Nancy
Hendrickson's
Clips
"Any
fool
can
write
a
novel
but
it
takes
a
real
genius
to
sell
it." J.G.
Ballard
Out
of
This
World
(eBay
Magazine)
Whether
you
think
little
green
men
with
big
bug
eyes
and
bulbous
bald
heads
are
cuddly
or
creepy,
aliens
and
flying
saucers
are
no
longer
the
unidentified
flying
objects
in
the
collecting
world.
During a violent thunderstorm, ‘something’ crashed on Rancher William
‘Mac’ Brazel’s property. Brazel reported the wreckage to the Roswell
sheriff, who is turn called the Roswell Army Air Field.
The Air Field, home of the only nuclear strike force in the U.S., was a hotbed
of classified projects and Cold War paranoia. It took only hours for
the veil of silence to drop over the crash site.
Since then, Roswell and the UFO story, complete with alien autopsies
and government cover-ups, have become cultural icons and hot collectibles—thanks
in part to the unexpected popularity of WB’s Roswell. Who knew TV’s
sexy aliens and their glow-in-the-dark hickeys would heat up the auction
circuit as well as the small screen?
Currently, on eBay and other Internet auctions, autographed photos of
the ‘alien’ actors are gaining in price on genuine Roswell souvenirs.
Pics of Max, Maria, Michael, Isabel and Liz which sold for $25 when the
series first began are now bringing $100-200 a pop. Even a clock
picturing the cast goes for $50, as does a sweatshirt with the famous silver
hand print stitched on the chest.
If you’re looking for a long-term alien investment, watch for auctions
of period items like the 15-page booklet which documents pilot Kenneth
Arnold’s 1947 UFO sightings, or a scrapbook of UFO news clippings from the
1940’s and 1950’s. These sell in the $75 to $250 range.
Smart spenders with big bucks snap up the Japanese metal UFO toys from the
1950’s, like Modern Toys X-15 Space Car which sells from $300 to
$500.
Collecting on a budget? Look for souvenirs from Roswell’s International
UFO Museum like t-shirts, caps, crash site rocks, an autopsy game and aliens
in a jar. They’re stellar steals at $10 to $40. And if you like
your aliens served with a dose of terror, pick up a video of The
Thing. I dare you to watch it at night. By yourself. All
alone in the house.
Of course, we may laugh about it in broad daylight, but did a UFO crash
outside Roswell, New Mexico on a stormy July night? Whether
the crash legend grew from Cold War hysteria or the biggest government cover-up
in history, UFO’s and their alien crew remain a favorite in the collectibles
market. And, as boomers reach the peak of their buying power, their
nostalgia for the 1950’s when UFO-mania was at its height, assures this
market will continue to soar. |
