Fantha Tracks have been fortunate enough to have been invited to a couple of Propstore events this year after visiting their incredible HQ in years past, and apart from the jaw-dropping awesomeness of the props on display it’s always a pleasure to chat with Propstore owners Stephen Lane and Brandon Allinger, and here Stephen catches up with long-time friend Dan Lanigan to talk about the modern movie props market and how it has developed to where it is today.
Before movie props were treated like museum artifacts, most of them were discarded, forgotten, or lost. The world of prop collecting didn’t exist — until collectors, archivists, and dealers quietly began saving pieces of film history one object at a time.
In this revealing episode of Cinema Relics Investigates, Dan Lanigan sits down with Stephen Lane, founder of Propstore, for one of the most candid conversations ever captured about the modern movie-prop market.
Dan and Stephen have known each other for nearly 30 years, dating back to the earliest days when Propstore was little more than a computer in a spare bedroom. In this conversation, they pull back the curtain on how the business of prop collecting evolved, how trust is built (and tested), and how one company came to have an undeniable influence on the global collectibles market.
The discussion moves beyond surface-level stories and touches on money, power, friendship, authentication, responsibility, and legacy — subjects rarely addressed openly in this world. It also explores how Stephen’s work shaped not only the prop market itself, but Dan’s own journey as a collector and archivist.
This is not a sales pitch. It’s not a highlight reel. It’s an honest look at how this world really works, told by two people who helped build it. Props. Power. History. Cinema Relics Investigates.
Chapters
00:00 – Croiser le fer
00:39 – Feeding My Addiction
02:07 – The Origin Story of Stephen Lane
03:37 – Carnival Barker
05:12 – Toy Dealer
06:08 – Rebel Blaster Enlightenment
09:55 – A Prop Store
11:19 – Loosing the Millennium Falcon (Chairs)
11:58 – Letting Go
13:14 – Temporary Custodian
14:04 – Stuart Freeborn Lode
16:20 – White Whale and Killer Robots
16:49 – Challenges of Prop Collecting
19:00 – Certificate of Authenticity
21:08 – Faking A Screen Match
23:01 – Calling Out The Forgeries
27:33 – Huge Sales
28:17 – New Discoveries Waiting To Be Made
29:13 – So What Does It All Mean?
We caught up with Stephen and Brandon from Propstore at their latest auction preview where the Boba Fett rifle was for sale, a chat you can hear below.
