JUNE 15, 2021 - Heritage Auctions, which bills itself as the “largest collectibles auctioneer in the world” has a number of Star Trek pieces for sale during its “Entertainment & Music Memorabilia Signature Auction,” which runs from July 16th through July 18th. 

Up for bidding is a varied mix of scripts, costume pieces, screen-used props, and replicas, but the heart of this particular lot is Star Trek artwork. Two-thirds of the items for sale are pieces of art from both franchise movies and TV shows, including concept art, costume sketches, animation cels from the original 1970s animated series, and screen-used matte paintings. 

The matte paintings are of particular note, since it is an artform that has faded away in the era of CGI. Before otherworldly buildings and environments could be rendered digitally, artists would paint them on glass, leaving space for live-action elements to be optically blended into the scene. This particular Heritage Auction includes over 20 matte paintings from Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and Star Trek: Voyager, along with two matte paintings depicting Yosemite from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier. If you’d like a more detailed analysis of some of the artwork for sale, you’ll find a thorough review in a story published recently at thetrekcollective.com.

If artwork is not your collecting forte, you can pick up other items which you may find, to borrow a phrase, “fascinating”, including a pair of screen-used Spock ears worn by Leonard Nimoy in The Original Series. You could also become the proud owner of Original Series scripts, a phaser from Star Trek: Into Darkness, or even an Enterprise-D Transporter Room LCARS panel transparency. 

Get your credit cards ready: early bidding starts at the end of this month. You can read more about this chance to own a piece of Star Trek history at the auction’s homepage at ha.com.