Bonhams FLASHBACK: 24th May 2006 Rock and Roll and Film Memorabilia

It was EXACTLY ten years ago today - during David Tennant‘s first season as The Doctor - there was a sale of Entertainment Memorabilia at Bonhams.

Some 59 Doctor Who lots were on offer (though these inflated by the sale of some 25 artworks from a 1985 book Doctor Who Illustrated A-Z, nearly all of which went unsold.

As usual I have separated the items by Doctor era, and you can see the rest of the items here:

Lots 274, 277-278, 280, 290, 299, 303-304
2nd Doctor (1966-1969)

Lots 252, 254, 264-266, 268, 274-275, 277-278, 280, 294-295, 297, 300, 307
3rd Doctor (1970-1974)

Lots 250-251, 262-263, 265-266, 274, 277, 285A, 287-288, 296-298, 300, 303-307
4th Doctor (1975-1981)

Lot 251, 256, 258, 260, 263, 267, 269-270, 274, 276, 279, 283, 285-288, 292, 308
5th Doctor (1982-1984)

Lots 251-252, 254, 256, 258, 263-264, 267, 271-272, 274, 281-284, 289, 293
6th Doctor(1984-1986)

Lots 251, 256, 259, 261, 283, 301
7th Doctor (1987-1989)

Lots 258, 281, 302
9th Doctor (2005)

Here are just the lots relating to the First Doctor era

Bonhams Sale 13576
(24th May 2006)
Rock and Roll and Film Memorabilia

Lot 257
Fairground Dalek
A surviving Fairground Dalek children's ride, built by Edwin Hall Ltd. Non working. Life size.
Sold for £ 1,560

Lot 263
A Collection of Twenty Dr. Who Scripts
including The Curse of the Daleks, Genesis of the Daleks, Planet of Giants and Paradise Towers
Sold for £ 66

Lot 273
Draft Copy of The Gunfighters
Novelization of Doctor Who-The Gunfighters by Donald Cotton.
Estimate: £100 - 150
Unsold

Lot 274
Blueprint Longleat exhibition
A plan blueprint from the BBC Dr. Who Exhibition at Longleat.
Estimate: £100 - 120
Unsold

Lot 291
Original Acetate pressing.
Ron Grainer's original theme from Dr. Who single sided 12 inch 78 rpm Actetate dated 10 May 1963. BBC label with hand written Ref No C/PT 4758 X. Original brown paper sleeve.
Estimate: £600 - 800
Unsold

Lot 300
Doctor Who Illustrated A-Z
Original Art by Lesley Standring for Doctor Who Illustrated A-Z. Sarah-Jane, Steven, Susan and Sarah Kingdom. Colour on art board. 15 x 22 inches
Estimate: £200 - 250
Unsold

Lot 303
Doctor Who Illustrated A-Z
Original Artwork by Lesley Standring from 'Doctor Who Illustrated A-Z' (1985), "Davros and Daleks", colour image. 15in x 22in.
Estimate: £250 - 300
Unsold

The First Doctor - as played by THE WAR DOCTOR!

Ever wondered what might have been?

What if The War Doctor had been an earlier incarnation?

What if he said that immortal speech at the end of The Dalek Invasion Of Earth?

Well at Gallifrey One this year, as part of his stage talk on the Sunday, legendary actor Sir John Hurt did just that!

Bonhams FLASHBACK: - 24th August 1992 Entertainment Sale

Last week I showed you the content of a Bonhams sale from January 1992. In it a large number of ex-BBC Costume Dept outfits from Doctor Who were sold off.

Since then I have found another catalogue from 1992, this time from August.

Interestingly a number of the extensive Doctor Who items sound very much like those sold back in January, though with much higher estimates this time around.

More recently I think we have seen some of these lots continuing to be sold on. It’s fascinating to trace the items back through the various auction catalogues, following the prices they sell for.

As usual I have separated the items by Doctor era, and you can see the rest of the items here:

Lots 648, 654-655, 657-659
2nd Doctor (1966-1969)

Lots 648-649, 655, 660-661
3rd Doctor (1970-1974)

Lots 648, 662-664
4th Doctor (1975-1981)

Lot 648, 653, 655-681
5th Doctor (1982-1984)

Lots 648-649, 682-689
6th Doctor (1984-1986)

Lots 648, 690-695
7th Doctor (1987-1989)

Here are just the lots relating to the First Doctor era

Lot 644 A toy clockwork Dalek, in blue and silver livery (one arm broken, one missing).
Estimate £20-30

Lot 645 The Dr. Who Annual, 1966, 93 pages, with colour illustrations and colour hard cover, published by World Distributors by arrangement with the BBC.
Estimate £40-60

Lot 646 An early Dalek construction kit, by Marx Toys in original pictorial box.
Estimate £30-50

Lot 647 William Hartnell: a black and white 5.5 x 3.5in. photograph, signed in ink on reverse. Estimate £50-80

Lot 648 Dr. Who—The Auction, Catalogue from 11th May 1991, sale of selected costumes from the Wardrobe, 42 page catalogue with black and white illustrations, colour cover, together with a sheet of prices. (2)
Estimate £10-20

Lot 650 A colour poster, for the film ‘Dalek: Invasion Earth 2150 AD’, starring Peter Cushing as the Doctor.

Lot 651 A red and silver Dalek, believed to have featured in the film ‘Dalek: Invasion Earth 2150 AD’ with Peter Cushing as Dr. Who.
Won in a breakfast cereal competition in the 1960’s.
See illustration.

Lot 652 A Dalek, scratchbuilt to a high standard and realistically modelled and finished in grey and black.
Estimate £400-600

Lot 655 Two linen bodices, With large padded sleeves and brown trousers to match, possibly to be worn under some form of body armour from a l960’s/
1970’s episode.
Estimate £50-80

Lot 656 ‘The Aztecs’, 1964 (William Hartnell) A Jungle Cat headpiece/mask, worn by Ixta (Ian Cullen), together With a photocopy of a still showing the rear view.
Estimate £300—500

Lot 659 Early BBC television Dalek from the late 1960’s.
Estimate £1,000-2,000
Footnote: This Dalek is sold in aid of Bedford Round Table and has for several years been used to generate street collections and general fundraising.
Some modifications have been made during a long charitable life to atone for previous evil deeds and it is now painted red, white and blue. It could however be restored to its 1960’s condition to provide a rare opportunity to own an early example of one of the most famous and popular screen
monsters.
See illustration.

The Witch’s Familiar - Daleks from The Dead Planet

This years opening adventure for Perter Capaldi’s Doctor has been a feast for fans of all generations of Doctor Who.

As well as brining back Davros from the Tenth Doctor era, several Daleks hailing from as far back as 1963 have been gracing our television screens on a Saturday early evening - just as they did over 50 years ago.

As is usual for the BBC they have issued a collection of publicity images to promote the episode, but one in particular is a stand out favourite for me.

Peter Capalai is a big fan of the series, so for him  getting face to face with Daleks of a certain generation is a great thrill, and you can see it in this picture.

this is a guy who LOES his job!

Prop Store London auction - 23rd September 2015

So, after a number of lack-lustre auctions, it finally looks like Bonhams has a genuine challenger to their Entertainment Memorabilia sales.

PropStore.com have been selling high-end props and costumes for sometime now, including the occasional Doctor Who piece.

But this month they are holding a live auction at the BFI IMAX cinema in Waterloo - for all intents and purposes a Bonhams style auction.

there‘s some amazing stuff on offer, from Mr Spock’s costume from classic Star Trek, to costumes from Back To The Future, the Alien and Star Wars films.

And unlike the last couple of years of Bonhams auctions, there are is a good spread of quality items on offer to attract the interest of the dedicated Doctor Who fans out there.

Prop Store London
(23rd September 2015)
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction

As usual I have separated the items by Doctor era, and you can see the rest of the items here:

Lots 94-97
4th Doctor (1974-1980)

Lot 91
5th Doctor (1981-1984)

Lots 92-93
6th Doctor (1984-1986)

Lots 99-100
9th Doctor (2005)

Lots 98, 101, 104, 107-109, 114-115
10th Doctor (2005-2010)

Lots 102, 106, 110-111
11th Doctor (2010-2014)

Here are just the lots relating to
the First Doctor

Lot 112
Dalek and Production-Used Shooting Script
A Dalek and production-used shooting script from Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time. Nicknamed “Paul,” this creature was one of four used for the recreation of their first appearance on Doctor Who.

The Dalek is made of wood with metal skirt components and features interior seating for the operator and an array of wood, metal and resin dress-up components for the operable gun stick, plunger arm and the dome assembly. Lights in the dome, powered by a 12v battery, light up when the operator speaks. The monster is finished in grey, blue and faux-silver paint.

It is accompanied by a production-used shooting script and an “owner's workshop manual” detailing the use of the Dalek on the production. Displaying wear to the fender, skirt and paint finish from use and time spent in storage. The piece remains in very good condition. Dimensions: 160 cm x 85 cm x 160 cm (63” x 33 ½” x 63”)

As this item contains electronic components, every effort has been made to describe them accurately; however no guarantee or warranty is made as to functionality, lifespan or safety of those components. It is entirely incumbent on the new owner to satisfy themselves as to their safe use and maintenance.

Estimate £4,000-6,000
Sold for £4,000

Lot 113
Dalek
A Dalek from Doctor Who: An Adventure in Space and Time. Nicknamed “Dave” on set, this creature was one of four used for the recreation of their first appearance on Doctor Who.

The Dalek is made of wood with metal skirt components and features interior seating for the operator and an array of wood, metal and resin dress-up components for the operable gun stick, plunger arm and the dome assembly. Lights in the dome and the eye stalk are powered by a 12v battery. Full controls for the creature are situated throughout the interior “cabin.” The creature is finished in grey, blue and faux-silver paint.

Displaying some wear to the fender, skirt and paint finish from use and time spent in storage. The Dalek remains in very good condition. Dimensions: 160 cm x 85 cm x 160 cm (63” x 33 ½” x 63”)

As this item contains electronic components, every effort has been made to describe them accurately; however no guarantee or warranty is made as to functionality, lifespan or safety of those components. It is entirely incumbent on the new owner to satisfy themselves as to their safe use and maintenance.

Estimate £4,000-6,000
Sold for £4,500

You can see my photos from when I
visited the auction preview here

Prop Store London auction
BFI IMAX preview

Original 1st Doctor item on eBay - September 2015

I spotted this super item on eBay this month. It hails from the glory days of Dalekmania and is now super rare to find, especially in this complete form.

The listing has some great accompanying photos.

Chad Valley Doctor Who Give-a-Show Projector set

One of the hardest items of Doctor Who merchandise to get hold of.

Produced in 1965. It is NOT immaculate but it is in very good condition, particularly when you consider it's a child's toy that's now 50 years old.

The box lid is not tatty at all, but very good. Some minor scuffing and one upright (the corner bit) has been repaired. Very little creasing. Impressive!

The base of the box is less good: some warping and discolouration, and the uprights on the corners have all been repaired.

Projector is in good condition. I don't know if it still works; as it's just a glorified torch, it should be easy enough to get going.

The tray for the slides and projector is very good.

THE SLIDES ARE COMPLETE. Each strip tells a story. They're good, but they're not mint: some creasing and wear to the card that holds the transparencies.

You will be pleased to hear that the Daleks have perfected a machine called the Earthman Detector, and that it malfunctions because a cat gets in the way. Also, the Zomites are intelligent insects from the planet Skaro, which attack Dr Who and his chums.

The stories, alas, are execrable.

Please note: this has been described in full and in good faith. Buyers of high value items can sometimes be disappointed that their items are not in mint condition. It is in the condition described: no better, no worse.

The Tenth Planet recycled space suits

For the nerds out there, this is an amusing tale of being keen-eyed and spotting costumes when they get reused from one production to another.

I also intend this to be a baton I have taken on, and happily pass on to others to see where it goes from here.

A couple of years back I read an observation online regarding a costume that appears in the Star Wars sequel, The Empire Strikes Back. During a brief scene on the Darth Vader’s Imperial cruiser, one of the bounty hunters, known as Bossk is seen wearing a yellow space suit. It was presumed that the costume had been custom made - after all, this was Star Wars!

But someone had spotted that Earl Cameron wears an identical suit in William Hartnell’s swan song, The Tenth Planet.
Could this be the same one?
His co-pilot also wears a similar suit, but in a darker colour.

So the baton of the costume had been passed from Star Wars to Doctor Who - but had it really been made for Doctor Who? I always doubted that was the case as the suit was somewhat well designed for that period of production - no offence intended to the 1960s designers at the BBC.

Costume making in the 1960s was dominated by a number of big player companies. Bermans was very well known, run by cutter Morris Berman and his son, TV producer Monty Berman.

They later merged with Nathan's, which had been established in 1790, to form one of the largest costumiers in London, Bermans & Nathan's.

Also in the market were Angels, which since it engulfed Berman & Nathan's in 1992, has dominated UK costume making and supplying.

Dependant on individual deals, it was common practice to custom make for a big budget productions, and the leftover costumes would go into stock to be hired out to other productions with more modest budgets.
Thus Sid James wore Richard Burton's costume from Cleopatra in Carry On Cleo.

For some reason, Moon Zero Two, Hammer's only attempt at futuristic science fiction, was the source of endless space suits during the late 1960s and early 1970s.

The helmets worn in Ambassadors Of Death were from this production.

Well I was watching an old Ray Harryhausen film called First Men In The Moon. It's not the best of his films, but I was interested in watching it again as it had been several years since I saw it last.

Made in 1964, it pre-dates The Tenth Planet by two years.

The film opens with a (as of 1964) fictional maned landing on the moon.

As the astronauts start exploring the lunar surface, something suddenly dawned on me.

Two of the astronauts are wearing yellow suits - just like the one Bossk wears!

The third astronaut os wearing a navy blue suit - this I’m guessing is quite probably the darker suit worn by Alan White in The Tenth Planet.

Since this was in the high budget bracket, I'm thinking this could well be the production for which the suit had been custom made.

If you have seen another production that uses these very same space suit, especially one pre-dating 1964, I’d love to hear from you. Maybe you know what these suits were in real life. Were they fighter pilot suits like the 1980s Cybermen?

Take the baton from me - I want to see where you take it.