There but for the grace of a winning lottery ticket go I

There but for the grace of a winning lottery ticket go I …

On April 10, an auction was held in Las Vegas featuring many items from the now closed Star Trek: The Experience. Items available at this sale ranged from tables and chairs from “Quark’s Bar” to various Paramount made costumes. For those on hand with the necessary cash, other items calculated to make even a jaded Trek fan grin like the proverbial kid in a candy store also went under the hammer.



How about your very own “Borg alcove”, valued before the sale at about $850? For those with less space available, there were “Cardassian Exit signs” or sections of glass featuring the Experience logo. Or even “translights” (large lighted display panels). For those with more room to spare, pretty much all the pieces you needed to build a complete TNG bridge set were available, as well as seats from the Klingon Attack ride. For those a bit less ambitious, there were Trek themed display cases and sales counters.







The costumes came from both TNG and First Contact, all made by Paramount, and available in a wide range of sizes. Alec Peters, who put on the sale, said in his blog “we should even have your size (assuming you are not of retired Klingon proportions!).” (Sigh … I guess that lets ME out on that one.)



Perhaps the piece de resistance was not one, but THREE large starship models: The USS Voyager, Enterprise-A, and a Klingon Bird of Prey. All of them needed a dose of tender loving care, but the possibilities in them were endless. (Imagine what our own Scott Nakada could do with the Voyager model and some careful repainting and new lettering on the hull as he lovingly restored it to its glory days?)



If you’d like to see more of what you missed, you can go over to Alec Peters’ blog at:

www.startrekauction.blogspot.com

But, for those who think me cruel for talking about a missed opportunity, you should be aware that the April auction was merely the first of TWO, and that another auction will be held in Las Vegas this August, featuring, among other things, a second complete TNG bridge set.

In a brief telephone conversation, Alec told me that nothing is firm about the August auction at this time, but there are hints it might be held at the same time as the big convention in August (which is also in Las Vegas).

Excuse me; I think I need to go see about buying a lottery ticket …

Gunny