The late Mr. Jein’s impressive collection fetched about $13.6 million (€12.9 million) during a recent event at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. This auction attracted a wide range of attendees, from model-makers to collectors and science-fiction enthusiasts, making it one of the best-attended events in years for the auction house.
Joshua Benesh, Heritage Auction’s chief strategy officer, spoke to reporters about Greg Jein’s remarkable work and collection. Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s executive vice president and a close friend of Mr. Jein, described the auction as a “profound testament” to his friend’s talents as a visual effects master and collector.
Not only did Mr. Jein have a successful career spanning almost fifty years, during which he earned Oscar and Emmy nominations for his work in creating miniature models, but he also dedicated his life to collecting costumes, props, scripts, artwork, photographs, and models from the shows he loved.
One of the highlights of the auction was the sale of the Red Leader X-wing Starfighter featured in the 1977 film Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope. This particular item garnered significant attention and fetched a high price after a bidding duel between two collectors. Another notable sale was a Star Wars Stormtrooper costume that sold for a staggering $645,000. Additionally, a rare surviving spacesuit used in Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 film 2001: A Space Odyssey was sold for $447,000.
Given Mr. Jein’s affinity for Star Trek, it was no surprise that some of the items from this franchise were also in demand at the auction. A filming model of the SS Botany Bay vessel from Star Trek: The Original Series in the 1960s sold for $200,000, while prop devices from the series, such as a hero phaser and a tricorder, fetched $187,500 and $175,000 respectively.
Before becoming involved in the industry, Mr. Jein was already a fan of Star Trek. He led the team that created the mothership for Steven Spielberg’s 1977 film Close Encounters Of The Third Kind early in his career. The actual model, which appears massive in the movie, is just over 5ft long and is currently part of the collection at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum in Washington DC. A smaller preliminary model, measuring about 5in long, was also sold at the auction for $55,000.
Denial of responsibility! Vigour Times is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
