Like many young boys, my first loves were cowboys and dinosaurs. Sometime around the age of 7 or 8, though, I discovered the original Star Trek series in syndicated nightly reruns, and something about it resonated with me. I’m not sure if it was the technophilia matched with the wonderfully optimistic view of the future, or if it was that the characters were all smart and capable, or if it was just the general allure of the action-adventure format. But whatever the reason, the adventures of Captain Kirk and company had a strong influence on my formative years, turning me into a lifelong "Trekkie."

In 1996, I attended the World Science Fiction Convention in Los Angeles, where I met Star Trek collector Roger Sides. He had an incredible museum-quality display of authentic Star Trek props, costumes, signage, and pre-production art. My own collection began with a few items I purchased directly from him, and I have been amassing a personal Star Trek museum collection off and on ever since. I wrote about my collecting adventures in 2003 in I Want Captain Kirk’s Chair, a feature article for the GreenCine video rental service’s web site.

Over the past decade or so, there have been several important auctions of screen-used and production-made Star Trek items, first from Profiles in History, and most famously from Christies (in 2006). After the 3-day Christies extravaganza, It’s a Wrap Hollywood began the authorized liquidation of much of the remaining Star Trek items from the Paramount studio warehouse via weekly eBay auctions. From these sources, and directly from other collectors, I’ve built my modest collection.