memorabilia
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Marvel is auctioning props from its Netflix shows
The Netflix era of Marvel TV shows has drawn to a close, but that doesn't mean you'll have to walk away from it empty-handed... in fact, you might just own a piece of the shows themselves. Marvel and Prop Store are auctioning off props and costumes from Daredevil, Luke Cage and Iron Fist on August 12th through the 13th, with online bidding starting now. And no, these aren't just incidental objects that would require a freeze-frame to recognize. Many of them are major, instantly recognizable items that defined the shows.
The Academy Museum of Motion Pictures will display an iPhone 5s
Director Sean Baker ripped up the filmmaking rulebook by shooting his Sundance hit Tangerine on an iPhone 5s. Now, over two years since the flick scooped more than seven times its budget at theaters, the Oscars has come knocking. No, the filmmaker isn't getting a belated gong (although his current indie success story The Florida Project could change that). Rather, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is pinching one of three iPhone 5s handsets used to film Tangerine to display in its upcoming Academy Museum. You'll be able to see it for yourself, alongside film memorabilia from The Wizard of Oz and Alien, when the 300,000 square foot space opens its doors in 2019.
How tech is changing the world of sports memorabilia
The story of Super Bowl 51 should have been all about one of the most remarkable comebacks in football history. Despite trailing by 16 points with about eight minutes to go in the fourth quarter, the New England Patriots rallied to take the game to overtime and then basically stole the championship from the Atlanta Falcons. Most of this feat was thanks to none other than Tom Brady, the superstar quarterback who now has five Super Bowl rings to his name. What Brady didn't have after that game, however, was the jersey he wore that day, which was later reported stolen -- a crime that turned the football world upside down.
Breakfast Topic: Do you buy real-life WoW goodies?
Everybody likes stuff. It almost goes without saying that WoW players like WoW stuff. Some of us, however, like WoW stuff a little more than others. Ever witnessed someone really loading up somewhere like the Blizzard Store or Jinx? Heaven help their credit cards -- they seem powerless to resist every last murloc, T-shirt, and hearthstone key ring. I guess it all depends how open you are about your gaming hobby; even in 2012, some folks still feel a need to be discreet about their gaming hobby. Still, those people are probably handily offset by all the enthusiastic crafters out there. Anybody remember World of WarCrafts? My office is in my house and I don't even wear shoes unless I'm headed out for errands, but even I would spring for the hot little WoW heels shown above. That's not even getting into the head-spinning variety of WoW-themed goodies you can make yourself. (All thumbs? We can show you how!) Do you wear your love for World of Warcraft literally on your sleeve? Do you limit yourself to the odd T-shirt or hoodie, or do you let your gaming flag fly on your car bumper, at your desk, or throughout the house? Would you ever spring for a big-ticket item like a reproduction Doomhammer?
Steve Jobs autographed computer chip
Letters of Note is a wonderful repository of "fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes and memos," and a favorite destination of several members of the TUAW staff. Today's find was actually published on October 6, 2011, the day after Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs passed on. The typewritten letter, dated November 16, 1983, is from Jobs to an Apple fan ("Francis") who had apparently expressed enthusiasm about the company's early products. It's pretty cool that Jobs responded to the fan's letter at all, but even more impressive is the fact that his signature isn't on the letter, but on an Applesoft ROM chip taped to the letter. Any TUAW readers with Jobs-signed memorabilia can let us know about your swag through the "Tip Us" button on the top right of this page.
For sale by owner: 1954 flying Taylor AEROCAR, yours now for only $1.25 million (video)
For anyone raised on the retro-futurist notion of flying cars, this literal-minded, nuts-and-bolts incarnation should make for some incredulous swooning. Looking much like a 1950's interpretation of a subcompact that wandered into the wrong alleyway and wound up in a Wright Brothers-sponsored chopshop, the Taylor AEROCAR -- one of five made -- is a very real vestige of American auto engineering's past and, more importantly, it's up for grabs. At $1.25 million, this relic of a bygone era's mainly an exorbitant lure for the deep-pocketed collector, but as a rare curiosity, it's free for all to gawk. It's a hybrid in the truest sense, melding a cozy two-seater with front wheel drive, a Lycoming O-320 4-cylinder engine and a wingspan of 30 feet, all conspiring to get it off the ground at 55mph and up to a cruising speed of 100mph. Should you want to merely take it for a test spin out on the open road and not accidentally take flight, rest assured, those mighty wings can be folded out of the way with relative ease. But that's not why you'd want to part ways with a cool chunk of cash, if you're so inclined. This bit of memorabilia's a make-good for all those broken, scifi promises from once upon a TV time. This was the future -- as ridiculous as it may seem.
Apple I fetches $374.5K at Sotheby's auction, Steve Jobs Atari note goes for $27.5K
Here's an update for all the collectors of vintage Apple Computer-wares out there. If you'll recall, it was a few weeks back when Sotheby's announced it would auction off an Apple 1 motherboard, cassette interface and its BASIC programming manual, originally set to fetch upwards of $180,000. Just this week, the hand-built piece of computing history from 1976 was sold to one lucky phone bidder for an even more massive $374,500. As Apple Insider notes, the computer is one of six that's accounted for out of 50 that are likely still out there -- ensuring these will only remain for folks with deep pockets indeed. Past that, a hand-written note from Steve Jobs during his time at Atari was also on the auction block, garnering $27,500 even though it was only estimated to sell for less than half that price. Knowing the cost of collecting a premiere piece (arguably) from the fruits of Woz and Jobs, it certainly makes that new MacBook Pro with Retina display seem like a grand bargain in comparison. Details at the links below.
Apple I up for auction: buy a bit of Apple history for the bulk of your net worth
Attention Apple lovers: here's your chance to get your hands on an original piece of company history, but the past has proven that you better have a lot of extra cash lying around. Sotheby's auction house is offering a working Apple I computer, which is the original design that was built by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak back in 1976 -- by hand. It's expected to fetch between $140,000 - 180,000, and those dollars buy you a mobo, cassette interface and the original BASIC manual to get you programming partying like it's 1979. This isn't the first Apple I to hit the auction block, but with only 200 of the things in existence, the winning bidder will join the upper echelon of Apple enthusiasts. So, if you've got cash to burn and fancy yourself the ultimate fanboy, head on down to the source link for the full details. [Thanks, Deepa]
Apple contract signed by Jobs in 1976 up for auction
If you're keen on owning a piece of Apple history, and have a spare $100,000 lying around, check out the upcoming auction for the three-page founding contract signed by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne that created Apple Computer Co. Bloomberg reports that the contract is a star attraction of a Sotheby's book and manuscript auction on Dec. 13. The copy of the contract, signed April 1, 1976, was originally owned by Wayne. His subsequent withdrawal from Apple partnership on April 12, 1976, and the appropriate contract amendment also are part of the auction. The contract was sold to a manuscript dealer in the mid-90s.
Huge Apple memorabilia collection up for auction on eBay
TUAW reader Kray Mitchell sent along a link to let us know he's posted a whole bunch of his collection of Apple memorabilia from over the years on eBay, and even if you don't have the cash to pick up this stuff at all, it's at least interesting to browse through it. He's got an original Newton MessagePad up there to look at, a box of those Apple playing cards that we've seen before, lots of promo materials like this original iMac poster, and even a ... Service Award for the PowerBook team from 1991? Huh. If nothing else, it's a pretty interesting walk through some of Apple's history. We can't vouch for the prices on any of these things (the playing cards are already up to $100 and might go even higher), but just getting the chance to see some of this stuff after almost 20 years now is pretty cool.
Darkstalkers Lord Raptor statue is worth an ugly penny
In life, sometimes you have to pay a little bit extra for beauty. Or, in the case of Pop Culture Shock's 19-inch, 11-pound statue of Darkstalkers brawler Lord Raptor, you have to pay $310 or $320 for one of two equally hideous pieces of game memorabilia. Check it out below!
Rare official Apple playing cards up for auction on eBay
If your Apple collectibles case has an empty slot in it for something new, you may just want to check out these very rare Apple Computer Playing Cards up for auction on eBay. Brought to our attention by MacStories, this official Apple-branded set of OS 7 icon playing cards was purchased at an Apple campus store back in 1997 and is still in brand-new and unused condition. The cards come as a full deck of 52 cards plus two Jokers, and the icons are of OS 7 Bombs, Clocks, Mac Face and Trash Cans rather than the standard card illustrations of clubs, hearts, diamonds and spades. Bidding is now up to £205 with six days remaining in the auction. These sets were available only to Apple employees back in the day, so those of you looking for a rare Apple collectible may want to check them out. If £205 (and still climbing) seems like a little much dough to pull out of your wallet right now for these Apple cards, maybe something like a collectible iPad Cutting Board for US$19.95 is more your speed. Better yet, for the absolute low price of $0.00, Apple fans who are also playing card fanatics may want to check out Full Deck Solitaire, reviewed earlier today here on TUAW. [via MacStories and The Next Web]
Breakfast Topic: Do you save stuff for nostalgic reasons?
This Breakfast Topic has been brought to you by Seed, the Aol guest writer program that brings your words to WoW Insider's pages. Nostalgia is a funny thing; it often lets us remember only the good and forget the bad. We look back with rose-colored glasses on the past, thinking how awesome it was. In real life, people hang on to odd souvenirs as memory triggers, and sometimes it is the same in game. There are old drops that took us a long time to get or signified a first kill of a boss in a previous expansion, things we just cannot seem to vendor or throw away because it feels like cheating on the memory. So we hold on to these items, allowing them to clog up bank slots so that whenever we go digging through them for an obscure item we currently need, we get that pleasant flashback. For the longest time, I was a borderline hoarder of nostalgic items. I had my full Stormrage set in the bank from vanilla, my tier 6 and my SSC trash staff from BC, and a few other random pieces, even including a Wildheart helm. I used them to not only remember the old raids and guilds, but friends who left WoW or switched factions or servers. However, it would be a quick, wistful moment -- then I would grab whatever I needed and close my bank back up. The trouble was, the amount of items and the randomness in which they were fit into my bank created chaos, and as I was collecting tabards for my 25 tabard achievement and gear sets for achievements, I simply ran out of room. So I purged my bank, selling any and everything with a cash value. It was a little tough, but I moved on. Do you have items in your bank purely for nostalgic reasons? If so, what items did you keep and why? Have you ever had to purge your bank when it began to fill up?
Grab some signed gaming gear in Brian Wood Memorial Trust auction
If you're looking to acquire some gaming paraphernalia signed by some of the people responsible for the crafting of said games, a batch of recent eBay auctions from vendor GoodGameMedia will let you do so -- while also supporting an incredibly worthy cause. All of the money you spend on these items will be split between Child's Play and the Brian Wood Memorial Trust, a fund to help support the family of the Company of Heroes lead developer who died in an unimaginably tragic car accident earlier this year. Go check out the 30 pieces of biddable memorabilia on the vendor's eBay hub. Some of those would make pretty wonderful (and karmically positive) gifts for the upcoming holidays, don'tchaknow. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in!]
Now you can own a giant Halo: Reach statue for some reason
Whether you need it for home security reasons, or whether you're just a collector of man-sized gaming memorabilia, a super limited edition Halo: Reach statue, modeled after Noble Team's Captain Carter, can be yours if you've got the wherewithal to win this pricey eBay auction.
Guitar Hero controller added to Hard Rock Cafe collection
Imagine it: You're at a Hard Rock Cafe, maybe the one in Pittsburgh (since you don't have the t-shirt yet). You sit there, casually eating your Tupelo Chicken Tenders, when suddenly, you glance up at the wall and see ... those familiar five colored buttons. Yes, Hard Rock has gone plastic, as the UK's biggest Kiss fan, Kevin Curtis (pictured with tongue above), ushered a Gene Simmons-signed Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock guitar controller into the Hard Rock Cafe's "Hall of Fame." That's what they call their collection of "over 79,000 pieces of authentic music memorabilia" displayed around the walls in the ubiquitous chain restaurants. We're torn -- Guitar Hero is great and all, but guitars should have strings and frets, not buttons and flippers. This is like Dylan going electric! Then again, this is the Hard Rock Cafe we're talking about. Maybe a plastic guitar signed by Gene Simmons in a box on the walls of a tourist trap is exactly where it belongs. Check out the full press release after the break.
Halo fan selling off huge collection of merchandise for two good causes
It's still a little early in 2010 to be handing out our "Human of the Year" award, but a Halo.Bungie.org forum poster by the username of Seraph XXVII is already high atop our list of candidates. In a recent post on the fan site, Seraph displayed his massive Halo memorabilia collection, seen above, and revealed that he'll be auctioning the whole lot off within the next few days. Half of the proceeds from the auction are going to Child's Play, and the other half will go towards paying the medical expenses of a fellow Halo.Bungie.org forumite, whose fiancee learned she had a tennis ball-sized brain tumor last week. Needless to say, both of these are great causes -- if you've got room in your home for six bajillion miniature Spartans, why not show your support once the auction goes live?
Bluth and Co. treat fans as Dragon's Lair turns 25
It's hard to believe that a quarter-century has passed since the first LaserDisc-based arcade game from former Disney animator Don Bluth hit arcades. Dragon's Lair's use of hand-drawn animation set it apart from anything else at the time, and despite its simple trial-and-error gameplay, the game was a hit.Digital Leisure, which has worked with Bluth to deliver countless home versions of Dragon's Lair, is offering a treat to fans of the classic for one week only. Anyone who purchases the DVD, PC, or Blu-ray Disc version from its online shop can have their copy signed by Bluth, designer Rick Dyer, and animators Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy. We highly recommend the BD version, which plays exactly like the original coin-op and runs in full 1080p. The company is also offering signed Dragon's Lair "lobby posters" for $80 a pop. Lead on, brave adventurers – your memorabilia awaits!
Tour inside Blizzard's memorabilia museum
We haven't seen much inside the doors of Blizzard HQ, but just recently they've apparently started letting the press in -- first we had that OC Register look on the inside, and now this, a little video shoot inside Blizzard's on-campus museum. And sure, the museum is cool and all (it's got all the licensed material, concept art from all the games, and even a copy of Starcraft that actually went into space), but am I the only one that would kind of rather see the Warcraft-themed cafeteria and the employee gym. I've already seen the Warcraft board game -- bring on the places that we can't go!Still, the museum seems like an "awesommme" place, according to this woman. And I especially like the statue that they're going to put in the courtyard. It's just the kind of thing you might see outside an evil mastermind's lair, or a training school for supervillians. Wait a minute...[Via Massively]
NCsoft's Memorabilia Winter presence
For those who are unfamiliar with the Memorabilia event, it's a pop culture convention held in the UK thrice yearly. For the Winter 2007 convention, NCsoft attended with game characters from Guild Wars and City of Heroes/City of Villains on display. Fans were encouraged to make donations to the Draw the World Together project, which offered up notable comics artists who drew sketches of attendee requests all weekend long.If you weren't able to be there last year, there's video to be seen on blip.tv! Personally, I'd have made the trip just to meet Ghost Widow. She's dreeeaaammmyyyyyyy!
