The Most Expensive Movie Props And Costumes Sold At Auction
You can determine how much of a cultural impact a Hollywood movie has made by how much its most famous prop has sold for. These instantly recognizable pieces of movie memorabilia include iconic costumes, such as that white dress worn by Marilyn Monroe, and must-have movie props, such as the sled in Citizen Kane. How much would you pay to own them? Here’s a look at 40 of the most expensive movie mementos ever sold.
40. Jurassic Park’s velociraptor cage — $100,000
If you ever wished that Jurassic Park could be a thing, this is probably the prop for you. In 2014 the seven-foot-wide velociraptor cage seen at the start of the Steven Spielberg classic went on eBay. Pretty soon, bids reached the $100,000 mark.
The company that organized the auction, Theme Park Connection, also threw in a life-size velociraptor to go with the cage. This was the same dinosaur replica that graced the 1993 blockbuster’s star-studded premiere.
39. Casablanca's letters of transit — $118,750
Bonhams auctioned off the transit papers from Casablanca as part of a "TCM Presents... There's No Place Like Hollywood" event. The lot stated, "Clearly, this document was made for the production, and it is the only known surviving example of transit papers from the film."
The final price was $118,750, including the buyer's premium. This is even though the lot didn't specify whether these "transit papers" were the same ones shown in the finished film. Hopefully, the buyer also had a piano to hide the papers in...
38. Ghostbusters’ proton pack — $160,000
In 2012 one longtime fan of Ghostbusters got the chance to play out their fantasies more convincingly than others. But they had to fork out a small fortune to do so: $160,000 to be exact.
Profiles in History sold one of the proton packs worn by Harold Ramis’ character, Egon Spangler, in both Ghostbusters and Ghostbusters II. We’re not sure whether it contained a positron collider, though.
37. The Lord of the Rings’ Sting sword — $156,000
In 2013 Troika Brodsky from St. Louis, Missouri, was the proud owner of the second-largest collection of memorabilia from The Lord of the Rings movies. (Director Peter Jackson has the largest collection, of course!) But when Brodsky found out his father was sick, he auctioned off his immensely valuable collection.
Sting was a sword used by Elijah Wood's Frodo Baggins and Ian Holm's Bilbo Baggins in the movies. The prop sold for $156,000 at the Julien's Auctions event in December 2013.