"Star Trek" auction beams up to eBay
How many people have dreamed of sitting in Captain Kirk's command chair? eBay and auctioneer Profiles in History are boldly going to find out.
Captain Kirk's command chair from the starship Enterprise will be one of some 374 mostly "Star Trek"-related lots that will go up for auction next Thursday.
The auction will be conducted live in Los Angeles by auctioneer Profiles in History; however, eBay members can preview the auction catalog online and participate online via eBay's Live Auctions technology.
Much of the items come from the collection of Bob Justman, an associate producer on the original "Star Trek" series, said Lorna Hart, general manager at Profiles in History.
"There's some really incredible stuff (that gives insight) into how these brains were thinking when they created the show," Hart said.
eBay representatives did not return calls seeking comment about the "Star Trek" auction.
This is the latest high-profile auction on eBay. Last month, Guernsey's auction house sold a collection of Grateful Dead memorabilia on the site, including two one-of-a-kind guitars formerly owned by the band's lead singer, Jerry Garcia. In April, a round of golf with Tiger Woods sold on eBay for $425,000.
Last fall, George Lucas sold memorabilia from the rival "Star Wars" universe on eBay in a charity auction. Among the jewels in the auction were a lightsaber prop used in "Star Wars: Episode I--The Phantom Menace," which fetched more than $45,000, and a Stormtrooper helmet used in "The Empire Strikes Back" that sold for more than $35,000.
The "Star Trek" memorabilia figures to out-duel the "Star Wars" auction. The Captain Kirk command chair alone has an estimated value of between $100,000 and $150,000, and the bidding on it starts at $80,000.
Other notable pieces in the "Star Trek" auction include the costume and the helmet and gloves worn by Ricardo Montalban as Khan in "Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan." Profiles in History estimated the value of both lots at between $20,000 and $30,000.
"Those are big pieces for followers," Hart said.
The auction includes an assortment of other costumes, such as several worn by William Shatner as Captain Kirk; a pair of prosthetic earpieces worn by Leonard Nimoy as Mr. Spock; the original film of the second pilot episode of the original "Star Trek" series; and a collection of production memos from various "Star Trek" episodes.
In addition, the auction includes a few non-"Star Trek" lots. Among them are costumes, props and other memorabilia from such films as the 2001 remake of "Planet of the Apes," "Logan's Run" and "Men in Black." The last lot in the auction is a collection of Jimi Hendrix's original Army medical reports from his stint in the military in the early 1960s.
eBay members who want to bid on the auction need to register for it, indicating that they have read the terms of the auction. Unlike most eBay auctions, Profiles in History will charge successful bidders a premium of 15 percent of the final purchase price if they pay in cash or 18 percent if they pay with a credit card.
The auction is the second "Star Trek" auction handled by Profiles in History. The auction house held the previous one in December. The standout items in that auction included a phaser rifle prop that was used in "Star Trek: First Contact" that sold for $45,000, Hart said.