Zachery McGinnis with a life-sized Spiderman figure in his store, above. Below, is the Wookiee head autographed by Peter Mayhew’s wife, Angie.
(David Taffet/Dallas Voice)
Zachery McGinnis is opening a store that deals in signed movie memorabilia and much more
DAVID TAFFET | Senior Staff Writer
taffet@dallasvoice.com
Zachery McGinnis’ obsession with collecting autographs and collectibles began when he met Peter Mayhew at conventions. Mayhew, for those who don’t know, was the actor who played Chewbacca in seven Star Wars movies, a TV film and more.
Mayhew’s daughter was McGinnis’ age, and they developed something of a friendship. Although Mayhew was British, he married Angie, an American toy dealer and they lived in Granbury. When Mayhew died in 2019, he was living in Boyd and is buried outside the Parker County town.
McGinnis began college at UNT, but as his friendship with Mayhew developed, he began representing the actor. Mayhew connected McGinnis with other celebrities he worked with, and through those connections, McGinnis’ business grew.
He continued collecting autographs and found he could make quite a profit selling them. So, he left school and hasn’t looked back. The gamble paid off: His Galactic Productions Autographs and Collectibles is now recognized for the authenticity and value of the products he offers.
The pandemic sidelined events that McGinnis would have booked his clients for, and it slowed his travel to conventions and signings around the world. But it didn’t slow down his collecting. And at a time when so many stores have closed, and so much business has gone online, McGinnis is opening a new 1,500-square-foot showroom to exhibit and sell his collectibles.
And what a collection he’s amassed.
There’s a wall of action figures from Star Wars and Star Trek. When he first saw a display of action figures as a display at a theater, he said, “I want that.” By “that” he meant every one made, and now he has 4,000 of them at home in an action figure room.
The centerpiece of the new store is a Wookiee bust that’s No. 8 of 50 signed by Angie Mayhew after her husband’s death, accompanied by a letter from Mark Hamill. The posters in the store have been salvaged from train stations or movie theaters. Advertising posters like these are meant to be destroyed after the film’s run, so the ones that remain become valuable.
Some items come from other retail sources. A life-sized Spiderman comes from a Blockbuster display. A spaceship comes from a Toys R Us Star Wars Episode 1 display. Some are created — like a sign asking people attending one event to wear masks that is signed by a number of the people making appearances including Hercules’ Kevin Sorbo — ironic considering that Sorbo is an anti-masker/vaxxer who has bragged about making a scene in public when asked to wear a mask at a Starbucks.
“Star Wars is my personal main shtick,” McGinnis said, but that doesn’t mean all of his collectibles are related to those films.
Costumes from the Power Rangers are on display. He has a signed Mike Modano jersey and a baseball signed by Darryl Strawberry. That signed baseball, by the way, developed into a line of baseballs signed by non-sports celebrities.
McGinnis said he brings his own Bic pen and baseballs for them to sign. Sharpies don’t work because they bleed into the leather, he explained, adding that he tells signers to press hard on the ball from the first stroke when signing. His new shop has a case of autographed baseballs.
McGinnis also has several pieces of 3D pop art from the artist Fazzino. One piece featuring a Dallas Cowboys game is signed by Roger Staubach. That happened, McGinnis explained, because he and the former Cowboy quarterback use the same Preston Hollow framer.
McGinnis said some of his clients have become like family. For example, when he booked Mike Edmonds into Plano Comic Con, Edmonds — an English actor with dwarfism known for his roles in Dark Crystal, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and in the Stars Wars franchise — said he’d like to stay for a week.
Edmonds came to the event every year, and on one visit McGinnis decided to come out to him. He had trouble with the words, he said, but Edmonds put him at ease saying, “You can’t help what you’re trying to tell me, just like I can’t help being short.”
McGinnis is holding a soft opening for his store on Friday, Sept. 24, from 5-7 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 25, from noon-2 p.m., featuring guest appearances by Cindy Morgan, best known as Lacey Underall in Caddyshack and Lora/Yori in Tron, and Kenn Scott who played Rafael in Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
The store’s grand opening will be Oct. 22-24. It’s located at 13400 TI Blvd. Suite 4.
