1966 Batmobile sets auction record at $4.6m

The original 1966 Batmobile has set a new world record for the Caped Crusader’s car at auction. Selling at the prestigious Barrett-Jackson’s Scottsdale Auction on Sunday January 20, 2014. The 19 foot long bubble car sold for an unexpected $4.6m , though the winning bidder wished to remain anonymous.

The original Batmobile is the only street legal Batmobile to have been made and boasts a 1956 Lincoln V8 engine and several gadgets, including Bat-ray projector and a Batphone. George Barris, the legendary Hot Rod designer converted a 1955 Lincoln Futura to create the vehicle which starred alongside Adam West and Burt Ward in the original live action TV series. After the show ended in 1968, it was put on display at the Barris Kustom Industries facility, where it has remained since.

Original 1966 Batmobile sells for $4,620,000 at Auction

Prior to the auction, Craig Jackson of Barrett-Jackson commented: “The 1966 Batmobile by George Barris is one of the most famous Hollywood cars in history and it has become a true icon that has been carried from generation to generation of Batmobiles to follow”.

“This vehicle not only marks the significant Bat logo that sits on the middle of its door, but a time in television history where they defied the odds of making a car the real star of the show. It revolutionised an entire industry that followed in its footsteps”.

My only question now is who was that anonymous bidder, could it have been Bruce Wayne himself?…….

James Bond’s Walther Gun $300k

Are movie props a good investment?

Since the global financial crisis I have met many people who were upset that their retirement plans were now on hold for another 5 years due to losses on the stock market or superannuation fund. Many have now diversified their investment portfolio to include ‘alternative investments’ which includes memorabilia and autographs.

An example I like to use is that of the Walther gun used in publicity shots for the James Bond franchise, which starred Sean Connery as the charismatic ‘James Bond’.

On the 29th of July 2013, James Bond’s Walther gun top performed at day two of the Profiles in History’s Hollywood Auction. The Walther gun, which is seen in publicity shots for four Bond films, most notably ‘From Russia with Love’ sold for $300,000.

The story behind the gun was that it was a last minute replacement in a publicity shoot, after it was discovered that the organisers had forgotten to bring Bond’s familiar Walther PPK. The actual photographer David Hurn practised air pistol target shooting and replaced the gun with his own, longer-barrelled Walther.

The air gun was last seen at auction at Sotheby’s in December 2012, when it made $195,672. Prior to this, it sold at Christie’s in 2010 for $437,501 making a 1036% increase on its pre-sale estimate of $20,000 and setting the world record for a James Bond gun.

You can see from this example, movie props can be a great investment and earn great returns, without having to wake each morning to read what has happened on Wall Street. Yes, not everyone can afford to splash out on a James Bond gun for $300,000 but you will be pleased to learn that movie props can start as low as $100.

After 13 years of being in this business I have met many actors with really unique props they acquired while being on set or had arranged to acquire rare props from the movie/television set as part of their performance contract. A couple decades later they come across them in storage and sell them for a pretty penny.

Outside of being a great investment, they also make spectacular talking points for guests to your home or office!

 

3rd most expensive piece of Star Wars Memorabilia ever sold.

Miniature TIE Fighter model

The third most valuable expensive piece of Star Wars Memorabilia and also the second-most valuable prop on the list is another survivor from the first attack on the Death Star, a screen-used model TIE fighter.

The fighter is known to fans as the one which collides with Darth Vader in the trench, allowing Luke to take his shot and sending Vader hurtling off into space to fight another day.

As a prop which changed the fate of the galaxy, the TIE fighter model commanded a top price at auction – a then-record $402,500 (inc. buyer’s premium), realized at Profiles in History in 2008.

(Photo & Text Credits: Profiles in History and Lucas Films Ltd)

2nd most expensive piece of Star Wars Memorabilia ever sold.

Featured in the first moments of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was this Rebel ‘Blockade Runner’. You might remember the scene when it comes under fire from a much larger Imperial Star Destroyer, representing the central struggle of the Star Wars story in a single opening scene.

The 16-inch miniature was filmed moving along the entire length of the Dykstraflex track (the world’s first digital motion control camera system designed specifically for Star Wars).

The ‘Blockade Runner’ originated from the collection of Grant McCune, Chief Model Maker on the film’s Miniature and Optical Effects Unit who won an Academy Award for his efforts. It was auctioned at Profiles in History in October 2015 for $465,000 (including buyer’s premium and tax), making it the most expensive Star Wars movie prop sold to date.

(Photo & Text Credits: Profiles in History and Lucas Films Ltd)

The most expensive pieces of Star Wars Memorabilia ever sold.

During the month of February we will profile from number 1 to 10, the most expensive pieces of Star Wars Memorabilia sold to date.

Opening the Top 10 of most expensive pieces of Star Wars memorabilia ever sold is this Panavision PSR 35mm camera used by George Lucas during principle photography of Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope in 1976.

It is one of only a handful of privately owned Panavision cameras within the motion picture industry. The sale included detailed provenance documentation, as well as paperwork from Panavision authorizing its private ownership.

It was later acquired by legendary Hollywood actress Debbie Reynolds as part of her famous movie memorabilia collection, and sold at Profiles in History in December 2011 for $625,000 (inclusive of buyer’s premium and taxes).

(Photo & Text Credits: Profiles in History and Lucas Films Ltd)