Robots are really having a moment. Amid a boon in futuristic technology, a relic of the past and one of the most famous androids to appear on the big screen has resulted in a whopping sale at Propstore’s spring entertainment memorabilia live auction.
A light-up C-3PO head from George Lucas’s iconic 1980 sci-fi film Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back sold for $1,058,400 (£801,818) including buyer’s premium. It delivered the largest sale of the auction thus far, besting items from films like Jaws, The Lord of the Rings trilogy, Pirates of the Caribbean, Top Gun, Batman Begins and more.
Per Propstore, C-3PO’s head is the only known example from the film to make it to the collector’s market. It’s not the first time that an item from Star Wars has sold for seven figures. In fact, it’s common for memorabilia from the franchise to garner huge sums from the auction block like when Darth Vader’s lightsaber sold for $3.654 million or the X-wing starfighter sold for $3.135 million.
The Propstore auction kicked off on Wednesday and continues today and tomorrow. Day one proved to be a lucrative spree as more than 250 significant film and TV lots hit the block and sold, netting $6.5 million (£4.9 million), including buyer’s premiums. Not only was it a big day for robots but sharks, too. A selection of memorabilia from Steven Spielberg’s Jaws reeled in a combined total of over $600,000.
“We’ve seen a strong start to the auction, with competitive bidding right from the outset, including a standout performance of the Rhino from Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which exceeded expectations,” explained Propstore COO Brandon Alinger. “The Jaws collection also delivered an impressive overall result, coming just after the film’s 50th anniversary and reflecting its enduring appeal with collectors. With such a diverse lineup of material still to come, we’re excited to see how the rest of the auction unfolds.”
Notable sales from the Propstore spring entertainment memorabilia live auction are below. (All prices include buyer’s premiums.)
• Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back (1980) Light-Up C-3PO Head: $1,058,400 (£801,818)
• Jaws (1975) Quint’s (Robert Shaw) screen and photo-matched W. W. Greener light harpoon gun mark II with screen-matched case and custom SFX shark dart: $327,600 (£248,182)
• The Lord of the Rings trilogy (2001-2003) Shards of Narsil: $252,000 (£190,909)
• Jaws (1975) Quint’s (Robert Shaw) screen and photo-matched Fenwick deluxe 670 130 lb. fishing rod with production-used Penn Senator 16/0 reel: $239,400 (£181,364)
• Cast Away (2000) Chuck Noland’s (Tom Hanks) screen-matched Wilson volleyball: $189,000 (£143,181)
• Gladiator (2000) Maximus’ (Russell Crowe) arena helmet and mask: $189,000 (£143,481)
• Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End (2007) / Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides (2011) Captain Jack Sparrow’s (Johnny Depp) screen-matched and photo-matched Flintlock pistol: $170,100 (£128,863)
• Scream 2 (1997) Allen Robinson collection: Screen-matched Ghostface mask: $126,000 (£95,455)
• Willy Wonka & The Chocolate Factory (1971) Golden Ticket: $107,100 (£81,136)
• The Terminator (1984) T-800’s (Arnold Schwarzenegger) screen and photo-matched jack: $94,500 (£71,591)
• Jaws (1975) shark tooth clapperboard: $81,900 (£62,045)
• Killer Klowns From Outer Space (1988) screen-matched Shorty Klown head: $81,900 (£62,045)
• Batman Begins (2005) Batman’s (Christian Bale) cowl: $75,600 (£57,273)
• The Natural (1984) Roy Hobbs’ (Robert Redford) “Wonderboy” baseball bat: $75,600 (£57,273)
• Star Wars: Return of the Jedi (1983) set of seven release print reels on 35mm Kodak Eastman stock: $69,300 (£52,500)
• Top Gun (1986) Pete “Maverick” Mitchell’s (Tom Cruise) screen-matched F-14A Tomcat filming model miniature: $63,000 (£47,727)
• Harry Potter and The Prisoner of Azkaban (2004) the Marauder’s map: $59,850 (£45,340)
• Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls (1995) Planet Hollywood collection: Ace Ventura’s (Jim Carrey) screen-matched oversized mechanical “butt birth” rhino: $59,850 (£45,340)
