Magic of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" This Week at LiveAuctionTalk.com
Rosemary McKittrick is a storyteller. Her website offers anything and everything about the world of collecting. Visit the site. Sign up for a free weekly subscription.
SANTA FE, NM, October 19, 2011
For 50 years talk spread through archaeological circles about an ancient Peruvian Chachapoyan Temple that had never been plundered by treasure-hunters.The year is 1936. The movie is "Raiders of the Lost Ark."
The film showcases Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) holding one piece of an old parchment map leading to the ancient site. The problem is two coldblooded Peruvian guides possess the other map fragments needed to complete the map.
When golden figurines from the ancient temple begin to show up on the market Jones and Marcus Brody, curator of the National Museum assume the temple has been discovered and pillaged.
If non-stop action was a must in filmmaking then "Raiders of the Lost Ark" wins the prize for keeping audiences teetering on the edge of their seats through an ungodly chain of events.
It was hard to come up for air with this film. But audiences loved the high drama.
"Raiders of the Lost Ark" reached iconic status among fans. The film received eight Academy Awards nominations and walked away with four Oscars, mostly in technical categories.
For movie memorabilia fans owning a prop from this film is like owning a piece of the film itself.
On June 26, Bonhams & Butterfields, Los Angeles, featured two iconic props for sale from the "Raiders of the Lost Ark" film in its Entertainment Memorabilia and Animation Art auction.
A Fertility Idol in the shape of a gold-painted statuette with inset green eyes created for the special effects department for use during stunt sequences of "Raiders of the Lost Ark" sold in the auction for $24,400.
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Rosemary has provided auction coverage and analysis on thousands-and-thousands of antiques and collectibles sold since the column started 16-years ago. She includes auction sale results to give readers a feel for what their treasures are worth because the power of auctions is simple.
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Rosemary is the co-author of The Official Price Guide to Fine Art published by Random House and received her training in the trenches working as a professional appraiser and weekly columnist.
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