Trek Auction Boldly Goes Into Stratospheric Prices

The auction of Star Trek props, costumes and collectibles from Paramount more than doubled expectations by Christie's auction house, bringing in approximately $7.1 million.

CNN reported that the event was a huge success, with the single biggest bid coming for a model of The Next Generation's Enterprise-D: $576,000 to a private American collector. Other big-ticket items were a model of the Enterprise-E, which went for $120,000, and replicas of the starship Voyager and space station Deep Space Nine, each of which sold for $132,000. Christie's had estimated that these items would sell for between $15,000-$35,000.

More than a thousand lots in all were auctioned in New York City to bidders who participated in person, by phone and online. On Thursday, the first day of the auction, Captain Picard's bridge chair sold for $52,000, nearly six times its predicted price of $9,000.

An article at StarTrek.com noted that the auction was far exceeding all expectations. "Picard's Ressikan flute from 'The Inner Light,' estimated at $800-$1200, started with an opening bid of $13,000 and ultimately pulled down $40,000. Whew!" noted the site, while fans on the bulletin board jokingly asked whether the flute still contained the saliva of Patrick Stewart for future cloning to justify such an expenditure.

Catalogues featuring images of many of the items are still available from Christie's. The web site has posted a complete list of winners by lot and bid number here. For those seeking a list of big winners by named item, TrekMovie.com has posted an abbreviated list.

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