Propstore has been building its movie memorabilia auctions for some time now, and this latest auction is probably the biggest yet seen. With 850 lots over two days, it includes something for everyone.
At the high end of movie memorabilia collecting, this auction offers some remarkable objects. The last Darth Vader costume to go to auction fetched over a million dollars. There's a Stormtrooper helmet from the original Star Wars film, which routinely sell for $200,000 plus. There are two Lightsabers, and they have fetched up to $450,000 in the past.
In the end, we had to restrict ourselves to covering just 20 items.
One that didn't make the cut, so to speak, was Rambo's knife from First Blood (1982).
That should indicate the importance of the 20 items that did.
Here they are:
Massive (11-Foot) Nostromo Filming Model from “Alien”
Movie: Alien (1979)
Prop: Nostromo Filming Model
Estimate: $300,000 to $500,000
Propstore | Lot 19
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
The making, demise and restoration of this massive and complex filming model that was used in Ridley Scott's Alien, is an epic story in its own right. The model was derelict when it was obtained by Propstore more than a decade ago, and the entire story of the original model, its acquisition and atom-by-atom restitution to former glory is told in great detail in this feature article.
From that feature article on the Nostromo: Ridley Scott, like any mad genius (see Messers: Hitchcock, Kubrick, Cameron), was not a director to remain “hands off” during pre-production. He was constantly tinkering with not just the Nostromo, but all aspects of the film’s design. As tends to be the case in filmmaking, this didn’t sit well with his artisans. In recalling their work at Bray in 1978, they remember the frustration of having to change the physical model so many times even after it had been assembled and painted. ... During production, Steven Spielberg’s CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND was released to much fanfare. Upon seeing the breathtaking shot of the alien ship landing on Earth, Ridley was said to have declared, “We need more lights!”
It's a great story and the 11-ft Nostromo stands as a work of art in its own right.
Darth Vader Costume from “Star Wars: A New Hope” promotions
Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Prop: 1977/1978 Darth Vader Promo Costume with poster-matched helmet
Estimate: $150,000 to $250,000
Propstore | Lot 672
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
Going by the numbers of eyeballs watching, Darth Vader is the best-known villain in history, courtesy of being the ultimate bad guy in the most-watched sci-fi movie franchise of all-time. Vader’s helmet, mask and entire costume from various Star Wars films have been to auction several times, but in 2019, the costume achieved its first million dollar result, a new high watermark for any Star Wars costume or movie prop.
Remarkably, Bonhams had intended to auction an entire Darth Vader costume from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back in May 2019 but withdrew the lot without explanation.
Now this isn't a screen-worn Darth Vader costume, but the helmet was created from the same mold as Vader's screen-worn helmet from the original film of the series and has clearly seen a lot of use. The entire costume was created for the promotional circuit that was used for the original Star Wars film, as the original screen-worn costume had been pressed into service in the subsequent promotions and was getting a bit tatty. Based on the attained result of $1.152 million by Profiles in History in September 2019, this costume could easily blow past its $250,000 high estimate.
Raven Bar & Well of Souls Staff of Ra Headpiece from “Raiders Of The Lost Ark”
Movie: Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981)
Prop: Raven Bar & Well of Souls Staff of Ra Headpiece
Estimate: $100,000 to $200,000
Propstore | Lot 358
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
One of the key props from Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), this headpiece was used by Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) in the Map Room at Tanis to reveal the location of the Well of Souls, the resting place of the Ark of the Covenant.
A priceless artifact in the film, history has a way of making priceless screen items equally as priceless in the real world at auction. The Maltese Falcon, from the film of the same name, was little more than a stylized 11.5-inch (29 cm) tall lump of lead, but when it first went to auction in December 1994, it sold for $398,500, the highest price ever paid for a film prop at that time. In November 2013, another of the Maltese Falcons made for the film (there are always several of each important prop made in case of mishap) sold at a Bonhams auction for over $4,085,000.
Stormtrooper Helmet from “Star Wars: A New Hope”
Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Prop: Stormtrooper Helmet
Estimate: $60,000 to $80,000
Propstore | Lot 686
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
Screen-worn Stormtrooper helmets have a spectacular history at auction over the last decade, with previous helmets at auction having fetched $276,750, $245,000, $240,000, $196,756 (£159,900), $179,090 (£135,300), $126,800 (£65,000), $122,985 (£86,500) and $121,847 (£79,950), and there are plenty more that have sold above the $60,000 low estimate here.
This helmet is a rare example that retains its original painted finish from the first film of the world's most-watched film franchise. It was not repainted for The Empire Strikes Back as many others were.
Though some of the original paintwork has cracked and worn, helmets with their original first-film paint finish and original ear pieces are exceedingly rare; less than five are believed to exist in private collections, including this never-before-offered example.
Buy this helmet anywhere near the official estimates and you'll be more than lucky.
Duros Cantina mask from “Star Wars: A New Hope”
Movie: Star Wars: A New Hope (1977)
Prop: Duros Cantina Alien Mask
Estimate: $60,000 to $80,000
Propstore | Lot 687
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
When initially conceived and filmed, two Duros aliens sat in the corner booth during the iconic cantina scene in George Lucas' Star Wars: A New Hope. Lucas then decided to reshoot the cantina scene with more aliens, so miniature and optical effects artist Phil Tippett joined Rick Baker's makeup department to help construct additional creature costumes.
This padded slip latex mask is painted dark green with multiple brow and cheek wrinkles, inset with two red plastic eyes, and mounted in an acrylic display case for protection from the elements. A slit down the back of the mask features a Velcro closure hidden inside. This mask is in delicate but good overall condition, with the mask exhibiting visible signs of age, including slight discoloration and flaking latex. This lot comes from the collection of Tippett, who designed and created the Duros masks for the film and is sold with a letter of authenticity from Tippett.
Xenomorph Queen Model filming miniature puppet from “Aliens”
Movie: Aliens (1986)
Prop: Xenomorph Queen Quarter-scale Model Miniature
Estimate: $50,000 to $70,000
Propstore | Lot 28
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
One of the most chilling of cinematic villains, the first time we saw the remorseless xenomorph was in Ridley Scott’s Alien (1979) where it hunted the crew of the Nostromo. The terrifying xenomorph was eventually despatched when Ellen Ripley launched it out of her shuttle. When the franchise returned to theaters in 1986, we were confronted with an army of xenomorphs doing bidding for their enormous Queen.
A full-sized queen was created for sequences where she is stationary atop her nest, but this 1:4-scale model miniature was used during the climactic battle between the queen and a cargo-loader-clad Ripley aboard the USS Sulaco. The 1:4-scale miniature was conceived by director James Cameron and constructed from foam latex, polyfoam, urethane, and resin components, all molded around a metal armature and painted black with the Queen’s signature blue highlights by Stan Winston Studios.
Tom Cruise’ Fighter Pilot Helmet from “Top Gun”
Movie: Top Gun (1986)
Prop: Pete "Maverick" Mitchell's (Tom Cruise) Fighter Pilot Helmet
Estimate: $50,000 to $70,000
Propstore | Lot 815
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
Rather than being just a prop, this is actually a genuine flight helmet decorated specifically for the Pete "Maverick" Mitchell character and is affixed with Maverick's signature silvertone, red, and yellow striped eagle insignia stickers.
Maverick (Tom Cruise) wore his helmet on screen while attending Top Gun and participating in several combat missions with his RIO, Nick "Goose" Bradshaw (Anthony Edwards).
The helmet features "Maverick" stickered in white on the front and reverse, a tinted plastic adjustable visor, black leatherette padding, a Velcro chin strap, and two metal tags labeled "Flight Suits, LTD. El Cajon, California." A green rubber oxygen mask and tube is included to complete the display, but is not original to the film.
Alfred Hitchcock's Movie Camera from “Vertigo”
Movie: Vertigo (1958)
Prop: Alfred Hitchcock's Vista Vision Motion Picture Camera Serial No. MVV-6
Estimate: $50,000 to $70,000
Propstore | Lot 842
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
This isn't just a movie camera, but a perfect example of a milestone in movie-making history. This is the Vista Vision Motion Picture Camera of English film director, producer and screenwriter, Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock KBE. Hitchcock is one of the most influential and extensively studied filmmakers in the history of cinema and this is a landmark camera.
From a Propstore Blog feature article explaining the significance of the camera: Vertigo was primarily photographed using a process which had recently been developed at Paramount studios as a crisper alternative to CinemaScope and similar anamorphic formats. This was VistaVision, a high-resolution format first used for White Christmas in 1954, and which Hitchcock and his director of photography Robert Burks had previously used to shoot To Catch a Thief, The Trouble With Harry and The Man Who Knew Too Much. By running its 35mm film though the camera horizontally rather than vertically, thereby providing a larger area on which to shoot, VistaVision created a projection print with a much finer grain than CinemaScope.
This camera was first used by filmmaking legend Cecil B DeMille when filming The Ten Commandments, and was at the leading edge of cinematic technology in its day, being subsequently used by the Master of Suspense to produce an enduring Noir classic. In 2012, Sight & Sound magazine voted Vertigo the greatest film ever made, toppling Orson Welles’ Citizen Kane from the top spot for the first time in 50 years.
Leonardo DiCaprio’s Yellow Cadillac from “Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood”
Movie: Once Upon A Time ... In Hollywood (2019)
Prop: Rick Dalton's (Leonardo DiCaprio) Yellow Cadillac Coupe de Ville
Estimate: $45,000 to $55,000
Propstore | Lot 506
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
In Hollywood, even has-been’s have chauffeurs. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Rick Dalton trusted his stunt man, Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth, with the keys to his 1966 Cadillac Coupe De Ville throughout Quentin Tarantino’s Academy Award-winning film, Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood.
A nod to a prior Tarantino success, a Coupe De Ville was also driven by Michael Madsen as Mr. Blonde in Reservoir Dogs. The car features new brakes, fuel lines, upholstery, and a newly installed LS 6.0 crate engine with GM Turbo 400 transmission in addition to its distinctive “Cape Ivory” yellow color and sharp tailfins.
Al Matthews’ U.S. Colonial Marines Costume from “Aliens”
Movie: Aliens (1986)
Prop: Sergeant Apone's (Al Matthews) Screen-Matched U.S. Colonial Marines Armor Costume
Estimate: $40,000 to $60,000
Propstore | Lot 25
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
Sergeant Apone's (Al Matthews) screen-matched U.S. Colonial Marines armor costume from James Cameron's sci-fi horror sequel Aliens. Apone and his group of Colonial Marines helped Ellen Ripley (Sigourney Weaver) investigate the desolate moon LV-426.
Two Velociraptor Animatronic Puppets from “Jurassic Park”
Movie: Jurassic Park (1993)
Prop: Pair of Video Animatics Velociraptor Stop-Motion Puppets
Estimate: $40,000 to $60,000
Propstore | Lot 425
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
A pair of velociraptor stop-motion puppets used for video animatics in the production of Steven Spielberg's sci-fi action-adventure Jurassic Park. Spielberg initially planned to achieve the film's dinosaurs through "Go-Motion" animation, but new breakthroughs at ILM enabled a mid-production pivot to digital animation as the technique of choice. Animator and effects artist Phil Tippett remained heavily involved in the film as the Dinosaur Animation Supervisor. Tippett Studios produced a series of key video animatics for the film, utilizing traditional stop-motion animation, to assist with planning shots and training digital animators in creature movement. One of the scenes done as a video animatic was the raptors in the kitchen sequence
Clint Eastwood’s Colt Army Model Whitneyville Walker from “The Outlaw Josie Wales”
Movie: The Outlaw Josie Wales (1976)
Prop: Josey Wales' (Clint Eastwood) Hero Colt Army Model Whitneyville Walker revolver
Estimate: $40,000 to $60,000
Propstore | Lot 509
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
This Blank-Firing Hero Walker revolver is as rare a find as you can imagine for fans of Clint Eastwood’s infamous Josey Wales. This particular gun screen-matches via marks above the trigger to a gun used in the farmhouse shootout scene with Eastwood as Josey Wales against Bill McKinney as Terrill. The Colt was converted to a blank-firing gun by the film’s production, and has since been sympathetically deactivated. It will sell with copies of paperwork from Stembridge Gun Rentals to Malpaso Productions, who in 1975, sent this and four other Colt Walkers to the film’s Utah and Arizona filming locations.
Christopher Lee’s lightsaber from “Star Wars: Attack of the Clones”
Movie: Star Wars: Attack of the Clones (2002)
Prop: Count Dooku's (Christopher Lee) dueling lightsaber
Estimate: $30,000 to $50,000
Propstore | Lot 664
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
It’s hard to think of a movie weapon more iconic or impressive than the lightsaber, nor one which is indelibly linked to a single franchise. With its unearthly glow and that mesmerizing hum, it represented the perfect blend of Star Wars’ romantic fantasy and sci-fi elements: a sword, which could have been a samurai blade or King Arthur’s Excalibur, whose blade glowed and crackled like a magically frozen laser blast.
To quote Jedi Master Ben Kenobi (Alec Guinness), it was “not as clumsy or random as a blaster. An elegant weapon, for a more civilized age.”
There's an in-depth feature article on the evolution of the Lightsaber here.
If the $30,000 to $50,000 estimated price for this lot seems a bit light, that's because it almost certainly is. In 2018, the lightsaber used by Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: A New Hope and Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back sold for $450,000 at a Profile in History auction.
Other examples of recent Lightsaber sales include two sold by Propstore: Darth Sidious’ (Ian McDiarmid) Hero Lightsaber from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith (2005) sold for £70,000 but with buyers premiums that translates to US$113,967; and Anakin Skywalker's (Hayden Christensen) hero lightsaber from Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith sold for £110,000 and with buyers premiums (£135,300) and currency conversion to USD, that became $179,090. As far back as 2008, another Luke Skywalker lightsaber from the collection of movie producer Gary Kurtz fetched $240,000.
Pick this up within the estimated price range and you will have indeed, have bought well.
Clapperboard from the production of Steven Spielberg's “Jaws”
Movie: Jaws (1975)
Prop: The production clapperboard from Steven Spielberg's Jaws
Estimate: $25,000 to $35,000
Propstore | Lot 388
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
Almost no explanation is required. This is one of four (or less – no-one is sure) sharktooth clapperboards used in the production of Steven Spielberg's best-known blockbuster Jaws.
Ewan McGregor’s Lightsaber from “Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones”
Movie: Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones (2002)
Prop: Obi-Wan Kenobi's (Ewan McGregor) Dueling Lightsaber Hilt
Estimate: $25,000 to $35,000
Propstore | Lot 662
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
The entire world of Lightsabers is one you could earn a PhD in and still not be the most knowledgable person around. For those intent on understanding the finest detail in such matters, might we suggest this free book, Star Wars: The Lightsaber Prop Guidebook written by Seth M. Sherwood and for those keen to invest in solid movie memorabilia that will retain its value in a downturn, that official price guideline for this lot may well fetch an order of magnitude more i.e. it might fetch 10 times those prices.
Chief Ugnaught's Mask from “Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back”
Movie: Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
Prop: Chief Ugnaught's Mask
Estimate: $25,000 to $35,000
Propstore | Lot 706
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
If you've forgotten who Chief Ugnaught is, he's one of the operators of the Cloud City carbon freeze chambers and he's the fellow who removed Han Solo's (Harrison Ford) handcuffs before he was to be frozen in carbonite in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back.
Billy Campbell’s Costume from “The Rocketeer”
Movie: The Rocketeer (1991)
Prop: The Rocketeer's Billy Campbell Costume
Estimate: $15,000 to $20,000
Propstore | Lot 563
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
The Rocketeer's (Bill Campbell) costume with a stunt rocket-pack from Joe Johnston's action adventure The Rocketeer (1991). Pilot Cliff Secord (The Rocketeer) wore his costume in the film after discovering an experimental jetpack designed by Howard Hughes (Terry O'Quinn). The helmet is a replica made from the original molds.
Sylvester Stallone’s costume from “Judge Dredd"
Movie: Judge Dredd (1995)
Prop: Judge Dredd's (Sylvester Stallone) Costume with Stunt Components
Estimate: $12,000 to $16,000
Propstore | Lot 413
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
Conceived by fashion designer Gianni Versace at Stallone's request, Judge Joseph Dredd's (Sylvester Stallone) costume from Danny Cannon's comic book adaptation film Judge Dredd is one of the most stylish superhero outfits yet produced. Dredd wore his costume when he patrolled Mega-City One as a member of the elite group of law enforcers known as Judges, who operated as the judge, jury, and executioners of potential criminals. This costume includes a mixture of components made for Stallone, his stunt double Ignacio Carreno, and other street judges.
Bob Peak Poster Concept Illustration from “Star Trek III”
Movie: Star Trek III: The Search for Spock (1984)
Prop: Hand-Painted Bob Peak Poster Concept Illustration
Estimate: $10,000 to $15,000
Propstore | Lot 647
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
Original art from iconic posters of landmark films will never decrease in value, and comes with the added value of being made famous before it was ever released.
Stormtrooper Costume from “Star Wars: The Mandalorian” TV Series
TV Series: Star Wars: The Mandalorian
Prop: Stormtrooper Costume
Estimate: $8,000 to $10,000
Propstore | Lot 751
Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction | Los Angeles | 26 & 27 August 2020
Official Auction Page
This memorabilia already has a marketplace from its Star Wars film origins, and if this were a genuine film-worn Stormtrooper outfit from the movie series, it'd be worth a lot more than the stated price guidelines of $8,000 to $10,000. We don't yet know how such TV series memorabilia will be valued by the marketplace on the auction block, and this particular outfit has a further disclaimer. It's a Stormtrooper costume from the Disney Plus sci-fi series Star Wars: The Mandalorian. The Stormtroopers appeared throughout the series in costumes created by the 501st Legion, a fan group dedicated to creating screen-accurate Stormtrooper suits.
Hence on one hand, you can join the 14,000 rabid fans of the series (i.e. members of the 501st Legion) who have access to much cheaper (and identical) costumes, or you can invest the buy price of this suit and have a screen worn costume. The authenticity of a screen-worn costume could at some point in the future make this costume worth more than a house – or not. Such are the vagaries of investing in entertainment memorabilia.