Movie memorabilia goes under the hammer
When it comes to alternative investments there are few which are more exciting than owning old movie props. Admired by collectors, investors and film buffs, movie memorabilia has a rare emotive quality which means that it’s easy to fall in love with the subject, more often than not evoking the feelings that came when first watching a revered film.
Not just objects for collectors, movie props have historically managed to provide investors with excellent returns. Once such example is Marilyn Monroe’s famous white dress from The Seven Year Itch which has increased significantly in value from its first sale price of US$400 in 1971 to US$5.6m in 2011. That equates to a massive 27% increase per annum and according to Just Collecting makes it the most valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever auctioned.
But getting your hands on a rare movie prop is not easy and only rarely do original pieces come to market. This is why the fifth annual live auction from London and Los Angeles based Prop Store is creating quite a buzz. The auction will see some 600 lots from over 150 movies and TV shows hit the hammer later this month on the 20th September.
Some of the most notable items listed in the auction include Marty McFly’s hoverboard from Back To The Future Part II which is set to fetch around £50,000; an original Wonka Bar from Willy Wonka And The Chocolate Factory which is expected to get £10,000; Indiana Jones’ hat from Raiders of the Lost Ark which has a price tag of between £200,000-£300,000 and Johnny Depp’s famous Edward Scissorhands’ costume which is likely to be sold for somewhere in the region of £80,000. Most notably, though, the jacket worn by Harrison Ford when he played Han Solo in Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back is projected to hit £1m.
These well-known and celebrated items, expensive though they are, are instantly recognisable and have been enjoyed by millions across the globe. This in itself makes the artefacts worth their price tags and it’s not crazy to think that they will continue to rise in value as wealthy collectors look to add them to their collections.
Stephen Lane, Prop Store CEO said: "After our record breaking successes last year, we’re incredibly excited to announce our fifth Entertainment Memorabilia Live auction in London and pleased to be partnering with the exceptional team at ODEON again. Our auction on 20 September 2018 will once again raise the bar, presenting some of the most iconic cinematic artifacts of our time.”
"We look forward to bringing together a global audience of film fans and collectors to London’s ODEON BFI IMAX for the two-week preview exhibition."
