The Largest Collection of TV Memorabilia Revealed!

[Impressions]

I thought I'd share this for those of you that are interested in TV Memorabilia. I found two links that talk about one man's collection of TV Memorabilia, that is the largest in the world, even bigger that the Smithsonian. Below are two links and an article about the collection, the first link is the website for the man that has the collection, which has just opened, and the second link is the article:

http://www.tvtour.org/
http://www.interfuel.com/portfolio/c...y_comisar.html

The Comisar Collection -

Client
The Comisar Collection, Inc. is the world’s most comprehensive collection of television artifacts, featuring over 6,000 TV treasures, besting even the Smithsonian Institution in Washington. Curator James Comisar shares his unique expertise of Hollywood artifacts with a diverse clientele: Hollywood superstars, museums, theme restaurants, casinos, talk shows, and the United States government among them. He has authenticated tens of millions of dollars worth of artifacts for Christie’s, Sotheby’s and other auction houses; he also started the Hollywood memorabilia department for Ebay-Butterfields.

Comisar’s efforts to rescue and restore relics and pay homage to the pioneers who changed the television medium have been extensively documented in the media. He has been showcased on several national TV shows including The Oprah Winfrey Show, CNN, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

Issue
Many years of collecting, preserving and caring for thousands of TV artifacts had led The Comisar Collection to the next logical phase in its evolution: a museum tour of the entire collection. The Comisar Collection needed a way to showcase its extensive catalog of artifacts as it began the search for funding of the upcoming “America, as Seen on TV” museum tour. It was decided that an interactive website would be cost effective while giving them the flexibility they needed in presenting the information to a wide variety of constituents.

Due to our extensive work in the entertainment sector and our love of the subject, Comisar felt that interFUEL was the perfect fit for this project.

Needs
The importance that these TV shows have on the landscape of American pop culture needed to be at the forefront at all times. Comisar insisted that the website evoke the emotion that each of us share from watching these shows of our childhood. The challenge was to develop a concept that could carry the theme of each unique television show genre in a seamless and cohesive manner while paying homage to these relics of our culture.

In addition to being used as a presentation for potential investors of the museum tour, the website needed to inform prospective clients of the many services that The Comisar Collection offered, such as the restoration and expertising of artifacts.

Project Summary
As children, we at interFUEL spent our share of time in front of the family TV set (and then some), so naturally we have a deep respect for the efforts of The Comisar Collection. But more importantly, we understand the emotional nature that these artifacts had on those who watched these shows. We felt that in order to capitalize on that, the entire tour preview portion of the site should be presented inside of a television set (complete with functioning knobs for navigational purposes) to evoke the sensation of watching these shows on TV. By using stills, animation, and original theme songs, interFUEL developed a uniquely memorable experience that captured the feel and character of these shows.

Impact
Since the launch of the TVtour.org website, The Comisar Collection was able to secure millions of dollars in funding from investors and has secured several museum venues throughout the US for the tour. Look for the tour to begin in Spring 2004.