Movie props used to sit in studio warehouses until someone cleared them out. In 1970, MGM sold the contents of seven sound stages to a Los Angeles auctioneer. The price was $1.5 million, a little under $12 million in today’s money. Few people then guessed that single items from those lots would one day cost far more than the whole haul.
Prices have climbed a lot since, and the last couple of years have produced some new records. The twelve props below are among the best documented sales, with prices as reported by the auction houses and the outlets that covered them. Where sources disagree slightly, I’ve said so.
Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz
These slippers sit at the top of the list. They sold through Heritage Auctions in 2024 for $32.5 million. That figure includes the buyer’s premium, which is why you’ll also see the lower hammer price of $28 million quoted in news reports.
The pair had a dramatic history. They were displayed at the Judy Garland Museum before being stolen in 2005, and it took 13 years for the FBI to track them down. The auction was held on December 7, 2024.
The Rosebud Sled from Citizen Kane
A painted wooden sled took second place on the all time film memorabilia list. Heritage Auctions offered it during its Hollywood and Entertainment Signature Auction in Dallas, held July 16 to 18, 2025. It sold for $14.75 million, the second highest price ever paid for film memorabilia.
The sled plays a key role in Orson Welles’ 1941 film. Only the ruby slippers have gone for more, so the sled sits well clear of everything else that has come to auction.
Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet
Robby held the record for years. He sold for $5,375,000, including premium, at Bonhams New York on November 21, 2017. Guinness World Records recognised it as the most expensive film prop sold at auction at that time.
Buyers got more than a robot. The lot included an alternative head, the control console and the motorized jeep Robby used on screen in the 1956 film. He was also one of the most expensive props of his day to build, costing over $100,000.
The Goldfinger Aston Martin DB5
James Bond’s gadget laden car is the best known movie vehicle in the world. The tricked out DB5 made its debut in Goldfinger, and it sold for 6.4 million dollars. The sale took place at RM Sotheby’s Monterey event in August 2019.
That price still ranks among the highest ever paid for a car tied to a film. Cars like this are a special case because they work as both a prop and a classic collector vehicle, so two sets of bidders compete for them.
Luke Skywalker’s Lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back
This is the freshest record on the list. Mark Hamill’s screen used lightsaber, the one lost along with Luke’s hand in the fight with Darth Vader, realized $3,750,000. The report from Heritage Auctions is dated July 2026.
That set a new world auction record for a screen used Star Wars prop. It edged out the previous mark by a modest amount, which tells you how closely the top of the Star Wars market has been running.
Darth Vader’s Hero Lightsaber
The previous Star Wars record belonged to the villain. Darth Vader’s hero lightsaber realized $3,654,000 including buyer’s premium. Propstore sold it in Los Angeles on September 4, 2025.
Propstore described it as the only hero lightsaber from The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi with verifiable screen use ever offered at public auction. That rarity helps explain the price. Reports at the time rounded it to about $3.6 million.
The Maltese Falcon
The black bird at the center of the 1941 film is a prop with a debate attached. Some collectors question whether it’s the main hero statue. Despite that, it fetched about $4 million at auction in 2013.
Two statues were made for the film, but only one was used during filming, and Las Vegas hotelier Steve Wynn bought it for over 4 million dollars. Other outlets round the price to about $4.1 million, so expect small differences depending on what you read.
Sam’s Piano from Casablanca
The upright piano from Rick’s Café is one of the most recognisable instruments in cinema. It appeared in the As Time Goes By scene and sold at auction in 2014 for $3,400,000. The sale happened at Bonhams in New York.
Not every outlet agrees on the number. One roundup lists the piano at $2.9 million, though the Bonhams figure of $3.4 million is the one most often cited.
Red Leader’s X-wing Starfighter
Props aren’t always small. The screen matched Red Leader X-wing filming model realized $3.135 million in 2023. Heritage Auctions handled the sale.
It remains the most valuable Star Wars filming model sold at auction. Filming models like this one were built to be photographed, and the surviving ones are very few.
Indiana Jones’s Fedora from Temple of Doom
The hat is almost as famous as the hero. Harrison Ford’s brown felt fedora, made for the second Indiana Jones film, sold for $630,000 in August 2024.
That is a lot for a piece of headwear. Hats worn on screen tend to carry the most personal connection to an actor, which collectors clearly value.
Indiana Jones’s Bullwhip from The Last Crusade
The same franchise produced another six figure sale in 2025. A bullwhip used by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade fetched $525,000. It turned up at the Heritage Auctions event in Dallas in July.
The whip had been presented to the then Prince of Wales at the film’s London premiere in 1989. That royal link gave the lot a story beyond its screen use.
The Floating Door from Titanic
This is the prop fans have argued about for decades, namely whether Jack could have fit on it. It sold for over $718,750. The sale was held by Heritage Auctions in early 2024.
The price topped many expectations for what was, in plain terms, a piece of wood cut for a film set. Its place in one of the most famous endings in movies did the rest.
