Post by agent5 on Mar 21, 2007 8:41:22 GMT -6
So I was looking over the pics last night of the auction items at Profiles and began looking over the snake. I noticed something at further inspection which made me check my files.
In about 2004 I purchased a 'screen used Raiders rubber snake' on Ebay for under $400 from a guy in the U.K. named Peter Hilton, on Ebay. His description said nothing about how he got it but said full, 100% provenance would be included. I waited and waited and when I got it, lo and behold, it was only the snake with no provenance whatsoever. More to my surprise, it had holes punched through it with pins to hold it to the back of the shadowbox. Totally unprofessional mounting job for a screen used prop.
I mailed Peter and asked where it was and he said he'd simply forgotten to put it in the box and would resend it. I then asked about it and he said he used to go to the Elstree set as a kid and that one of the guys from (now) Elstree props picked it up off the set. He claimed to purchase it from him later and it stayed with him until it met me.
Weeks passed and no paperwork. I mailed him again and got the usual yada-yada, "Oh, I'll track it for you...I'll make sure you get it". Weeks pass and still nothing and no contact. When I do get him he says he go the paperwork back but was now in the process of moving and can't find it. "Give me a week".
Months pass and I begin to get more than upset and I begin to ask direct questions about the provenance. He tells me he bought it from Paul at Elstree props and he was trying to contact him for weeks with no response to get the provenance for me. So, I took it upon myself to contact Paul at Elstree Props who got back to me in less than 2 days. He said he has heard of Mr.Hilton but that they were only acquaintances, not friends, and he had NEVER sold him any Well of Souls snake. :-k
I requested my money back and sent back the snake. I then had to wait 3 months for him to acknowledge he got the snake back in the exact same manner it was sent and then had to wait another 3 months to get a full refund of my money as he had to pay me in installments.
Jerk.
Fast forward to last night. I'm looking at the Profiles catalog and see that the snake in the catalog is the EXACT same snake I was ripped off by not so long ago. You see it's the same shape and even has the holes in the body from the pins.
So, I'm warning any of you who may have had interest in this prop. While it looked nice even in my hands, ever story this guy told me of it's origins from the very beginning was a total lie. He could not back up one single little piece of the provenance puzzle. Not one. I'm actually very lucky to have gotten anything back at all. I'm sure it will sell, but I wanted to make everyone as aware as possible. Watch your money.
Here's the two of them side by side for comparrison.
You can see where the puncture holes are from the pins. They match exactly in the same spot on the one in the shadowbox.
Now, could this actually be a snake from the set? Sure. But again, not one of his stories panned out so I'd love to know how he could prove it now.
If anyone else knows or has had experiences with this guy in the past, please pm me. I'd love to hear them.
"Let's be careful out there."
In about 2004 I purchased a 'screen used Raiders rubber snake' on Ebay for under $400 from a guy in the U.K. named Peter Hilton, on Ebay. His description said nothing about how he got it but said full, 100% provenance would be included. I waited and waited and when I got it, lo and behold, it was only the snake with no provenance whatsoever. More to my surprise, it had holes punched through it with pins to hold it to the back of the shadowbox. Totally unprofessional mounting job for a screen used prop.
I mailed Peter and asked where it was and he said he'd simply forgotten to put it in the box and would resend it. I then asked about it and he said he used to go to the Elstree set as a kid and that one of the guys from (now) Elstree props picked it up off the set. He claimed to purchase it from him later and it stayed with him until it met me.
Weeks passed and no paperwork. I mailed him again and got the usual yada-yada, "Oh, I'll track it for you...I'll make sure you get it". Weeks pass and still nothing and no contact. When I do get him he says he go the paperwork back but was now in the process of moving and can't find it. "Give me a week".
Months pass and I begin to get more than upset and I begin to ask direct questions about the provenance. He tells me he bought it from Paul at Elstree props and he was trying to contact him for weeks with no response to get the provenance for me. So, I took it upon myself to contact Paul at Elstree Props who got back to me in less than 2 days. He said he has heard of Mr.Hilton but that they were only acquaintances, not friends, and he had NEVER sold him any Well of Souls snake. :-k
I requested my money back and sent back the snake. I then had to wait 3 months for him to acknowledge he got the snake back in the exact same manner it was sent and then had to wait another 3 months to get a full refund of my money as he had to pay me in installments.
Jerk.
Fast forward to last night. I'm looking at the Profiles catalog and see that the snake in the catalog is the EXACT same snake I was ripped off by not so long ago. You see it's the same shape and even has the holes in the body from the pins.
So, I'm warning any of you who may have had interest in this prop. While it looked nice even in my hands, ever story this guy told me of it's origins from the very beginning was a total lie. He could not back up one single little piece of the provenance puzzle. Not one. I'm actually very lucky to have gotten anything back at all. I'm sure it will sell, but I wanted to make everyone as aware as possible. Watch your money.
Here's the two of them side by side for comparrison.
You can see where the puncture holes are from the pins. They match exactly in the same spot on the one in the shadowbox.
Now, could this actually be a snake from the set? Sure. But again, not one of his stories panned out so I'd love to know how he could prove it now.
If anyone else knows or has had experiences with this guy in the past, please pm me. I'd love to hear them.
"Let's be careful out there."
