MARVEL MERCHANDISE IS GOING UNDER THE HAMMER AT THE PROP STORE

From the 12th to the 13th of August, 2019, the Prop Store will be hosting a live-online auction in order to sell nearly 900 lots of costumes, props, and accessories featured in a number of very popular Marvel TV shows, including Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Iron Fist. So, to help us understand what's on offer, I thought that it would be a pretty good idea to speak to Pontus Silfverstolpe, who's the co-founder of the leading search engine for auction houses and dealers, Barnebys. Here, check this out to see what's hot and what's not...





1) Please tell us a little bit about yourself, Pontus.   I started my career at Bukowskis, a fine art auction house, literally by hanging paintings on the walls before the auctions. I then moved on to become head of sales, where my area of responsibility covered everything from antique furniture to art and design.

After ten years at Bukowskis, I began to work for Åmells, the leading art dealer in Scandinavia. During my time there, I was mainly responsible for Scandinavian paintings and sculpture. I also hosted a TV show about antiques, design, and collectibles in Scandinavia.

My interest in arts and antiques started when I was still a child. I would spend a lot of time with my grandfather in museums and at my grandparents’ house full of old furniture, portraits, and works of art.

2) Are you a collector yourself, and if so, what do you collect?   I collect a bit of everything, but to a lesser extent than I used to. When I was younger, I would collect anything from hockey cards to stamps. But within recent years, my passion for collecting has focused on cufflinks!

3) Why did you decide to call your auction-related search engine ‘Barnebys’?   Barnebys is a play on my name as well as Christopher Barnekow’s name, who's the company’s CEO and co-founder. We founded the company in 2011, after we had realized how difficult it was to navigate around the auction and art world.

Up to then, both patience and knowledge were required to browse auction catalogs or to find something special from a dealer, all because these businesses would normally target a small circle of customers. A query on the internet didn't give us anything of value, and it certainly didn't allow us to have access to the full art market. However, that has changed and globally people have started to discover art and antiques for themselves. A whole world of new buyers who were eager to access the art and antique market has opened up.

A few months after the launch of Barnebys in Sweden, circa 2011, users were able to browse the lots of most Scandinavian auction houses. It was revolutionary, and Barnebys has continued to penetrate the market ever since. Its services are now available in the US, the UK, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and Hong Kong. In a way, we’re the auction houses and dealers’ best friends.

4) Can you give us a brief rundown on some of the items the Prop Store will be auctioning?   The Prop Store have had a lot of fantastic auctions throughout the years with amazing items from the most legendary movies and TV series. This time, nearly 900 lots of costumes, props, and accessories will go under the hammer, all previously seen in such Marvel TV shows as Luke Cage, Daredevil, and Iron Fist.

Matt Murdock's red Daredevil costume from seasons 2 and 3 and his iconic round eyeglasses from seasons 1 through 3 are certainly some of the highlights in this auction. Bidders should also watch out for Misty Knight's cybernetic arm from the Luke Cage episode, 'All Souled Out' (205). And then there’s Davos' Iron Fist mask from the episodes, 'Target: Iron Fist' (204) and 'Heart of the Dragon' (205).

5) From their catalog, which items do you prefer the most and why?   I think Wilson Fisk's bloodied wedding costume from the Daredevil episode, 'A New Napkin' (313), is the perfect purchase if you want to draw attention to your Halloween costume this year. Another lot I find rather enticing is Madame Gao's spear cane from the Iron Fist episode, 'Under Leaf Pluck Lotus' (105), which looks like something every gentleman should have ;-).

6) Can you give us a few investment tips in order to make a profit on comic book related merchandise?   Like in any category, quality trumps quantity when collecting comic books and merchandise. Make sure that the lots are of high quality and in mint condition. If the comic books are famous on a worldwide level – even better! Hugely popular comics like Batman, Donald Duck, or Superman attract a massive audience which makes them even more sought after collectibles.

And on that note, I'd like to thank Pontus Silfverstolpe for telling us about his website, Barnebys, before encouraging you to check out the live auction at propstoreauction.com. So go on, click on the links provided and see what they have in store, and don't forget to follow their respective twitter and facebook pages.