INTRIGUING…

         I was recently checking the web for a certain type of filter when I stumbled across this:

         It sure is a strange one.  Part of the agreement made when accepting an Oscar is that it will not be sold on the open market unless it has been first offered for sale to the Academy – for the nominal price of one dollar.  You’ll notice the amount asked for here exceeds that by just a little, which should tell us something.  Though it would be a cool thing to own, these people are crazy.

         For the record, here’s their description of the item as lifted from the eBay site:

         Presented in Partnership with Treasure at www.TreasureMarket.com.  This Genuine Academy Award was presented on April 3rd, 1930 for Best Cinematography!  Presented to Clyde De Vinna for his groundbreaking work on location in the French Polynesian paradise of Tahiti, the ceremony held by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences was the 2nd Oscar event ever, and 1st to be broadcast nationwide as a public event.

         Officially named The Academy Award of Merit, this is among the earliest Oscars ever presented and the 2nd ever for Cinematography.

         The 1928 film White Shadows in the South Seas was among the first films released with a pre-recorded sound track, and it’s said this Award also celebrates the first time audiences heard the famous MGM mascot “Leo the Lion” roar to open an MGM film.  Without a doubt this is a spectacular opportunity to own a treasured piece of cinema history and one of the earliest examples of Hollywood’s most recognizable and historic icons.

         The “Oscar” statuette is indisputably the most coveted and treasured symbol of filmmaker accomplishment and the world’s romance with Hollywood glamour and movies, and represents the pinnacle of filmmaking.  The base on this Award stands apart from modern Oscars as the larger base in use today was introduced in 1945, making this vintage Award all the more special and rare.

         This AMPAS 1929 Statuette measures 12.5″ tall, with the tin, copper and gold plated legendary Oscar figure measuring 10.25″ tall.

         Sculpted by George Stanley from the original design by Cedric Gibbons and cast by Sachin Smith from an original mold of 1928.  Overall in vintage very good to fine condition.

         Sounds legit enough.  I don’t know if the folks at AMPAS are aware of this, but they ought to be.  Clyde De Vinna, ASC (1890-1953) was a busy cinematographer, having shot 120 features and TV productions, among them The Raiders (1916; Charles Swickard), which was the first film at what was to become MGM.  Maybe his family lost track of the statuette over the years, maybe it was stolen or misappropriated in some way.  We’ll probably never know.  With the holiday season in full swing, perhaps some loyal reader of this blog might want to surprise me with it for Christmas.

         But on second thought, there’s no need for that.  I’d rather come upon my own Oscar the old-fashioned way – by winning it!