Mal’s coat – the actual one worn by Nathan Fillion – is up for sale on eBay.
UPDATED: I got bigger and better pictures of this, posted here.
Fan of Joss Whedon’s “Firefly”? Want to own the ultimate symbol of the series? This is it, THE original Browncoat, screen worn multiple times by Nathan Fillion, in the short-lived, much beloved, greatly missed TV series.
This is not a copy, this is the one and only original and it comes with a certificate of authenticity from Shawna Trpcic, the costume designer and Jonathan Logan, costume creator. This item was won in an Ebay auction held by Shawna several years ago and has been in storage ever since in a smoke-free home.
The coat is made of deerskin and features the bullet hole shot in the arm during the first episode and sewn up. The coat is in perfect, screen-ready condition. It is exactly as seen in the series with no blemishes (other than the bullet hole) or “issues” that often trouble wardrobe.
For the truly diehard Browncoat, this is the iconic piece of memorabilia.
Shipment via UPS or the shipper of buyer’s choice. Insurance is recommended due to irreplaceable nature of this item. Coat weighs between 3 and 5 pounds and is about 4 feet, shoulder to hem.
Interesting, but am I the only one a little bit put-off by the fact that the only picture he’s using is the one used for the original ebay sale?
april fools, right?
Seems like a pretty illegal april fools.
Ray (the fella who originally helped auction it off) says this is the ebayer who purchased the coat. So there’s a very good chance it’s legit.
Why, then, would anybody start such a high-profile auction – with such a small amount of photo documentation – on April Fool’s Day?
Well, if you look at the bidding history it actually started a few days before March.
Anyway, my original point wasn’t that I don’t think it’s legit. Just that the dude should be posting more pictures of the damn thing, and it’s a little annoying that he’s just using the exact same photo Shawna used.
Yep, if i were selling it i’d pay the extra couple of bucks and add some high resolution photos. The picture is way too tiny.
Eh, hard to say…
A very rare, exceptional vader helmet/mask was recently sold on ebay for something over $6k. The photos were smaller than these, and there was less evidence that the seller had something of real value. Lots of debate over whether or not it was a real auction, and the lineage, and why there weren’t more photos.
In the end, the person who bought it was a fan expert who was able to identify tells from the small pictures, and correctly gambled that it was something nearly unique. Those as knew what it was worth and could afford to pay it didn’t need better pictures.
So, I wouldn’t necessarily add better pictures if I were selling it. But I would sooner sell a kidney, so my opinion is hardly relevant. 😉
Yes, this is legit. It’s the same eBay user who bought the coat in 2005. I assume she just used the same photos out of convenience. She’d probably provide more recent photos if you asked her to.
As far as the April Fools thing goes, Tyshalle correctly points out that JD did post it on eBay on 30 March and made a post to the OB about it the same day. I just didn’t see it and post it to Whedonesque (which I assume is where y’all found it) until the 1st.
I really hope she gets as much for it as she paid for it. But with today’s economy, who knows. I’m bidding on it, but I’m sure there’s some hard core (rich) collector out there somewhere who will leave my bid in the dust by the time it’s over.
i asked for some better pictures and got 5 different close ups of various parts of the coat, with a different background in hi-res. Looks to definitely be legit.
Is it possible to get a chest or shoulder size on Mal’s jacket?
has this Item sold? If not what is the bidding at now? I am very interested. Please get back to me ASAP.
I know this discussion is long dead but for people like me who decide to do some searching later I figure I’ll add some info as I happen to be one of the lucky swine who has gotten to actually wear one of the real coats. I cannot overstate how lucky I am to have gotten the chance by complete random happenstance to get to put on and have a few pictures snapped of the Hero coat (one of the many times it was seen on screen was the funeral scene during The Message and it still has snowflakes in the cuff).
A few fitting facts: I am 5’11” and about 175lbs average build and the coat fit me rather well. I don’t have exceptionally large shoulders but they aren’t small (still I am not as wide or large as Nathan Fillion). The coat feels amazing to wear! Its super-light (given that its made completely of deer-hide) and is extremely soft-to-the touch.
Also, inside of the jacket I wore was a message from Nathan Fillion telling the wearer that he had gotten the coat all good and sweated up during his stint wearing it. Honestly, getting this opportunity was just so amazing as a fan and I can’t stress how freakin’ awesome the coats are!