USA: Christie's auction house in New Yorkbegins the first day of its Star Trek memorabilia sale

Pieces of furniture from the spaceship Enterprise were among the more than 300 items of Star Trek memorabilia going under the hammer Thursday (October 05) at Christie's New York auction house. The sale, which spans three days includes more than 1,000 lots, is a celebration of the cult show's 40th anniversary. One of the highlights of Thursday's auction was the "Enterprise-E Captain's Chair." The padded aircraft-style armchair belonged to character Captain Picard on the Enterprise-E. Christie's estimated the chair to sell between 7,000 and 9,000 U.S. dollars, but after fierce bidding in the room, and via the phone and internet, it sold for 52,000 USD. Another piece of furniture to hit the block was the "Enterprise-E Desk," which Christie's valued at 300 - 500 USD. The L-shaped futuristic desk has simulated control and display panels and was used on the set of the Enterprise-E. Bidding for the desk pushed the hammer price well above estimates, finally selling for 4,200 USD. Another Enterprise-E item up for sale was "Picard's Desk from the Enterprise-E." Estimated to sell from 800 - 1,200 USD, the futuristic simulated wood-grain and pewter metal tabletop sold for 5,500 USD. Props, costumes, weapons and special effects models of the Starship Enterprise and other space vessels will be sold throughout the three day auction. One hotly anticipated item is a replica of the Starship Enterprise bridge, complete with four console units, a doorway and four control stations, and is estimated to sell for up to 30,000 USD. Conceived by Gene Roddenberry in the mid 1960s, Star Trek has led to six television series - including a cartoon series - and 10 films, as well as novels, computer games, international conventions and a loyal following among millions of fans. The sale covers the entire history of Star Trek, beginning with the original 60s series, starring William Shatner and Leonard Nimoy. It also includes memorabilia from the films and from Star Trek: Next Generation, starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard. Director of special collections at Christie's, Cathy Elkies said that there is just cause for Star Trek's enduring popularity. She said, "I think one of the reasons Star Trek is so sustainable and is still so popular today and such a huge part of our sort of popular culture is Gene Roddenberry had such an incredible vision and he also had a philosophy about humanity and interaction and it was very entrenched in a sort of philosophical foundation. So, although it was very cool, special effects and it was all about outer space and it was very fantastical, there really was this underpinning. And I think that's what sort of has sustained a fan base for so many years." Christie's Star Trek auction will continue through Saturday, October 7 and is expected to garner more than 1 million USD in sales.

ITN Source | October 13, 2006

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