In 1982, you ran around your living room with a makeshift blaster, aping the mannerisms of Harrison Ford. The film Blade Runner grabbed hold of your imagination, and your life was changed forever. Now, you can take your childhood dream of humanoid hunting to the next level. The very gun that you imitated with what seemed like a large stick is going to be auctioned by Profiles in History on April 30 and May 1, 2009.

If Blade Runner wasn't your childhood obsession, you may find satisfaction from some of the other memorabilia that's coming under the gavel at the end of the month. Profiles in History, an auction house, anticipates a total take of around $3 million from the two days.

The famous weapon comes from science fiction promoter Forrest Ackerman's collection. Also from his stash are a puppet used in the 2005 movie Corpse Bride, costumes from Blade Runner (worn by Ford) and a ring worn by Bela Lugosi when he played Count Dracula.

The Blade Runner weapon is expected to fetch between $100,000 and $150,000.

Smoking bans may ultimately keep cigar connoisseurs from buying that next lighter or cigar cutter, but there is a group – that may or may not smoke – that is buying cigar-related items aggressively. Collectors are being drawn to antique smoking-related items, even if their use has become less popular over the past several decades.

Pipes, ashtrays, cigar boxes and cigarette dispensers are on the list for this subculture. Others are drawn to packaging and advertising, scooping up old cigar bans, boxes of matches, in-store ads and other forms of "tobacciana." Some are even quite expensive.

So, when your kids get on your case about the stack of empty cigar boxes in the living room, just tell them that's how they'll get through college ... if they're lucky.

[Photo by Steve Zak]

The Wall Street Journal reported that Visionaire magazine -- a publication where design, marketing, style, trends and art intersect -- is charging $50,000 for a special Goyard trunk designed for its collectors. The handmade trunk will house the magazine's first 50 issues. This summer, Visionaire also will offer 10 complete sets of its first 50 issues in the Goyard trunks for $150,000. The customized steamer trunks, assembled by hand, will have shelves and insets designed for all 50 issues. Collectors also can buy an empty trunks for €34,500 ($54,000).

From its premiere issue in April 1991 (now up to 54 issues, with each issue typically priced between $150 - $350), Visionaire "challenged notions of what it meant to be an art and fashion publication and was conceived of as a venue for artists such as Mario Testino and Steven Meisel to publish personal work," WSJ stated. It has morphed into something more like a design challenge for its many contributors.

Each issue (which can take between nine months and three years to complete) is typically a mixed-media riff on a theme, posing an ongoing set of challenges to a small crew of designers. For example, White began with the question: How do you publish without using ink? Answer: a combination of Braille, embossing, varnish and paper-cut illustrations. Scent came with perfume capsules, Taste had specially-designed flavor-strips and Sound featured a Mini Cooper toy car that played record albums.

Luxury collectible glass company, Steuben Glass has been put up for sale by longtime owner Corning. Corning has owned the business since 1918 and Steuben is now the only maker of luxury lead crystal left that is still handcrafted in the United States. Unfortunately, the company, which creates a variety of special edition pieces including a most recent partnership with artist Kiki Smith, has been unprofitable for a decade, losing around $30 million over the last five years. Corning has said that the company will be unloaded this year even if they have to shut the company down. Steuben Glass generates around $25 million in annual revenue and employs 150 people. Another option Corning is considering is selling the brand name but keeping the factory in operation. A move that I think would be a shame since part of the prestige of Steuben is its heritage and tradition. Sadly the beautiful glass collectibles aren't considered fashionable and appeal mostly to an older generation. Steuben has tried to attract younger consumers through collaborations with high-profile designers such as Smith and Ted Muehling but so far that hasn't been enough to generate profitability.

I've swooned over the designs of Eric Hilton for Steuben glass before. One of his latest, Dragon's Treasure, looks a little like something you might find in a new age bookstore but the piece is meant to represent those who guard over valuable possessions. The hand-formed crystal dragon surrounds a treasure of 24K gold flakes embedding in a solid crystal sphere. You'll have to surrender a bit of your own gold to get it, the piece costs $5,000.

It's a little bit late to start shopping for Christmas decorations for Monday, but this Santa On Rocking Horse is a beautiful decorative item with the look of an heirloom toy. Designed and handmade by artist Karen Didion, Santa is 25-in. high and is dressed in a plush outfit trimmed with real fur. This isn't the sort of thing that you want to give a child to play with, but it is something that you could get them as an "heirloom for future generations." Price: $1,600.

This seems like it would be a good gift item for a Star Wars fan, especially if they don't need all the space that a 64-GB flash drive provides. These Darth Vader Mimobot USB Flash Drives are due to be released in a limited run of 3,500 units in January 2007 (just a bit too late for the holiday season!). Each one stands just over 2-inches high and is available in four memory sizes: 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB. Prices range from $80-$170, and placing a pre-order is probably a good idea, since, as collectibles, they will probably sell out quickly.

[via uncrate]

Pez dispensers are highly collectible, but the little plastic toys only cost a few cents to begin with and don't fetch the same kinds of prices that other collectibles do. With the exception of this pez dispenser, of course. This was a prototype of a design intended for the 1982 World's Fair in Knoxville, Tennessee, but it never went into production, making this the only dispenser of its kind. The dispenser is up for auction on eBay and, as of this post, the price is at $32,200, with two more days of bidding left. What you would do with a Pez dispenser that cost that much is anyone's guess, though it's not likely to be used to actually dispense too much candy at that price.

[via CandyAddict]

The ultimate collectible for a Disney fan is now on sale. Celebration Mickey stands 24-inches high and is made from 1,500 troy ounces of 24K gold. Despite his small size, Mickey weighs over 100-lbs. The sculpture is the largest gold piece ever commissioned by Disney, possibly in the whole United States, and was cast 2001 to commemorate Disney's 100th anniversary. The specific design used for it was done by Marc Delle, based on the original design by Walt Disney himself. Mickey's price tag, based on his original appraisal after casting, is $4 million.

[via Born Rich]

British pen company Conway Stewart have released the latest version of their popular Westminster pen this time in teal enamel. The pen takes its design cues from the palace of Westminster with its Gothic style engraving on the cap and barrel. The small diamond-shaped recesses mimic the detail on the palace and the tiny oak leaves are a symbol of England.  The teal color of course doesn't have anything to do with the Gothic style, it just looks cool. The pen is available in an edition of 100 fountain pen or roller ball writing modes.  It sells for $1,800.

The World Cup will soon be over but if you are looking for a collectible that can help you remember this year's contest then this one-of-a-kind limited edition football Bearbrick toys might be the ultimate find. This set, one of only eight sets created, is being auctioned off by Charity Folks to benefit the world's refugee youth through Ninemillion.org. The toys represent the eight Nike-sponsored teams that qualified for this year's World Cup-Brazil, Portugal, Australia, Croatia, Holland, Mexico, Korea and the United States. The Nike Foundation is matching the first US $1 million donated to ninemillion.org. Bids start at $15,000.

Estee Lauder is famous for their elegant powder compacts that often feature designs like astrological symbols or intricate flowers rendered in Swarovski crystals. Usually the compacts feature pressed powder but for summer they have this beautiful golden collectible compact that is filled with bronzer. The compact sells for $60.

Lalique's latest collection is, what else, hearts. Their St. Valentin collection features thick ribbons of glass twisted into heart shapes. The collection includes paperweights and necklaces in a variety of rich jewel tones. The look is much more fluid than previous Lalique heart collections.