Oscars Auction: Academy Condemns Selling Of Statuettes, Says It Can't Stop It

BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is not pleased with plans to auction off 15 Oscar statuettes from such films as "Citizen Kane," "Wuthering Heights" and "Little Women."

But the academy says its hands are tied in blocking the Tuesday sale by Nate D. Sanders Auctions because the statuettes were awarded prior to 1950, when a "winners agreement" was instituted banning the sale of Oscars.

"Oscars should be won, not purchased," the academy said in a statement, adding that it had no "legal means of stopping the commoditization of these particular statuettes."

The Sanders Co. expects its total Oscar inventory, which includes Herman Mankiewicz's 1941 screenplay award for "Citizen Kane," to command more than $1 million.

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Comments

[OldCowboy]

01:00 AM on 02/27/2012

America to the Academy over the sale of Oscars: Tough! Deal with it.

[Parade Keegan]

09:47 PM on 02/26/2012

Oscars are collectables, the Academy needs to get over its self. Everything is salable and if military metals can be sold this IMO stupid statuette can be sold, the winner stays the same regardless of who owns the statue.

[SPQR1052]

12:07 AM on 02/27/2012

Apparently you did not read the article... but oh well remain ignorant.  i just hope you are not operating heavy equipment or a registered voter!

[Parade Keegan]

12:21 AM on 02/27/2012

What exactly does your comment refer to. The Academy doesn't want Oscars presented to individuals to be auctioned. Really? If the original owner (winner) or their heirs want to sell their Oscar they should be able to do so. it's not that deep of a subject for you to be confused, try not to read too much into it.

[Dancenownzen]

09:04 PM on 02/26/2012

IN reality once you win one it is YOURS and should be YOURS to do with what you want.

[SPQR1052]

12:10 AM on 02/27/2012

reading escapes you too i see... after 1950 there is a contract which winners must sign , cannot sell 'em.  the awards at action are before that and legally can be sold, anything after 1950  you bet you sweetass the Academy will stop you from selling them. bank on it. i bet you are republican too... no honor no honesty in fulfilling  any contracts between yourself and god or man.

[Rozanna]

08:53 PM on 02/26/2012

The "Academy" of hype and nonsense takes itself way too seriously.

[SPQR1052]

12:11 AM on 02/27/2012

Try to sell an Award given after 1950. Go ahead an try. I dare you.

[Fermin Burzaco]

11:30 AM on 02/27/2012

well smart guy, the winner agrees to not sell it, but said winner can give it away to a nephew.. the nephew signed nothing, the nephew can sell it.
And if Merryl Streep were to pass away tomorrow, her inheritors can darn well well what they want, as they are not contratually obligated by that clause.. GOT IT?

[Sparky5229]

08:19 PM on 02/26/2012

OK BIG MISTAKE SHOULD SAY Don't care if they sell them all.

[Sparky5229]

08:16 PM on 02/26/2012

Don't care if them sell them all.

[Annie Snyder]

07:41 PM on 02/26/2012

If the Academy finds this so distressing, why don't they just buy them up themselves, and end the problem? It isn't really rocket science to solve this one, guys.

[ELBOX]

07:09 PM on 02/26/2012

I thought the Oscar was awarded and not won??? Is this a change for the academy it is now a contest ?

[WSAY]

06:22 PM on 02/26/2012

They can't stop them for those awarded after 1950, either. These people are kidding themselves.

[Red45]

06:34 PM on 02/26/2012

No kidding. I was just thinking how easy it would be to sell one on eBay whether it's legal to sell them or not.

[WSAY]

06:48 PM on 02/26/2012

Plus, it would not be illegal. It would, at best, be a breach of contract. But a breach of contract, even if one existed in that case, a highly questionable proposition, does not stop one from selling a product, it merely exposes one to potential damages. Contrary to what the Academy seems to believe, it cannot stop Academy Awards from being sold through contract.

Example: suppose that you are a painter. You sell me one of your paintings on the condition that I will not resell it again for thirty years. Six months later I sell the painting. Can you stop me from selling it? No. Can you somehow get it back from the person who purchased it from me? No. At best, you can sue me for any damages that you claim you incurred because I sold the painting.

[Meghan Chavalier]

05:50 PM on 02/26/2012

Rich people problems.

[konspikuous]

05:30 PM on 02/26/2012

"Oscars should be won, not purchased," the academy said in a statement, "

Who are they trying to kid? The only Oscars that aren't purchased are in the ones in the minor categories. Every major category...is most definitely up for sale.

[Patricia013]

05:06 PM on 02/26/2012

An oscar from Citizen Kane? That's nostalgia and I imagine it would be a pretty hot auction item. I see nothing wrong with that...same as if you bought a prop from that movie. I think too much importance is being placed on the oscar.

[Dontneedtoknow]

04:04 PM on 02/26/2012

The oscars isn't about winning a trophy....it's about advertising and marketing. It's all about selling time slots to the commercials on television. When you can fool people into believing winning a oscar is something special and the mass public tunes in to see it....you can sell a 30 second time slot for a commercial for 250,000! A 1 minute commercial cost 400,000 to air. It's all about making money and once people realize everything revolves around making a buck the quicker we can get on with things that are really important.

[WSAY]

06:23 PM on 02/26/2012

Dream on.

[Red45]

06:35 PM on 02/26/2012

That's depressing. I kind of like how people get rewarded for entertaining the rest of us really well. That's pretty much all I think about the Oscars.

[Dontneedtoknow]

03:57 PM on 02/26/2012

Who cares about a stupid trophy? I used to play sports in high school and college and quit counting trophies after I'd gotten more than 50 of them....they really don't mean anything to grown ups. I finally cleaned out the garage and donated all of them to the local trophy shop. Trophies are meant for kids just like Santa Claus is.

[JackDeath]

05:28 PM on 02/26/2012

Let me guess... you grow up in an era of childhood entitlements where you received a trophy for just showing up--and a slightly smaller one if you missed the day. Good for you that you saw through the nonsense and getting rid of all the crap that meant nothing to you. If we continue to give awards and trophies for everything that is mundane in life, then people do go away jaded when the real honors are bestrode on those who really deserve it.

As for The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, they are not the Golden Globes. They are the leading industry award society, and, like all insider industry awards, they decide who in their family gets to take home their trophies, and that is the way it should be.

You’ll notice that they never expand their awards to include television or video games, and, although the influence of the internet may soon overtake Hollywood, they don’t give awards for online content, either. They just concentrate on the art of film and film sciences.

It may be a business, but it is their business. Who cares who wins or loses; it’s their industry award show. We are just spectators—tourists—in an industry that plays by their own set of rules.

[Dontneedtoknow]

05:37 PM on 02/26/2012

I guess if you call the 70's the era of childhood entitlements then so be it. I'm glad I grew up when I did because back then it was way better than today.

[Bathat]

06:25 PM on 02/26/2012

You sound like you're talking about the Illuminati! For goodness sake, you're talking about an industry that gave us the Transformer movies!

[WSAY]

06:26 PM on 02/26/2012

The reason you don't care about your trophies is you realize how easy there were to obtain. These people have a lot to be proud of. Getting an Oscar and getting a trophy for running third place against a bunch of other first graders isn't exactly the same thing.

[Dontneedtoknow]

06:39 PM on 02/26/2012

All mine were first place trophies...once you get to be the best in your class...it doesn't matter anymore.

[redbud9]

03:48 PM on 02/26/2012

I used to love to watch the Oscars. But anymore I see it for what it is....a bunch of privileged 1%ers giving awards to each other for being so wonderful at playing "make believe". If the people voted it would have way more value but like anything else, I'm sure it's political, and we all know what that means.

[mothermil2]

03:58 PM on 02/26/2012

I totally agree. Nothing like patting yourself on the back for being able to remember what to say...or read cue cards if you forget...and pretend to be someone you're not. However, we do continue to pay the price to see them in theaters so they make millions. Actually, I wait for these films to show up on TV or Netflix.

[Patricia013]

05:07 PM on 02/26/2012

....playing make believe and being paid very very well to boot ;-)