star Trek Prop, Costume & Auction Authority", aside from a mere passion for all things TOS - related? Well, I have been a life-long fan & 35+ year collector of Star Trek memorabilia; acquiring some of my earliest TOS collectibles as a teenager in the early '70s from the Gene Roddenberry owned Lincoln Enterprises company (original film clip frames from the cutting room floor, patches, IDIC pendants, a Tribble, etc.). They are some of my oldest continuously owned possessions. While I do admit that I am not as well-versed on Stardates and obscure planet-names as I was as a youth; my passion for TOS remains undiminished - and I've certainly enjoyed the more recent film and TV series incarnations of the franchise up through Enterprise. I have also been very fortunate to own some authentic TOS prop and costume material; and my sources for these items over the decades have ranged from well known auction houses (such as Butterfields & Butterfields, Odyssey Auctions, Camden House Auctioneers, and Profiles In History) to established memorabilia dealers (Sterncastle Collectibles & Heather Holmberg Collectibles & others) to fellow private collectors and on several occasions cast / production crew members of the Star Trek shows directly. I have also been an avid participant in the past years regular IAW auctions on ebay. In my research and conversations with some of the most informed collectors and individuals associated directly with Star Trek production; I'm aware that I've accumulated considerable information on the field which I would like to make available to others. And very importantly; everyone is, ofcourse, free to form their own impressions on the integrity of the information presented and, everyone is free to create their own blogs in today's multimedia culture on just about anything that appeals to them ... some regardless of expertise. :-)
Thanks for your attention. Much more to come!!!