Cult things from film sets sold for huge amounts of money (30 photos)

Fans are ready to do anything to get hold of any memento from the filming of their favorite movie - from the main character's handkerchief to his car. Therefore, for filmmakers, selling film props sometimes becomes a good source of income - especially when it comes to cult films, where the auction price of each rag from the set can reach millions. And this is not an exaggeration!





Dorothy's Dress - "The Wizard of Oz"



During the filming of the cult film "The Wizard of Oz" 10 identical dresses were sewn for Judy Garland, who played Ellie. For many years they were the subject of an unsuccessful hunt for collectors. Only in 2015 two of the 10 dresses were put up for auction. One of them was sold to an anonymous movie buff for a record-breaking $1.56 million.

Hogwarts Acceptance Letter - "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone"





In the first episode of the epic, as many remember, Harry received a whole bunch of Hogwarts acceptance letters, so many of them were put up for sale at different times. However, this charming movie souvenir has not lost its value - in 2017, one such original letter from the set went for $9900 on one of the online platforms.

Eliza Doolittle's Dress - "My Fair Lady"



The magnificent dress in which Audrey Hepburn's character made a splash at the Ascott races was designed and brought to life by designer Cecil Beaton. It was this dress that prompted the Academy to award the film "My Fair Lady" an Oscar for best costumes. Almost half a century later, in 2011, this lace dress was sold at auction for $3.7 million. The buyer wished to remain anonymous.

Indiana Jones Hat - Raiders of the Lost Ark



The Indiana Jones hat has become a signature piece of the iconic character played by Harrison Ford. Ford received a new hat for each film, but the design did not change. The hat used in Raiders of the Lost Ark was auctioned off for charity in London in 2018. The hat, which was adorned with Harrison Ford's signature for added appeal, sold for $524,000.

Rose's Dress - "Titanic"



The red dress Rose wore when she was about to jump off the boat and was saved by Leonardo DiCaprio's Jack, went up for auction in 2012 and sold to an anonymous buyer for $330,000.

Luke Skywalker's Lightsaber - "Star Wars: The New hope"



In the 1970s, when the first episodes of "Star Wars" were filmed, few people had heard of computer technology. The props on the set of "Star Wars" were made from scrap materials by the imagination of the creators of the saga and were much inferior in quality to those space toys that are sold in stores today. Thus, the original sword of Luke Skywalker was made from a piece of wood painted with reflective paint and a light stand from an old camera. But love cannot be measured in money: in 2008, a Star Wars fan bought the sword at auction, paying $240,000 for it.

James Bond's Aston Martin - "Goldfinger"



Aston Martin is the iconic car of James Bond, used in various modifications in many Bond series. In the 1964 film "Goldfinger" two Aston Martin DB5 were used. One of them was used for stunts and special effects, the other - for road scenes. It was this second car that Sean Connery drove, and it was this one that the film studio sold at auction in 2010 to an anonymous Bond fan for $4.6 million.

Marilyn Monroe's White Flying Dress - "Seven Year Fever"



The dress that Marilyn Monroe wore in the film "Seven Year Fever", and which temptingly flew up from a gust of wind from the ventilation, became a cult item of the star's wardrobe for many years to come. So when it was announced in 2011 that it would be auctioned off in Los Angeles, it sent a shockwave through the movie memorabilia community. After a long battle, the dress went to a new owner for $4.6 million.

Flying Car - "Bang Bang, Oy-Oy-Oy"



The film about the magic car with the legend of popular music Dick Van Dyke was shot by Ken Hughes in 1968. Six specially made and decorated cars were used for filming. But only one of them, with the number GEN 11, could actually move and was used in filming road scenes. In 2011, it was put up for auction, where it was bought by the famous British radio host Chris Evans for $ 804,000, adding it to his car collection.

Cowardly Lion Costume - "The Wizard of Oz"



Bert Lahr, who played the Cowardly Lion in the movie "The Wizard of Oz", complained a lot about the inconvenience of his costume. Made from real lion skins, it was incredibly hot, hard and very heavy - more than 25 kilograms! Akret was happy to finally get rid of it after filming. But in 2014, someone was willing to pick it up, and for a lot of money - an anonymous person bought the Cowardly Lion costume at auction for $3 million.

Charlie Chaplin's Cane - "Modern Times"



A hat, a moustache and a cane are the three invariable components of the Tramp image, in which Charlie Chaplin appeared in most of his silent films. The cane from the set of the film "Modern Times" ended up at auction in 2013, where it was sold for $350,000. The Chaplin fan who bought it later said that the auction was held without any fuss, almost no one knew about it - and this helped him to buy a memorable souvenir very inexpensively.

The Amphibious Car - "The Spy Who Loved Me"



The submarine car, nicknamed "Wet Nellie", was used in the filming of "The Spy Who Loved Me" in 1977. 35 years later, in 2013, it went up for auction and was bought by none other than Elon Musk. A big fan of unusual technology and Bond films, Musk easily paid $989,000 for "Wet Nellie".

Piano - "Casablanca"



The piano from Rick's Cafe is one of the most iconic items from the set of one of the most legendary films in history. The instrument on which Humphrey Bogart so tragically leaned was put up for auction in 2014. By the way, buyers were warned that this piano is impossible to play: made especially for the film, it has only 56 keys - that is, 30 fewer than a normal piano. However, a buyer was found immediately and paid $3.4 million for the instrument.

Jon Travolta's Suit - "Saturday Night Fever"



The shiny white suit in which Travolta danced in the iconic "Saturday Night Fever" was put up for auction in 2017 and purchased by a fan of the film for $1.7 million.

Hypersleep Chamber - "Aliens"



More than a dozen hypersleep chambers were made for the filming of "Aliens", but they never appeared at auctions until 2012, when an unknown fan bought one for $65,000.

Michael Delaney's Watch - "Le Mans"



Tag Brand Watches The Heuer Monaco, considered the latest in mechanical watchmaking technology at the time, was produced in two copies for the filming of Le Mans. One of them broke by the end of filming, and the other survived to this day in excellent condition and was sold at auction in 2012 for $799,500.

Darth Vader Mask - "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back"



In 2019, a large-scale auction was held in Los Angeles, at which the film studio put up dozens of memorabilia from the filming of the movie "Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back", released in 1980. The most expensive lot was a Darth Vader mask: it was bought for $900,000, while the organizers hoped that, if successful, it would bring them only half a million dollars.

Children's costumes - "The Sound of Music"



The costumes of four children from "The Sound of Music" were sold at auction in 2014 for $1.56 million. This surprised even the experts: no doubt, a wealthy family of cinephiles decided to introduce children to the beautiful.

DeLorean Car - "Back to the Future"



The DeLorean DMC-12 is a true icon for fans of the Back to the Future franchise. A total of six cars were used in the three films. Two of them are currently on display at the Universal Studios in Orlando. Another one was bought by a fan of the film ten years ago, completely restored, and auctioned off for $541,000. He donated part of the money to the Michael J. Fox Foundation to fight Parkinson's disease.

Cyborg Skeleton - "Terminator 2: Judgment Day"



The T-300 cyborg skeleton was built for the filming of the movie according to Arnold Schwarzenegger's standards, after which, with the help of special effects, it was superimposed on the image of the actor, thus "replacing" Schwartz in scenes where his character had to lose his shell. After filming in 1991, it was in excellent condition, including working red eye bulbs, and was auctioned off in 2007 for a whopping $488,750.

Indiana Jones' Whip



Unlike the hat that Harrison Ford changed in each film, the whip in all three of the first Indiana Jones films - Temple of Doom, The Last Crusade, and Raiders of the Lost Ark - was the same. It was 8 feet long and made of kangaroo skin. In 2014, it was sold at auction for $216,000.

King Kong Skeleton - "King Kong"



The first film about the giant ape "King Kong" was made in 1933. At that time, digital technology was only a dream, so the destruction caused by King Kong in New York was filmed on miniature models. The model of the giant himself was a half-meter metal skeleton covered in fur. This skeleton was sold at auction in Los Angeles for $200,305 in 2009.

Falcon figurine - "The Maltese Falcon"



The mysterious Maltese falcon figurine, which detective Sam Spade played by Humphrey Bogart chased in the famous "The Maltese Falcon", was considered missing for a long time. Its plastic copies repeatedly appeared on the market and were offered to fans for big money. And finally, in 2013, the original metal figurine weighing 20 kilograms was put up for auction - the very one from the filming. An unknown Bogart fan paid $4.1 million for it.

Audrey Hepburn's Dress - "Breakfast at Tiffany's"



The stylish black evening dress that Audrey Hepburn wore in the 1961 film "Breakfast at Tiffany's" was made for the film by the Givenchy fashion house in three copies. One of them is in a glass case in the Givenchy Museum, another is in Madrid, in the Costume Museum. And the third was sold at auction in 2006 for $806,000, more than five times the starting price.

Golden Ticket - "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory"



The lucky golden ticket from the classic 1971 film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory" was sold at a studio auction in 2012 for $34,000.

Robbie the Robot - "Forbidden Planet"



After debuting in "Forbidden Planet" In 1956, in the film Planet, the robot Robbie became a real movie star. He starred in such films as "The Twilight Zone", "The Addams Family", "Mork and Mindy". In a word, he became a real legend of props - and when in 2017 he was finally retired in Hollywood and put up for sale, he became the most expensive movie souvenir in the world: at an auction in New York, an anonymous buyer bought Robbie for 5 million 340 thousand dollars.

Captain's chair - "Star Trek"



Captain Kirk's chair (actor William Shatner) is a real legend for all fans of "Star Trek". Many of its copies are in thematic museums around the world. Well, and the original some lucky fan of the show bought it at auction in 2002 for $305,000.

Magic Slippers - "The Wizard of Oz"



Dorothy's Magic Slippers from the classic film "The Wizard of Oz" are one of the most recognizable items in the film. Judy Garland had more than a dozen pairs of the same shoes. One of the pairs is in the collection of the Smithsonian Museum, another was stolen in 2005, and its fate is still unknown. Well, the third pair went to auction in 2000, where it was bought for $666,000.

Willy Wonka's Frock Coat - "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory"



The bright purple frock coat worn by Gene Wilder on the set of the 1972 classic was put up for auction by the studio in 2012 - and was instantly snapped up by a fan of the film for $73,800.