When you see some of entertainment's most iconic vehicles go up for auction, such as a "General Lee" 1969 Dodge Charger from the Dukes of Hazzard, or Fonzie's 1949 Triumph Trophy from Happy Days, it might come as some surprise that a small model of a spaceship outstripped them all. Well, until you consider the devotion of a true Star Wars fan that is. A filming miniature of the Blockade Runner, the first flying ship to appear in 1977's Episode IV - A New Hope sold for US$450,000 at Profiles in History auction over the weekend, with a hoard of other Hollywood gems not all that far behind.
In yielding this gargantuan price tag, the Blockade Runner doubled its estimated selling price and flew into the record books as the most expensive piece of Star Wars memorabilia ever sold at auction. Other items sold at the event from the blockbuster series included Carrie Fisher's "Slave Leia" costume from Episode VI - Return of the Jedi ($96,000) and a piece of the Death Star from the same movie for $39,000.
Also on offer were more products of George Lucas' imagination, with Indiana Jones' signature bull whip selling for $204,000 and his fedora for $90,000. Continuing the super hero theme, George Reeves' flying Superman costume attracted a winning bid of $216,000 and Arnold Schwarzenegger's signed and screen-used jacket from Terminator 2: Judgement Day went for $36,000.
Leonard Nimoy's Spock tunic from Star Trek: The Original Series went for $84,000, while Academy Awards won by Clyde De Vinna for 1928/1929's White Shadows in the South Seas and Norma Shearer for 1930's The Divorcee both sold for $180,000.
Among the big ticket items were a few lesser known, but culturally significant oddities. A transcript of Orson Welles' historical War of the Worlds radio broadcast sold for $28,000, while his revised shooting script for Citizen Kane complete with hand drawn scribbles was sold for $44,800.
In addition to a treasure trove of valuable Hollywood ornaments, a number of famous vehicles also went up for auction. Among these was the aforementioned General Lee, which sold for $120,000 and Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham's custom Triumph "Sunset Tripper" chopper, which appeared in the 1976 documentary film The Song Remains the Same ($48,000). Fonzie's Triumph Trophy went unclaimed, as did a screen-used "Black Beauty" hero car from 2011's The Green Hornet and Evel Knievel's Harley-Davidson XLCH 1000 "Stratocycle."
You can have a flick through our gallery for a closer look at some of the items that changed hands at this historic auction.
Source: Profiles in History