▶ Watch Video: Major entertainment memorabilia auction goes live next week
Movie fanatics can mark their calendars for a lucrative auction of more than 1,000 iconic Hollywood costumes and props. Coveted items like Darth Vader’s lightsaber from “Star Wars” and the cursed medallion that Keira Knightley wore in “Pirates of the Caribbean” are up for grabs, but lower-ticket items are available, too.
Brandon Alinger, CEO of Propstore, which is hosting the event, said that Darth Vader’s lightsaber, which has a presale estimate of $3 million, actually found them.
“Literally a cold call on a Friday afternoon,” Alinger said, a “gentleman called in and said, I have a lightsaber.”
Alinger said the item was vetted for authenticity.
“We were able to work out not only which character used it, but exactly how it’s used,” he continued, “and you can see the small steel post that comes out of the top of it here, that’s how they actually mounted the blade on it.”
Alinger explains that there are ways to identify an item’s realness, and for the lightsaber, it happens to be what the original prop is made of.
“It’s actually made from a real-world item,” he said. “It’s part of a camera flash. All they did to turn it into the prop was add these plastic strips, and then for this specific one, they made some modifications to be able to mount the blade.”
Each object’s allure is also the unique story behind it — like Indiana Jones’ bullwhip.
“You know, the gentleman that owns that was gifted it as a child, when he visited the set,” Alinger said, “he’s had it ever since.”
The auction offers both virtual and in-person bidding at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles, but not every item is as high-priced as the lightsaber, with some starting at only $200.
While a prop from “Ghostbusters” may not be something just anyone spends their money on, for many people, collecting memorabilia is about the feeling an item can spark.
“There’s a certain category of films and shows that just get it, that just sort of transcend culture and are ever-present,” Alinger said, “and I think when people have the chance to hold a real piece of those in their hands, there’s a joy to it, there’s a wonder, there’s kind of a magic that these things inherently have.”
The event, hosted by Propstore, is set to take place Sept. 4-6.