Questions about a Henson Prop

[Karate Kid]

Hey guys, alright well, this might be an odd question for me to be asking, but I thought that if ANYONE would know, you guys might.

I have had the pleasure of having Mr. Jerry Juhl as a friend of our family for years. Now, for those who dont know, he was a close friend of Jim Henson, they started everything together, and Jerry was pretty much the reason for us having Fraggle Rock. Anyways, being a huge muppet fan myself I have been on many trips to the creature shops and whatnot, and about 10 years ago I expressed an interest in going into this field, Jerry thought this was great and managed to give me some props from his personal collection and a few props he was able to score before they were desrtoyed and re-used as scraps. Anyways, one of these is just to big for me to store anymore and I would rather it go to someone who would treasure it and display it. However I do not know the best means of selling it and I also do not know the value. Should I chose e-bay, try selling on these forms, im totally stumped. However, I do not have any pictures because I do not own a camera but I will soon, so let me try to describe it to you. Its more of a set then a prop, it stands 3 feet high and roughly 2 feet wide and about a foot deep. It looks like a brick wall and was used in the movie Labyrinth. It later was cut down and turned into the small scene it is then used in other Henson films and finally finished off as a regular piece for Sesame Street. It has a base to it that looks like a swampy floor, it has a giant tree branch coming from the center and the best part is, it comes with 2 puppets, or I guess you could say muppets. The first is an 8 legged spider with high heels on and the second is a preying mantis. He is amazing, he has full body controls and everything. Its quite impressive.

If anyone has any questions of any feedback, please leave a response OR e-mail me at KarateKidRocks@hotmail.com

Thanks guys.

 

[mloradites]

i'd love to buy that puppy, but i doubt if i could afford it, i bet you could get thousands on ebay for something like that

 

[Karate Kid]

Are you kidding??? I thought maybe a few hundred but wow, I know Henson doesnt sell or even really give away anything BUT I really didnt realize that it might have that much potential

 

[Rugby]

Don't listen to mloradites. That's just crazy greedy talk. It's only worth what someone will pay, and I doubt someone would spend that kind of money(anywhere close to a thousand) on something so obscure. Especially without some sort of certificate of authenticity. A couple hundred sounds right, plus shipping, which sounds as though it would be pretty expensive.

 

[jediX]

It's the sentimental value that really rates obscure props. I mean, if I had ANYTHING that was even used in one of my favorite movies (even something obscure like an Ewok arrow from ROTJ or a glass used in El Sleezo), I'd value it way more than some casual fan would. Not to mention that it was given by him, of all people.

I'd really like to see a photo of the puppet characters, though.

 

[Karate Kid]

Well, I do agree that the shipping would cost a lot. Im thinking around $100 plus. I do not have any letters from Henson, however I do have one from Jerry along with promo pictures signed by him from both the muppets and fraggle rock. When I got these items I really did not plan on selling them.

 

[Karate Kid]

I will do my best to post as many photos as I can for all too see as im sure many people would love to see it. I hope the photos can do justice to it, its actually quite impressive.

 

[Rugby]

That would be cool. And likewise, I would NEVER sell anything I had that was known to be from one of my favorite movies or shows. Nevah!!!!

 

[mloradites]

i wasn't trying to be crazy greedy i just think seeing as no real muppets have ever been sold, afaik, i think it could go that high, to me at least this is up there with pieces of the star wars sets, but i could be wrong

 

[janicerulz]

Giving Props to the "Props"

I agree with Rugby - it's what a fan is willing to pay. You will probably not get much for the props unless it's from a die hard fan for whom it holds particular meaning... Especially if they can't be verified other than via the note you have.

IIRC, Kirk's original ST chair sold for some obscene amount of money... And so did John Lennon's piano. Just today Sotheby's tried to auction a rare copy of Hamlet (one of 19 from the year 1611) but it didn't get the asking price (more that $1 Million dollars).

Were I independently wealthy, I may have actually gone to Sotheby's during the Jackie O auction and picked up some baubles.. Maybe bought some of Princess Di's dresses during that auction.... I also know people who couldn't care less about 'pop culture' stuff.

Working in radio, I've gotten lots of of autographs over the years. At the same time, if I wasn't personally standing there watching celeb "X" sign it, I know it might not be worth the paper it's written on. It's always good to get stuff 'verified' (I know from where I speak).

Memo is memo. It's what it means to someone that will make them pay.