Just a couple of weeks ago I was in California for the 'Were Going Back' Back to the Future Celebrations at Universal Studios, Hollywood.

I'm sure if your reading this blog you will more than likely have at least some knowledge of October 21st 2015 being 'Future Day' - the day that Marty and Doc travelled to the future (now the past)

Anyway - as part of the celebrations Part 2 was shown at the AMC Cinema at Universal CityWalk to a packed out theatre full of those attending the celebrations.

Along with a showing of a special short film 'Back to the Future 2015' it was announced after the film special editions of USA Today has been produced to be given to attendees with the headline 'Gang Jailed' where Griff and his gang are arrested and sentenced after Marty changes the future helping his son avoid being put in prison.

The paper is dated October 22nd as the news is based on the events that took place the day prior.

As I walked to my departure gate people were actually stopping me in the asking where I had got it from - it wasn't until I got to Phoenix and saw copies selling for $20 online I released demand was so high - and by then it was too late to get more copies all had been snapped up.

Ultimately I now own in my collection both versions.

The 'Gang Jailed' version is limited to just 2000 copies - whereas the 'Youth Jailed' version was on sale to the public.

A great set of items to own and a great piece to add to the ever growing BTTF memorabilia list.

So it's now official - we are in 'The Future'.

October 21st 2015 has been and gone. Sure there's no flying cars (yet) but it would seem that hoverboards and self-tying laces are just around the corner from release.

Whilst I wait for them to hit stores I figured I might as well spend some of my hard earned money on Back to the Future collectibles and on this occasion I've picked up a great piece.

From time to time the excellent ScreenUsed list storyboards from the Back to the Future movies for sale - and with the latest set I picked up from them included was the board where Doc Brown speaks the line

'What is it Einie'

As his faithful dog Einstein alerts him something is wrong just before he is tracked down and shot by terrorists.

I've owned storyboards in the past and was delighted to add to my collection with these - especially the Einie one as its a point I remember well from the movie.

If your interested in items like this sign up for alerts at www.screenused.com as there are a constant flow of new additions.

For now I plan to frame these - a great piece from one of the greatest movies of all time.

Quack! Quack! Quack! Quack!

Growing up I loved to watch movies with a sports element attached to them - I would literally watch certain films over and over.

One of my favorites was the Mighty Ducks - a story that is set around a hotshot lawyer Gordon Bombay who is charged for drunk driving and ordered to coach a little league hockey team. When he arrives to train them its clear they need working on - and that's when the transformation of the side takes place.

Its a great movie and when I saw storyboards from the film were up for sale on the fantastic sreeenused.com I couldn't resist the chance to get them.

The storyboard panels are hand drawn in felt tip and highlight a sequence from the movie - they also come with a certificate of authenticity. 

There are 12 of them in total and put together they would literally make up seconds worth of the film. 

Items like this are a collecting dream for me - used as part of the process but at the same time easy to store!

I will be keeping an eye out for similar items to these as I further add to my collection.

If you asked most people to think of movies that involved time then chances are the Back to the Future trilogy would get mentioned at some point - the time travel epic is without a doubt the perfect example to give.

It is - without surprise - that clock based items came out both during and after the films release in cinema and on video cassette - it was an easy promo item that tied in nicely with the movies theme.

Being a big fan of the series (which I mention on here way too often) I spend time trying to find clocks that came out to tie in with the films. My collection - albeit it small - seems somewhat unique in areas - if you think tracking these items down is easy think again!

Back in November of last year I wrote a blog post on the 3 clocks that I proudly owned (pictured above)

Cut forward to today (29th September 2015) and my collection has doubled in size. Below is the write up on the original 3 - followed by an update on my newest arrivals.

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First up comes a piece that is the gem of my collection - and what has been by far the most difficult to obtain. To my knowledge this is only one of two that still exists (although if someone reading this does have another please do drop me a line as I would love to hear from you!)

I knew these clocks existed after finding a sold version on screenused.com - the sold sign gave away the fact I wouldn't be able to obtain the one they had.

So - years (and I mean years) of searching on eBay and the internet proved fruitless until last summer. A routine search showed this one was for sale - and I knew it had to be mine!

The history behind this item to the best of my knowledge is that a small number of these were made and given to key members of MCA Home Video as a thank-you.

The clock itself is designed by Barry Blum at Art Concepts Inc in Los Angeles. If anyone reading this can go further into detail on this item or if you know / worked at Art Concepts in the 80's I would love to hear from you.

The clock as shown in the lead picture is big in size - it certainly wasn't a small thank-you gift!

It really is one of my favorite BTTF items - and remains a fantastic talking piece in my BTTF collection. Its unique, rare and I doubt many BTTF fans own one!

Back to the Future 2 continued the popular movie franchise - and with it came some more promo items.
The above clock is still relatively easy to find.
As far as I know on this clock it came out as part of the promotional aspect for the film. Tagged with the MCA universal tag my understanding is this would have been released when the video of the film came out.
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The last clock I am displaying here again comes from the second film and is the first one I ever picked up.
Smaller than the previous clock discussed this one is a promo item that seems to be linked in with Ingram video and again would have come out to coincide with the video release.
This one falls into the 'harder to find' category with them very rarely coming up for sale in todays market.

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This clock became the first of my additions after writing the original article. To my knowledge this was the only 'tie in' promotional clock released for Part 3.
Sent in a box and made from cardboard this was a self assemble item.
In the year since putting up the original post I have only seen one other come up for sale - and that demanded a high price.
It would perhaps seem by the time the third instalment came out there was no need to release any more that one promo timepiece. 

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I picked this clock up whilst at London Film and Comic Con this past summer. A silent auction was ran by the event organisers each day and this was one of the lots available to bid on.
Released to tie in with Back to the Future 2 its got the tag line 'Synchronize your Watches' much like the promotional poster that was released to let people know Part 2 was coming.
Whilst not as rare as the Part 3 clock its still tricky to track down - especially in working condition!

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The final and latest addition to my collection comes in the form of a Video One Canada promo clock. The item is a little more common than some of the others however still a great piece to own.
Its actually the second biggest clock listed here.
Released to coincide with the home video release in Canada I'd imagine this was used as display in shops.
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So there we go - update complete. I will endeavour to keep this correct and present the more I add to the collection.

I know from discussions following the original post that other clocks do exist - but the rarity of some makes them near impossible to own. 

I'm always delighted to hear from other fans of the movie so drop me a line or post a comment if you want to know more on these items or equally if you have your own collection.

All the best.

Ady

As a massive fan film one thing that has always fascinated me is that of the world of movie props - and as a collector the chance to own a part of my favorite movie is something I have taken advantage of in recent years. 

The great thing is that movie props can be purchased by anyone and these days the internet makes it even easier to obtain such items - especially given specialist sites that now work not only with the studios directly but also as agents by obtaining rare older pieces they sell via auctions and on their websites.

The initial thought of collecting movie props is that you have to be super rich to afford them - however that is certainly not the case and I for one am proof of that. 

Now of course its not a case of the items you purchase being those that rival the $612,000 paid for the Ruby Red Slippers worn by Dorothy in The Wizard of Oz - and on the same level your unlikely to end up with a main item from a movie that's screen used for a bargain price - however..... what you can get is perhaps a screen used item that's a shown briefly in the film or part of the set dressing - either way something you can own and enjoy without breaking the bank.

For example - I am a fan of the 1998 film Small Soldiers. I really wanted to own a piece of the movie however after failing in successive auctions to obtain one of the toys from the film I turned to the wardrobe section where I was able to pick up a 'Giant Toy World' vest from the movie that features for all but 30 seconds in the whole film. Whilst not a key part of the movie it features in the movie none the less - and thus I completed my goal of owning an item from the film. The cost of buying this item ...... just £35.... not expensive at all.






Don't get me wrong - if I get the chance to own another item from the film at the right price I will - but for now I am happy with this.

Likewise - take my all time favorite movie series Back to the Future - over the last 3 years I have been able to obtain one of the Pizza Hut Wrappers from Back to the Future 2, letterhead paper from Lou's Cafe in Back to the Future, and Cafe 80's Slides used for the menus from Back to the Future 2 at reasonable prices - all legit - all with certificates of authenticity.

Again - they aren't necessarily key items - yet if you show them to people they will remember them from the films - and you have the knowledge that you own a part of a movie history!

So the question I am sure you are wondering is where can I look at movie props to buy? I have two favorite sites -

www.screenused.com
www.propstore.com

Both sites have items ranging from the cheap to the expensive and offer certificates of authenticity with any items brought.

Equally every year auctions are held on sites such as icollector.com for movie props (screenused run a couple a year) where you can bid on legit movie pieces.

So to recap on how to own Movie Props without breaking the bank? 

Simple - start off on low value items linked to your favorite films - over time you may want to invest higher. Sure you may not own the Delorean from Back to the Future - but by buying these smaller items you still own a part of movie history and won't spend a fortune doing so.

Once you get your items frame them - display them - they make incredible conversation pieces!!

Before I finish I think we need to touch on the major auction site eBay ...... which is another great place to buy props however a couple of MASSIVE tips - if you buy off eBay be sure to check the following things -

• The back story (where did the item come from).
  

• Is there a certificate of authenticity (COA) that comes with the item? This is vital as there are a ton of very convincing replicas out there. No certificate can mean the item isn't real - if in doubt check around - ask on sites with those with knowledgeable experts such as the RPF (www.therpf.com)
  

So there you go.......

Have a great time searching for items - I really hope you enjoy collecting props as much as I do - be sure to post your pick ups on here!