How Much Would You Pay?
If you thought a movie ticket and a big bucket of popcorn was expensive, just wait till you see how much some people paid for these pieces of movie memorabilia.
Charlie Chaplin's Cane And Hat: $139,250
Instantly recognizable, Charlie Chaplin's "The Tramp" character is an icon of the silent film era and his hat and cane are a must-have for a true collector of movie history. And one collector does have them—after having spent almost $140,000 to get them in 2006.
Modern Times (1936), Charles Chaplin Productions
Chris Pratt's Helmet From Guardians Of The Galaxy: $160,000
That's right. Someone paid $160,000 to own Starlord's helmet.
Marvel, Guardians of the Galaxy (2014)
The Ax From The Shining: $175,000
Here's Johnny...with $175,000.
Warner Bros., The Shining (1980)
Indy's Hat From Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom: $300,000
There are few more iconic hats than the one worn by Indiana Jones. And the one that Harrison Ford wore in the second film went for an impressive $300,000. Although, that isn't as much as the hat from the first film (which we will get to shortly).
Paramount Pictures, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984)
Steve McQueen’s Suit And Helmet From Le Mans: $336,000
McQueen played a race car driver in the 1971 film and after its release, a teen boy won second place in a magazine contest which got him the suit and helmet from the film (first place was a Porsche 914). It remained in the family until they sold it at auction in 2017.
Solar Productions, Le Mans (1971)
Superman Costume From Superman: The Movie: $350,000
In 2022, one collector paid $350,000 for the full Superman costume worn by Christopher Reeves in the first Superman film. They got it all: tunic, cape, belt, pair of trunks, leggings, and boots. It's a lot of money, but they probably figured that if they changed their mind they could just put it on and fly around the world really fast.
Dovemead Films, Superman (1978)
Space Suit From 2001: A Space Odyssey: $370,000
Most of the props used during the production of Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece were destroyed after the film wrapped, so whenever a prop from the film comes up for auction, it's a pretty big deal for collectors. Especially when that prop is the space suit and helmet worn by Dr David Bowman in the movie’s iconic faceoff scene with HAL.
Gandalf's Staff From The Lord Of The Rings: $390,000
The crazy part is that when it was put up for auction in 2017, Gandalf's staff was expected to get about $25,000.
New Line Cinema, Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)
Aragorn’s Sword From The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King: $437,000
There are a lot of famous movie swords—but right up there among the most coveted would have to be Aragorn’s sword from The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King. The sharp piece of film history, wielded by Viggo Mortensen in the trilogy, was sold in 2014.
New Line Cinema, The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)
Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber From A New Hope and The Empire Strikes Back: $450,000
So, Mark Hamill didn't use just one lightsaber in the movies—there were plenty of prop sabers that made their way in and out of his hands during filming. But one that was around for his first two Star Wars movies remained with producer Gary Kurtz until 2017—when it was bought by Ripley’s and put on display at the Ripley’s Believe It or Not Museum in Hollywood. Although, that $450,000 is nothing compared to what someone paid for another piece of Star Wars history...
Lucasfilm, Star Wars- Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Indy's Hat From Raiders Of The Lost Ark: $500,000
This makes the hat from Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom look like a steal. Although, Raiders is the OG movie in the franchise so this hat should've gone for more anyway—in our opinion.
Paramount, Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Marty McFly’s Hoverboard From Back To The Future Part II: $501,200
It doesn't actually fly like in the movie—but this cool prop was signed by Michael J Fox and Tom Wilson. And speaking of things Marty McFly rode on...
Universal, Back to the Future Part II (1989)
The DeLorean From Back To The Future: $541,200
They used seven DeLorean's in the making of the first Back To The Future movie—but just three are still known to exist. Which makes it even more surprising that, in 2011, one of those three went for only $541,200. Although, we do appreciate the oddity of saying "only" in reference to more than half a million dollars.
The Door From Titanic: $718,750
We're not here to argue about whether or not Jack could've survived had Rose made room for him on the floating door at the end of the movie. We're just here to tell you that that door prop sold for over $718,750
Twentieth Century, Titanic (1997)
The Flying Car From Chitty Chitty Bang Bang: $805,000
They made six cars for the movie—but only one of them was drivable (but not actually flyable—as far as we know). It is that one that sold at auction in 2011, for just over $800,000.
Warfield, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968)
Darth Vader’s Helmet From The Empire Strikes Back: $898,420
Imagine being able to put on the actual Darth Vader helmet and go up to people and say "I am your father"? That alone might be worth $898,420. And yes—there will be more Star Wars stuff a little on.
Lucasfilm, The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Audrey Hepburn’s Dress From Breakfast At Tiffany’s: $920,000
Of course we're talking about that beyond-iconic "little black dress". But if you think $920,000 is a lot for an Audrey Hepburn movie-worn dress—just you wait till a little later in the list.
Paramount, Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Lotus Esprit Submarine Car From The Spy Who Loved Me: $997,000
Everything about this story is crazy. In 1989, a couple bought a storage unit for $100. Inside said storage unit happened to be one of the 1976 Lotus Esprits used during the making of the James Bond film, The Spy Who Loved Me. In 2013, they sold it at auction to an anonymous buyer for just under $1 million. Turns out, that buyer was Elon Musk.
Eon Productions, The Spy Who Loved Me (1977)
Audrey Hepburn's Breakfast At Tiffany's Script: $1 Million
Hepburn's personal script from the film, the one she used and marked up with notes, became the most expensive movie script ever sold when Tiffany & Co bought it for £632,750 (nearly $1 million) back in 2017.
Trailer screenshot, Wikimedia Commons
The Dance Floor From Saturday Night Fever: $1.2 Million
Yup, the dance floor that John Travolta made famous with the flashing lights and colors. It was a real dance floor in a real club in Brooklyn called 2001 Odyssey. In 2005, an ex-employee of the club bought the dance floor and in 2017, he sold it for $1.2 million.
Paramount, Saturday Night Fever (1977)
Julie Andrews’ Costumes From The Sound of Music: $1.3 Million
In 2013, a whole bunch of The Sound of Music stuff was sold for $1.3 million dollars, including: The “Do-Re-Mi” dress, Kurt’s “So Long, Farewell” jacket, seven Von Trapp kids’ school uniforms, a four-page Von Trapp family history signed by Maria Von Trapp, and more...
Twentieth Century, The Sound of Music (1965)
David O Selznick’s Best Picture Oscar For Gone With The Wind: $1.54 Million
We know what you're thinking—Oscar winners aren't allowed to sell their oscars. Yes, that's true, but that rule wasn't in place back in 1999 when David O Selznick’s Best Picture Oscar for Gone With The Wind hit the auction blocks and was purchased by...wait for it...Michael Jackson. But get this—when an account was made of Jackson's belongings after his passing, the Oscar was nowhere to be found.
Judy Garland's Blue Dress From The Wizard of Oz: $1.56 Million
There were two of those blue gingham dresses worn during filming and one of them sold for $1.56 Million in 2015. The only thing more memorable that Judy Garland wore in that movie was....
Dorothy's Ruby Slippers From The Wizard of Oz: $2 Million
Only four pairs of the most iconic shoes in movie history made it out of Oz. In 2012, a group bought one of those pairs for $2 Million in order for them to be placed in the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences museum.
Aston Martin DB5 From Goldfinger: $2.4 Million
Not only was it the car James Bond drove in Goldfinger, the automobile was owned by Connery as well. $2.4 Million kinda sounds like a steal now doesn't it?
R2-D2 From Star Wars: $2.6 Million
The 43-inch tall droid is a fan favorite character and one fan forked over $2.6 million in 2017 to own it. Although, it must be noted that this R2-D2 was put together using parts from across the OG trilogy.
The Cowardly Lion Costume From The Wizard Of Oz: $3.07 Million
Someone sure had a lot of c-c-c-courage (and money) when they paid over 3 million bucks for the Cowardly Lion costume—which was, by the way, made from real lion skin and fur.
X-Wing Model From Star Wars: $3.1 Million
When model designer Greg Jein passed away, there were multiple auctions held to sell off his collection of stuff he had acquired over the years, as well as items he had designed—one of which was the X-Wing model used in the original Star Wars film.
Sam's Piano From Casablanca: $3.4 Million
The piano on which Sam played "As Time Goes By" sold in 2014 for over $3 million.
Aston Martin DB5 From No Time To Die: $3.5 Million
Used for stunts in Daniel Craig's final go as James Bond, this Aston Martin DB5 fetched £2,922,000 in 2022 (about $3.5 million).
Audrey Hepburn’s Dress From My Fair Lady: $3.7 Million
Cecil Beaton won the Oscar for Best Costume Design for the 1964 movie which featured the black and white gown worn by the iconic Audrey Hepburn—remember the Ascot Derby scene? It sold for that price in 2011.
Warner Bros., My Fair Lady (1964)
The Maltese Falcon Statue From The Maltese Falcon: $4.085 million
They made two statues for the film, but only one was used during filming—and that's the one that Las Vegas hotelier Steve Wynn bought at auction for over 4 million bucks.
The Batmobile From Batman: $4.6 million
The Adam West Batmobile from the classic and campy 1960s television series sold to the tune of $4.6 million.
Jennifer Graylock, Ford Motor Comp, CC BY 2.0, Wikimedia Commons
Marilyn Monroe’s White Dress From The Seven Year Itch: $4.6 million
Any movie-lover worth anything knows that scene in The Seven Year Itch where Marilyn Monroe stands over a subway grate and holds her dress down as it flies up from the air of a passing subway train. Well, we're talking about that dress! It was actually owned by the great Debbie Reynolds, who had a huge memorabilia collection that she was forced to sell off in 2011, because of mounting debt.
Christi Caller, Wikimedia Commons
Robby The Robot From Forbidden Planet: $5.38 million
If someone told us a movie robot sold for over $5 million, we would've assumed it was a robot from Star Wars or—and this is giving away our 80s bias—the Short Circuit robot, "Johnny 5". But no, it was the seven-foot tall Robby the Robot from the 1956 sci-fi classic, Forbidden Planet. It also came with an auxiliary control panel, the original MGM packing crates, and Robby’s Jeep.
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