Remembering the Second Live Auction: Part 2

Day 2: Let’s Get Personal

Personal photos, books, and other items from Adama’s quarters began on day two, and Lot #312, a simple photo of Adama with his children and Viper reached an amazing $2,000 – now that’s an expensive shot! Lot #322, Adama’s Wedding Band proved a simple gold band could bring thousands – try $6,600! Ever popular collar rank pins and dog tags sold for upwards of $5,000, and Adama’s glasses sold to the lucky Adama fan. Even the smashed-up version of Adama’s Square-Rigger Ship sold in the thousands, proving that damage does not decrease value.

President Laura Roslin’s personal items were up next, and bidders drove up prices on items such as her glasses, her Book of Pythia and the last item she used – Lot #350 the Blanket from Earth – known also as her death shroud. The simple tartan blanket sold for over $2,500.

Next up on the list was Colonel Tigh and I spoke with actor Michael Hogan at the auction about his iconic Eye Patch. He told me it was not the most comfortable item and he really had to go through an adjustment period when he used it. Comfort aside, bidders ran up the price on the tiny patch to over $1,000.

Personal items from every cast member reached the auction block – and bidders really went nuts over items such as jewelry, eyeglasses, watches, tools, towels, binoculars, dinnerware, secret files, security passes, attaché cases, suitcases, medical equipment, crutches, prosthetics, prescriptions, “blood” samples, even the last toothpaste in the universe which sold for over $2,000. Any type of personal item, trinket, or memento – these excited both the live and online bidders into a frenzy of bidding.

Dog Day Afternoon

Bidders wanted dog tags, rank pins, and patches – any character would do!  Three versions of Kara’s Dog Tags Lot #387 (see picture below), 388, and 390 sold in total for almost $25,000, wowing both the audience and the auctioneers alike. Bidding on any dog tag was not for the faint of heart, as it took thousands to win. A complete insignia collection brought nearly $5,000 and an Officer Pin collection sold in the thousands.

Kara’s Dog Tags Lot #387

Connect the Dots

Lot #393 gave us the first dot-related item in the auction – Kara’s Copy of Hera’s Dots. A simple child’s drawing of dots is seemingly unimportant to the casual viewer, but any BSG fan knows these dots provided “The Music” that haunts the Final Five on Galactica, are translated by Kara on the piano in Joe’s Bar, and gave the final jump coordinates to Earth. (Thank you Bear McCreary for building those simple dots into your poignant and powerful rendition of All Along the Watchtower.) Kara’s copy was estimated at only a few hundred dollars, but sold for almost $2,000.

Weapons and Models

From modified guns and small arms to large armaments and explosives, BSG was packed full of weapons, and bidders won a plethora of them, proving that boys (and girls) like things that go boom. Fans also wanted helmets to go along with military garb and weapons, and both flight deck helmets and Raptor and Viper helmets sold well.

The last grouping on Day 2 was the War Room ship models, used by the officers to plan attack strategies on the tactical table of Galactica (see picture below). Selling in total for almost $35,000, these nine lots brought to a close an exciting day of bidding (and winning).

Day 3: The Last of the Best

The final day of the auction began with maps – planning maps, translight maps, photographic maps, starcharts, and satellite photos.  Huge (almost six foot wide) colonization maps of Earth, Kara’s plotting maps from Demetrius, recon photos, and plotting table translights kept bidding high during the morning session.

Where Everyone Knows Your Name

Lot #696 took us back to Joe’s Bar, a place to take a break from your worries. Previous day’s auctions saw liquor bottles selling high, and Joe’s Bar sign did not disappoint at over $1,000. Earlier in the auction, we saw the Slick’s Music Book and items from the piano and dust cover sell for thousands.

Lots of equipment and set pieces were next, including Baltar’s Interrogation chair, medkits full of supplies, phones and display monitors, and communications stations. Furniture fit for an office, crew quarters, or living room brought a lot of interest, with bidders measuring items to make sure they would fit in their homes.  Benches, chaise lounges, desks, tables, dressers, recliners, and even Baby Nicky’s crib – nothing was safe from the hands of the Propworx team that stripped down the original BSG sets and shipped them back to Los Angeles for the auction. (On a personal note, I wake up every morning and pull out clothes from my Colonial One dresser and sit at Roslin’s make-up table, planning my next presidential speech and applying eyeliner.)

Starbuck: Pilot, Lover and Artist

Kara’s fantastical paintings from her apartment on Caprica drew interest from bidders looking for that perfect piece of art. Lot #760 (see picture below) was the most popular, combining Kara’s fantasies with the Mandala seen in so many prophetic scenes. Kara’s canvases, as odd as many of them seemed, sold for almost $30,000. Not bad for a Viper pilot!

Now every pilot needs a name plate decal for their Viper or Raptor, and the next group of items provided an opportunity for the newbie pilot in all of us to get one. Many of these items also allowed the bidder with a little less to spend an opportunity to acquire a part of the Galactica universe. After the name decals, squadron shield plaques were up followed by wall crests. These original emblems were very popular, some reaching prices into the thousands. Perfect for your office wall of fame or game room! More set dressings from the Quorum and Lee Adama followed along with cool hangar bay signage. The Quorum Presidential Seal – originally crafted from a Pegasus seal – and appropriately riddled with blood and bullet holes reached over $5,000.

Let Your Freak Flag Fly

If the first live auction was any indicator, the Colonial flags (See picture below) up for bid were destined to bring thousands – and they did not disappoint.  Some of these flags were huge – over 9 feet tall and 3 feet wide – and brought huge bids. The regular colonial flag and staff soared over $2,000!

Next we took a visit to Adama’s quarters on Galactica, with was jammed packed with goodies – rugs, bookcases, tables, chairs, desks, huge sectional couches, boxes, lamps, and more tchotchkes than in your grandmother’s house. Even Adama’s bunk was for sale – complete with pillows, comforter, sheets, reading lamp and books.

BIG!

Now for the big stuff – and when I say big, I mean big! Lot #921 the CIC Tactical Plotting Board came complete with green gel fluorescent lighting and numeric LEDs. No home should be without a proper ten foot wide plotting board! And to ensure no fire in your domicile goes undetected, one cannot do without the Fire Control Board (insert picture) – a deal at $9,600. No FTL should go unplotted (you might end up INSIDE a planet, for frak’s sake) and Lot #923 provided the lucky bidder with a cool $1,000 dining room table – or maybe a conference table for the office since it was over 8 feet long.

Numerous console stations, standing monitors and Dradis arrays followed, until we reached Lot #932 BSG 75 Seal. Many bidders lusted after the CIC seal, but only a few could commit the almost $20,000 it took to acquire it. If you needed a heavy duty door to replace a regular flimsy wood door in your house, a selection of Galactica doors came up on the block next along with a Pyramid Goal and Ball Game from Joe’s Bar.

After a shrine or two and a couple of creepy Cylon experiment cabinets (ewwww!) Lot #957 arrived with the fanfare due a critical piece of Cylon machinery. How many humans can boast their own 10 foot Cylon Resurrection Tub? The lucky winner, our buddy Gavin, vowed to put it in his home for both personal and party guest use. He did have to get rid of a bit of furniture to do it though…

The last item in the auction was the Galactica Podium, used throughout the series and also used by the auctioneers during the sale. Many bidders, both online and live, wanted the iconic piece, but only one would prevail, and it cost him or her over $5,000 for the privilege.

After four days of viewing, bidding and sometimes winning, the final live auction was over. How will Propworx top the excitement and pure fan fun of such a great experience? Stay tuned for even more amazing auctions and live events. Between Stargate and Star Trek and Ironman, I know I can’t wait to see what Propworx does next!

Act 2: Final Scene

INTERIOR – Battlestar Galactica Hangar Bay

FADE IN –

Adama:  Starbuck, what do you hear?

Starbuck:  Nothing but the rain.

Adama:  Then grab your gun and bring in the cat.

Voice of Alec Peters:  Oops, I think we sold your gun…  don’t we have Romo’s dead cat somewhere around here?