Buzz
In recent years, the value of movie memorabilia has skyrocketed as enthusiasts eagerly seek to own a slice of cinematic heritage. Many of the props listed below spent years forgotten in studio warehouses before their true worth was recognized and they were auctioned off. Today, numerous companies specialize in selling props from movies and TV shows, fueling our enduring fascination with such collectibles. Below are ten of the most astonishingly expensive movie props ever sold at auction.
1. JAMES BOND’S ASTON MARTIN DB5 FROM GOLDFINGER
The sleek Aston Martin DB5, driven by Sean Connery as James Bond in Goldfinger (1964) and Thunderball (1965), fetched $4.6 million at auction in 2010. This car was one of two Aston Martins provided to EON Productions for Goldfinger. The "Effects Car" was equipped with gadgets like rotating license plates and tail light guns, while the "Road Car" was used for standard driving. After filming, the Road Car was retrofitted with the same gadgets and appeared in Thunderball. Originally sold for $12,000 in 1969 to radio executive Jerry Lee, it remained mostly in storage. The other DB5 used in Goldfinger was stolen in 1997 from a Boca Raton airport hangar and has never been recovered.
2. MARILYN MONROE’S DRESS FROM THE SEVEN YEAR ITCH
20th Century Fox
Marilyn Monroe’s legendary white dress from The Seven Year Itch (1955) holds the record as the most expensive movie costume ever sold, fetching $4.6 million at a Los Angeles auction in 2011. This iconic piece was part of Debbie Reynolds' remarkable collection of Hollywood memorabilia, which also featured Elizabeth Taylor’s headdress from Cleopatra (1963) and Charlie Chaplin’s bowler hat. Reynolds, who amassed over 3500 items, had dreams of opening a museum to showcase her collection. When those plans fell through, she decided to auction the items, much to the delight of fans.
3. STEVE MCQUEEN’S RACING SUIT FROM LE MANS
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When you think of Steve McQueen, his iconic Le Mans racing suit likely comes to mind. One of the three surviving suits from the 1971 film was auctioned in 2011 for $984,000. Remarkably, the suit had been in the possession of Timothy Davies from Wolverhampton, UK, for 40 years after he won it in a newspaper competition at the age of 12.
4. AUDREY HEPBURN’S BREAKFAST AT TIFFANY’S BLACK DRESS
Paramount Pictures
A Givenchy-designed black dress worn by Audrey Hepburn in Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961) was sold in London for $807,000 in 2006, far exceeding experts' predictions of $138,000. Hepburn, portraying Holly Golightly, wore a version of the dress in the film’s opening scene as she exits a yellow taxi onto a quiet 5th Avenue at dawn. Two other replicas of the dress exist—one in Givenchy’s archive and the other in a Madrid costume museum.
5. DOROTHY’S RUBY SLIPPERS FROM THE WIZARD OF OZ
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Judy Garland’s ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz (1939) are considered among the most valuable movie props ever, rarely appearing at auctions. Only four pairs are known to exist, with one permanently exhibited at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. A pair sold at auction in 2000 for $666,000. Originally silver in L. Frank Baum’s book, the shoes were changed to ruby for the film to stand out against the yellow brick road. In 2005, a pair was stolen from The Judy Garland Museum in Minnesota, prompting an anonymous donor to offer a $1 million reward in 2015 for their recovery.
6. DELOREAN CAR FROM BACK TO THE FUTURE
Wikimedia Commons // CC BY-SA 3.0
Six DeLorean DMC-12 cars and one fiberglass replica were used in the Back to the Future trilogy. The primary "A" car, fully restored, is displayed at Universal Studios Hollywood, while a second is showcased in Orlando. In 2011, a third DeLorean, extensively refurbished, was auctioned for $541,000, with part of the proceeds benefiting the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. In 2016, a new company announced plans to produce 300 updated DMC-12 models, priced around $100,000 each, set for release in 2017.
7. THE MALTESE FALCON
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The Maltese Falcon statuette from the 1941 film of the same name, directed by John Huston and starring Humphrey Bogart as detective Sam Spade, became one of the most valuable movie props ever when it sold for $4.1 million in 2013. While the lead statuette is often claimed to be the original prop, several plaster versions are considered more plausible candidates, as a 5-pound plaster falcon would be far easier to handle than a 45-pound lead one. With over 75 years having passed, the true identity of the original prop remains uncertain.
8. LUKE SKYWALKER’S LIGHTSABER
20th Century Fox
The lightsaber wielded by Mark Hamill as Luke Skywalker in Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and The Empire Strikes Back (1980) fetched $240,000 at auction in 2008. Crafted from a Graflex camera flash tube, the prop featured a wooden pole coated in projection paint during filming, allowing the special effects team to add the iconic glowing blade in post-production. Modern films have since replaced this technique with CGI.
9. AUDREY HEPBURN’S ASCOT DRESS FROM MY FAIR LADY
Doug Kline via Flickr // CC BY 2.0
Audrey Hepburn’s Ascot dress and hat from My Fair Lady (1964) sold for an astonishing $3.7 million in 2011. Designed by Cecil Beaton, the Edwardian-inspired white lace dress with black bow details was part of his award-winning work as both costume designer and art director for the film, earning him two Academy Awards.
10. COWARDLY LION COSTUME FROM THE WIZARD OF OZ
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In 2014, the iconic Cowardly Lion costume worn by Bert Lahr in the 1939 classic The Wizard of Oz was auctioned in New York for over $3 million. Made from real lion pelts, the costume weighed nearly 60 pounds, making it unbearably hot under studio lighting. The auctioned piece is stuffed and features a sculpted mask resembling the face of Bert Lahr’s son, giving it an eerily lifelike appearance.
