Imagine what a hero could do if they had Charlton Heston’s chariot from Ben Hur, T-1000’s jacket and Ripley’s flamethrower.
While the studios consider that excellent movie pitch, all of these iconic props and over 2,000 more of pieces of memorabilia from the golden age of Hollywood will go under the hammer from June 5-8. An event so big it has a name, the Icons & Legends of Hollywood auction is sure to be a multimillion-dollar affair of collectibles from Profiles in History, a Los Angeles auction house specializing in screen and stage memorabilia.
But before they go into some private collector’s home, New Yorkers can see some of the best items up close at a free show at the Society of Illustrators (128 E. 63 St.) The exhibit is open to the public on May 16 and 18 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and May 17 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Among the relics on display are Obi-Wan Kenobi’s lightsaber from Star Wars, Marty McFly’s hoverboard from Back to the Future, Harrison Ford’s blaster from Blade Runner, Richard Attenborough’s amber-topped cane from Jurassic Park, Sigourney Weaver’s spacesuit from Alien and Robert De Niro’s coat from The Godfather Part II.
With Star Wars getting possibly more popular than it was when A New Hope premiered in 1977, props from the franchise are expected to fetch some of highest prices, with the lightsaber used onscreen by Alec Guinness in A New Hope expected to go for $150,000-$250,000, and a Death Star model from Return of the Jedi for $150,000-$250,000.
The auction goes down in Los Angeles — check out the full catalog — but if you’ve got the pockets for it, you can bid live online.
