What would Indiana Jones be without his hat or Luke Skywalker without his lightsaber? Iconic film props not only represent memorable pieces of motion picture history, but they can also fetch a pretty penny on the market. Here are some of the most expensive film props ever created and sold.
Most Expensive Film Props
- Robby the Robot (Forbidden Planet, 1956) – This sci-fi hero prop was in the possession of horror filmmaker William Malone for decades before it sold for $5.375 million at Bonham’s New York Auction House in 2017. At the time the movie was made in 1956, Robby cost $133,000 to build – 7 percent of the budget – or roughly $1.2 million today.
- Falcon Statuette (The Maltese Falcon, 1941) – Sold for $4.1 million to Las Vegas hotelier Steve Wynne in 2013, the original statuette is 45 pounds of pure lead. The bent tail feather is a key detail pointing to the prop’s authenticity, as actress Lee Patrick dropped the falcon while handing it off to Humphrey Bogart.
- Aston Martin DB5 (Goldfinger, 1965) – Private collector Harry Yeaggy shelled out $4.6 million to acquire James Bond’s slick ride from the RM Auctions Automobiles of London in 2010. This “Road Car,” driven by Sean Connery, was originally sold to radio executive Jerry Lee who kept it in storage for years. Another replica — the “Effects Car,” outfitted with rotating number plates and guns in the tail lights – was stolen from an airport hangar in Boca Raton in 1997 and hasn’t been seen since.
- R2D2 Droid (Star Wars, 1977-1983) – A 43-inch-tall R2D2 unit compiled from parts used in the filming of several of the Star Wars movies sold for $2.76 million to an unnamed collector through the auction house Profiles in History in 2017. This dwarfs the $900,000 paid for Darth Vader’s helmet and the $450,000 paid for Mark Hamill’s lightsaber.
- Monaco Watch (Le Mans, 1971) – In 2012, a Hollywood memorabilia house sold a Tag Heuer watch worn by Steve McQueen for $799,500. While it came with full documentation and boxes, the prop master had been given a whole case of Monacos for the film, so there are potentially four or six others in existence. Antiquorum had previously sold a McQueen Monaco for over $80,000 in 2009, while a personal Rolex Submariner fetched $234,000.
- Terminator 2 T-800 (Judgement Day, 1991) – A full-scale chrome-processed T-800 endoskeleton used in the opening scene of Terminator 2 sold for $488,750 at a California auction in 2007. This particular model was the only one with real metal feet and red eyes that light up.
- Deckard’s Pistol (Blade Runner, 1982) – The pistol used in the original Blade Runner sold at auction for $270,000 in 2012. In the film, Harrison Ford hunted down androids disguised as humans using this original prop constructed from a Steyr Mannlicher .222 Model SL and a Charter Arms Bulldog revolver. The prop master added different bolt and screw heads, as well as six LED lights to give the pistol a more futuristic look, though the lights didn’t always perform during production.
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