It's all William Shatner's fault...!

In case you missed it, The Geo That Never Was was sold on EBay awhile back. It went for a cool 7 grand.  Lots of people are freaked by how much it went for but it's a limited edition/one-of-a-kind piece so it didn't surprise me.

The whole deal reminded me of another limited edition marker.  It didn't sell for near as much but it result in the downfall of a marker manufacturer.  Here's the low down on the gun as described by Paintball.com over on VintageRex:

Manufacturer: Action Markers
Year: 2002
"The limited edition William Shatner pump marker by Action Markers has taken the idea of a concept marker to next level. Starting with an artists rendition on paper, it was then adapted, by the artist and an engineer, to a computer drawing by 3D CAD/CAM software. By including the artist in the computer rendering of the marker, Action Markers guaranteed that the final product would remain true to the artist's vision. To finish off the marker, Action Markers then decided to gold plate the marker and add high luster chrome accents.

So, why are the markers worth so much? Beyond the quality of the workmanship and plating, the markers also are truly collectable items. Each has William Shatner's signature machined directly into the body of the marker. Each marker also comes with a certificate of authenticity which were hand signed by William Shatner himself directly following the big game. One 24k gold Shatner Commemorative Illusion was auctioned off for $3500 to an individual at the close of the Shatner's Spplat Attack." - PaintBall.com

What happened after the gun was released was pure soap opera.  After successfully suing National Paintball Supply and Dragun Empire for similar alleged transgressions, WGP threatened Action Markers with patent infringement (the cocker design). In an ironic twist, Glen Palmer, who years earlier threatened to sue WGP for infringement of his original cocker design, stepped in and tried to defend Action Markers. Action Markers had neither the means or time to deal with WGP so they folded up shop.

People love to point out Smart Parts as being the evil paintball litigators. It's not just them.