By Mindy Burrows
LONDON (Reuters) – From Marty McFly’s hoverboard in “Back to the Future Part II” to a Stormtrooper Helmet worn in “Return of the Jedi”, a huge selection of movie memorabilia worth $7.5 million will be auctioned in London in November.
More than 1,000 lots, made up of costumes, props and other items are expected to fetch more than 5.5 million pounds ($7.52 million) at the Nov 9-11 auction by film and television memorabilia company Prop Store.
They include a full-size T-800 Endoskeleton from “Terminator 2: Judgment Day”, estimated at 60,000 – 80,000 pounds, Sean Connery’s James Bond suit from “You Only Live Twice”, with a price tag of 50,000 – 70,000 pounds, and Brad Pitt’s 8,000 – 12,000 Achilles’ sword from “Troy”.
Leading the lots is a light-up ILM X-wing filming miniature from “Star Wars: Return of the Jedi”, with a price estimate of 200,000 – 300,000 pounds. A Stormtrooper helmet from the same movie has a 100,000 – 150,000 pounds price tag.
“People buy this stuff to preserve it,” Tim Lawes, head of consignments at Prop Store, told Reuters.
“Basically what we’re about is the preservation of movie history and (for) most of the people that buy from us, these things will go into display cabinets, be it in somebody’s house, in a boardroom or in a museum. So these things are very much cherished and looked after.”
Movie fans can also buy a 60,000 – 80,000 pounds lenticular Mattel hoverboard signed by “Back to the Future” star Michael J. Fox as well as a screenmatched ‘Wilson’, the ball serving as Chuck Noland’s personified companion in the Tom Hanks film “Cast Away”. It has a price tag of 40,000 – 60,000 pounds.
There are also costumes from “Elf”, “Spider-Man”, “Blade Runner” and “Shakespeare in Love”.
“I think for most people (the appeal is) probably nostalgia. The higher value items tend to be films from the 70s and 80s and these are being purchased by people who now have a bit of money,” Lawes said.
“They’re recapturing that little moment of their childhood – perhaps watching a film for the first time on VHS or DVD or watching it around Christmas on television with their family … That’s really the majority of the marketplace.”
($1 = 0.7311 pounds)
(Reporting by Mindy Burrows; Writing by Marie-Louise Gumuchian; Editing by Angus MacSwan)
