Beware of movie props and wardrobe that allegedly come from the Ellis Prop auction and the Costume Collection auction.

According to a recent auction description a "Star" used prop gun comes with a COA from "xxx" and a photo match. The photo match is ridiculous and that is all I will say on that.

The original Ellis auction, from which this gun "allegedly" came from, issued original hand signed letters with their props sold at their auction.

"Star" used guns were issued an individual letter specifically stating the movie/show that it was used for, the actor who used it, and the serial number of the gun if it was a real gun.

The original Ellis letter will also have the date, two preprinted signatures of the Chief Executive Officer and Curator, and original hand signed signatures from the Archivist and Armorer. I'll keep the hand signed names to myself.

A "Star" gun will also have a prop tag attached to the trigger guard stating what scene it was used for, the movie, the character, the actor, the year of the movie, and a description of the gun.

I have seen a lot of guns and/or props surfacing in various auctions that allegedly came from the Ellis prop auction. These have mainly been in the zzz auctions, but now these are showing up in the yyy auctions.

None of these have the original Ellis letter mentioned in the auction, just a generic letter from a company called "xxx".

If you have bought a gun that allegedly came from the Ellis prop auction, but did not receive the original Ellis letter, post the serial number and movie information and I'll see if it is listed in the Ellis auction catalog.

Another problematic issue I have seen a lot of lately are auctions for the wardrobe that "allegedly" came from "The Costume Collection" auction.

Again, any of the "Star" wardrobe came with an individual, hand signed letter from The Costume Collection (CC).

This original letter will state what the item is, what show it was used for, the actor who worn the wardrobe, and a hand signed and dated signature from the CC agent/representative. Again, I will keep that name to myself.

Both the Ellis and CC letters have a distinctive color/type of paper used.

If there isn't a original CC letter with the item, but it is stamped "Costume Collection" and the seller is stating it came from that auction, I would be very wary about purchasing the item. It is not hard to get a CC stamp made.

These items should have original, hand signed letters from the Ellis Props, or The Costume Collection.

I have original letters from both auctions, as well as the auction information and/or catalogs if you have any questions.

As we have all seen numerous times, just because an item is sold in a national auction, that alone does not mean the item is what it is purported to be.