Deep Space Nine: Quark

Alright people, thanks for waiting.  Here is another fantastic Ferengi costume from DS9.  This is Quarks 'Stained Glass' costume. It is a sight to behold.

This costume was seen in numerous episodes, such as 'Business As Usual' and 'Profit and Lace'

In 'Business as Usual', Quark, under pressure from Gaila, looks to make a big financial score by selling weapons to some unsavory characters. Things take an unexpected turn and Quark finds himself between a rock and a hard place.

There were two of this costume made for the show, and this one is the primary one used.  It's just amazing as it is as complete from head to toe, all with tags with the name 'Armin' on them.  It was originally sold through Screenused, and made it's way through several owners before I was allowed the opportunity to purchase it.  I wasn't fond of this particular version of Quark's costume, but after having it in person, I am in love with it.

More stuff to come...

Deep Space Nine: Distressed Quark

This is Quark's distressed 'Cranberry Stripe' Ferengi costume.  It was seen only once on screen, but you can see it here again and in greater detail.

We see it for the first time in the season 5 episode 'The Ascent' where after their shuttlecraft crashes, Odo and Quark must overcome their personal differences and work together for their survival.

After the crash, his once beautiful outfit becomes muddied and torn.

The fact that the original costume had to be distressed so badly all is a head scratcher as the costume is hidden under a Starfleet blanket for most of the episode.

The person that purchased it from IAW sold it on Ebay shortly afterwards and lost to an unknown buyer.  Many years later, I found the buyer and purchased it from him. I couldn't have been more lucky and now it is home at New Ferenginar

Deep Space Nine: Quark

Alright Ferengi fans, this one is doubly cool:  Here is Quark's Klingon costume from the season 5 DS9 episode "Looking For par'Mach In All The Wrong Places.

In the episode, Quark must choose between loosing his Klingon love,Grilka, or his life at the hands of a Klingon bat'leth from a Klingon challenger.  With the help of Worf, Quark's honor (and life) is retained, and Grilka becomes his mate.  All in a good days work, I say.

This was not the first use of the costume.  In it's original configuration, it goes all the way back to the season 6 TNG episode 'Rightful Heir' as the clone of 'Kahless the Unforgettable' as portrayed by Kevin Conway.

The interior tags verify this .

This was originally sold in  its Quark configuration at the Christie's Star Trek 40 Years Auction in 2006.  The winning bidder placed it for sale many years later, and I was incredibly lucky to have acquired it from him.

Deep Space Nine: Latinum Bars

Here is one of the central pieces of Ferengi commerce:  Gold Pressed Latinum.

In the Trek universe, the Latinum is a mercury-like liquid that is encased in a gold shell of 4 or 5 standardized sizes.  I own 3 of them.

Memory Alpha recognizes 4 sizes:  Brick, Bar, Strip, and Slip.  There has been numerous discussions as to the value of each in real-world Dollars, but this will always be difficult at the economics of the future are fluid, much like the actual economy in the real world.  However, there are numerous, and sometimes inconsistent,  examples in DS9 where a character will say X amount of Latinum will buy you Y amount of goods or services.

These are 6 screen used Bricks of Latinum.  There were numerous ones made for the Season 6 episode "Who Mourns For Morn?"

This is a 'bar' of Latinum.

This is a 'strip' of Latinum.


There are soooooooo many recastings out there, that it can be difficult to tell the real from the fake ones.  For this reason, I have spent perhaps more than I should for screen-used without regret.  Even more strange is that the cost of purchasing screen used Latinum has increased by almost double over the past several years to the point where it costs almost as much as real gold!

Perhaps I will just stick with the 9 pieces I already have, thank you very much.

Also, don't worry costume enthusiasts.... I have more Ferengi costumes coming.

Deep Space Nine: Ferengi PADD

Ok, time to close 2015 out with another great Ferengi prop brought to you by New Ferenginar:  A Ferengi PADD!

Many of this type of PADD were made for the show, and can be seen in countless DS9 episodes and at least 3 different Star Trek series.

This device is used by Ferengi primarily as an accounting tool and contract binder.  In Star Trek Enterprise they were used as a scanning device.

My quest for a screen used Ferengi PADD started in January 2009 at the Battlestar Galactica auction session 1.  A well known dealer had one of the ones from the Christies auction of 2006.  I actually held it in my hand and was seriously considering it.  The reason I didn't buy it was that a friend that was there overspent and sold me his Quark costume to generate some quick cash...a win for both of us.   However, original Ferengi PADDs never seem to come up for sale in the open market.  It would be 6 years before I got a shot at another one.

After a time, the obvious hole in my collection became a small obsession to fill it.  Anyone that had one wouldn't sell.  Then, strangely, this one came up for sale in a 2015 auction and I was determined to win it, and I did.  This PADD comes directly from the collection of Joe Longo, and even though it was a bit beat up, the wait was  worth it.

Over the course of the DS9 series, there were essentially 2 versions made.  Early ones were cast bare without the details as those were glued on during construction.  As those pieces were prone to coming off during filming, later versions became a one piece casting with a few differences in the details.  Also, the colors were different between the early and late versions.

According to people that worked on the show, there are numerous paint and construction tells that make it obvious that this is one of the first ones made.  The graphic was one tell all by itself.  In fact this particular one had three graphics glued one on top of the other!  The glue was dry enough to separate them and mine now displays its original translight graphic.

Thats right...this one has it's original film graphic with colored gels!

This one has undergone a sympathetic restoration by an expert propmaker whom actually worked on Star Trek.

The missing bits were replaced with exact materials, paints, and techniques.

The new pieces were then aged to match the patina of the original prop.

The prop itself was untouched and the repairs are seamless!


This was a great addition to the New Ferenginar collection.  On to the next items!

Deep Space Nine: Ferengi Quill Pen

Here is a historically interesting Ferengi prop... A pen!

Wait, what?

Yep. A pen, but more importantly, THIS pen.

We see pens like this offered for sale in the DS9 episode 'Fascination' and used throughout the series.

 

This is the same type of pen used to sign the peace treaty between the Federation and the Dominion.

This pen was auctioned off from the collection of the late Joe Longo.  The cool part is that it was found together with the actual treaty from the episode and auctioned off separately.  It is very likely THE pen that was used to sign the truce between the Federation and the Dominion.  Here is another screencap:

 

When it came to auction, I was not going to bid on it as several were made for the series and I would likely get one later. However, I got a big push from someone whom actually knew the importance of this particular pen, so I got it for the collection.

Want one of your own?  Dozens of these pens were made and sold after the show was over, and you see them pop up for sale often.  There are minor differences, but for the casual collector, they can be a great addition to a collection.

Star Trek Voyager: Ferengi Console Dome

This item is more along the lines of set dressing than a Ferengi prop or costume, but it is cool none the less.  Here we have a Ferengi console dome used in the Star Trek Voyager episode 'Inside Man'.

When Deep Space Nine ended it's run, all of the sets were struck and discarded, with the exception of the Defiant set.  It was placed in storage and reused a few times as different ships, and one of those times it was redressed as a Ferengi vessel.

Many domes were made during the course of all the Star Trek series, so it can be difficult to identify which ones went where, but this one still has several spots with some of the green paint from being used on the redressed Defiant set on Voyager.

I strongly suspect it is the leftmost dome in this frame.

This particular dome was bought the old fashioned way...Ebay.  I didn't have one at the time, and my collection needed one.  That hole is filled and now on to the next item.

Deep Space Nine: Quark's Bar Table

Many months back, I made a promise that I have bigger items in store to show you.  In keeping that promise, I assure you that this month won't disappoint.

This is a screen used guest table from Quark's bar on DS9.  Seen in virtually all episodes, these tables were the workhorse for the set as they got moved around and repurposed frequently.

In many episodes, when they needed a different table, they would just make a large top and set it on top of a table or two.

Here is another picture using the flash.  This shows you some of the details not easily seen on screen.

These very tables were once on tour with various traveling Star Trek Exhibitions.

And while I feel this (sadly) accelerated wear and tear, the public was invited to actually sit at these tables and enjoy food and drink.

I acquired three of these tables directly from CBS several years ago and I have never regretted it.  All three needed some kind of electrical repair, and it was worth every penny spent.  Of all of my Ferengi costumes and props, these tables are among my top favorites and make me smile every time I light them up.

Still more stuff to come!

Deep Space Nine: Grand Nagus Bust

Ok, I have been very bad and neglectful of this blog.  I have been busy on other projects including traveling for my work, contributing to other blogs, and the purchase of the new location for New Ferenginar.

I have a whole lot more stuff to share with you, believe me.  Lets start with this:

This is the bust of the Grand Nagus as seen in the Antechamber of the Divine Treasury of the season 4 Deep Space Nine episode 'Body Parts'.  In the episode, when Quark thinks he is dying, he sells his dessicated remains on the open market.  Unexpectedly, Brunt swoops in and buys all of them.  When Quark finds out he is fine, Brunt still demands he gets what he paid for.

That night, Quark dreams of being in the Antichamber of the Divine Treasury with Grand Nagus Gint, and is told to break his deal with Brunt.  He does, and Brunt retaliates buy closing Quark's establishment and seizing his bar's property.  However, he is alive and his brother Rom is still at his side.

This bust was on tour with various traveling Trek shows for many years before I was able to purchase it from CBS.  I believe mine is the one on the left in the picture as there are some minor tells in the base.  It is a wonder these set pieces get saved at all, so I consider myself very lucky to have this piece!

Deep Space Nine: Quark's Bar Chair

I have been lucky more than a few times when it came to collecting Ferengi costumes and props, but on one occasion I was able to buy a few items directly from CBS itself.  This is an actual chair used on Deep Space Nine in Quark's bar.

I was blessed to be able to acquire several of these from CBS when they were retiring some of the items on their tour.  Every episode that had a scene take place in Quark's bar or the Replimat had one of these chairs on camera at some point.

Like so many items in the Star Trek world, this was actually something you could buy in a store.

An IKEA store!  This took me several years to figure out as I had bought and looked through dozens upon dozens of period catalogs to get the answer. They were sold for two years only and I have scanned the actual pages in their catalog for you to see here.  As you can see, they were quite expensive!

 

As cool as this is, I have a few larger pieces coming up...stay tuned!