SEPTEMBER 11, 2023 – Greg Jein was a science fiction artist and model maker, whose work hearkened back to constructing the first Star Trek: Phase II variant of the Klingon D-7 class studio model. He is also known for his model and other work on subsequent Star Trek shows and films and on such productions as Close Encounters of the Third Kind, for which he built the alien mothership. Jein died in May of last year, and now Heritage Auctions is selling his vast collection of props and other memorabilia.

According to Heritage Auctions, “The landmark Greg Jein Auction features the collection of the Oscar- and Emmy-nominated miniature-maker who helped create the mothership from Close Encounters of the Third Kind and worked on most of the Star Trek movies and TV series since 1977. Jein spent decades putting together this unparalleled assemblage, which includes one of the largest collections of Star Trek props, costumes, models and production photos ever offered to the public, from The Original Series to nearly every big- and small-screen sequel and spinoff that followed. They're joined by some of the most significant pieces from sci-fi and cinema history, including his mothership maquette. It spans Jein's beloved 1940s and '50s serials, including Spy Smasher and Commando Cody: Sky Marshal of the Universe, to such 1960s TV shows as Batman and Lost in Space to 2001: A Space Odyssey and Star Wars.”

Some of the featured and most popular items in the auction include an Original Series Type-2 phaser pistol (current minimum bid, $80,000), a Colonial Viper filming miniature from the original Battlestar Galactica (current minimum bid $15,000), and, yes, a William Shatner Original Series hairpiece (current minimum bid $1000).

Internet bidding is underway, and the live auction will take place October 14 and 15 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas. Lots can be viewed by appointment at the auction location.

Heritage Auctions is an American multi-national auction house based in Dallas, Texas. Founded in 1976, Heritage is an auctioneer of numismatic collections, comics, fine art, books, luxury accessories, real estate, and memorabilia from film, music, history, and sports.

For much more information and to see images of the lots, head over to Heritage Auctions.