The
Obligatory Introduction!
A while back it was suggested that I start a page of Galaxy Quest
Collectable Items... It took me a while but here it is!
This is a page of known collectables...
It is by no means a complete and definitive list, but it's a
start. The list is meant to be a general reference of
collectable Items. If you know of additional Items, which
I know there are tons of, or see errors please let me know at: GalaxyQuest.
Where
Can I get these Items? ...Can you help me find...?
PLEASE NOTE: Because I can not
guarantee the quality and authenticity of items, or the integrity of a
seller, I am unable to reply to requests for assistance in locating
sources of collectable items. I also do not have, nor do I
intend to offer in the future, Items from my own collection, or other
peoples personal collections, for sale on this site.
If you're looking for collectable
Items, try searching Internet auction sites such as eBay
periodically. These sites often offer "wanted" message
areas that may help you find the items you are looking for
The other option is to search out movie
memorabilia dealers on the net. Try search terms such
as: "movie prop", "movie memorabilia"
"Galaxy Quest prop", Etc. Bookmark the sites you find and
check them regularly... what they don't have today, tomorrow
they may!
Big Buck
Collectables
If you're a fan,
want to own a major screen prop (or as close to real as large sums of
cash can get) and money is no object, I have Two words of advice:
- Authenticate - The big items should all
have DreamWorks COA's... If you have the bucks and don't know the
seller, check out their background!
- Insure! Insure! Insure!
Galaxy
Quest Prop Collectables on a Budget
I
f
you'd like to own a bit of the movie and don't feel like paying
thousands (dollars, pounds, yen... Etc) The most affordable pieces are
the convention scene props... They made quite a bit of the stuff so
it's not overlay "rare" at this point. Though I
must caution you:
- BEWARE OF CLAIMS
THAT AN ITEM WAS "SCREEN USED." It
is important to remember that they made a lot of
convention scene prop items that where not used in filming.
While these are legitimate prop collectables. Unless the are
accompanied by a DreamWorks C.O.A. (Certificate
Of Authenticity) there
is no way of determining whether it a actuall screen used prop or
a spare.
- In total very few convention scene
Items came with a COA from DreamWorks, and none of the
smaller paper Items that I'm aware of came with COA's.
- Third Party COA's are not 100%
guarantees - Ask around. I apologies to all the legit
dealers in advance, but there's a lot of dealers out there that'll
fake anything for a buck.
- There have been a lot of claims by
sellers that their Galaxy Quest "screen used" convention scene props
" are clearly visible in the film"... the exact
definition of "clearly visible" tends to be a bit
foggy. In general... if you have to run through the
convention scene 8 times and still frame the video/DVD to see it,
it's NOT clearly visible.
- While convention scene
props are relatively inexpensive, try to keep in mind what in this
context "relatively" means. As of Mid 2001, One of the
significant "screen used" props will run at least $1500 - $3000,
but the "average" convention scene props can run
form around $20 to several hundreds (depending on what it
is) For example, a convention ID (like the one above) will
typically cost around $20-$50 depending on dealer, condition and
current demand.... one of the "fan" Lazarus heads
can easily go for $300-$800.
- Remember that the longer you wait to
pick up these items, the more expensive it'll be!
- Most of the pieces weren't designed
with a long lifespan or extended handling in mind, so they require
a lot of TLC... Items like the Prop toy boxes degrade VERY easily.
The
Best Non-Screen Used Collectables
The best
non-screen used GQ collectables have to be the promotional drinking
glasses and the 8 card Promo trading cards. The cards are great
quality and fairly common which make them a great buy! .
The drinking glasses are my personal favorite! While I wouldn't
recommend them for day-to-day use, they're wonderfully kitchy, and are
bound (and breakable enough) to appreciate in value over the years...
One word of caution: Don't be fooled by the COA that comes with
the glasses... the ALL say "274 of 1500"
Kits
& Reproductions
I expect a number of Garage kit and small model making companies will
be offering Galaxy Quest Items over the next several years (I
know of at least 3 works in progress) These Items, while a little gray
in the area of licensing, should give fans the opportunity to have
something 
close to a prop piece from the film with out paying
thousands. Because the majority of these class of
kit/reproductions are unlicensed, the quality and accuracy varies
wildly from maker to maker (and even kit to kit) BE AWARE:
These items DO NOT APPRECIATE IN VALUE... At best 20 year old gray
market kit is worth today what it was worth 20 years ago.
In VERY rare cases (such as the Star Trek phaser knock-off kit know as
"the 23 century Pistol Kit) the quality and value of the item is so
good and or it becomes so well known (or some how associated back
to the series)... it does appreciate somewhat in value over
time... but that's a very RARE situation. Bottom Line: buy these items
because it would be cool to have one, not as an investment!
When buying gray market props and kits
keep in mind that, particularly early on and/or when there
isn't any good reference material readily available, they aren't
going to be 100% accurate!!! This is normal!!!
A lot of fan built and gray market kits are based on eyeball
measurements. screenshots, and a lot of good educated guesses... as
time progresses designs are refined and new references become
available, so accuracy will increase.
If
you are at all unsure about an item, especially if it's on someplace
like eBay, be sure to ask the sellers questions about the kit or prop
- After
you buy it is to late to complain it isn't what you
expected!
Here's an example of a "fan
built" surface scanner that showed up on eBay. The first
question you should be asking is: "Why is his thumb covering the
middle?", did he miss the "switch" detail? (in
this case, yes he did miss the button) Ask
everything! ASSUME NOTHING!
I highly recommend checking out sites like www.starshipmodeler.com This is a great resource for information and sources for on all sorts
sci-fi kits!
The List
Galaxy
Quest
Page
Was Last Updated: Tuesday, August 27, 2013 04:46 PM