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Top 16 Most Expensive Film Memorabilia Ever Sold as of 2024

Did you ever wonder what happens to movie memorabilia once a film is wrapped? Some of it gets destroyed, some is reused, and some of the most interesting items go back to the studio or get sold in private and public auction

The movie memorabilia market is worth about $30 billion a year. However, it’s set to increase stratospherically to about $1.3 trillion by 2030 as people get a taste for alternative investments.

Buying movie memorabilia is about far more than grabbing a piece of your favourite film. These iconic keepsakes have become investment vehicles all on their own. So, saddle up as we explore things like the most valuable movie posters and scripts and the most expensive movie costumes to uncover the most expensive film memorabilia ever sold as of 2024.

Table of Contents

1. INTERNATIONAL MOVIE POSTER FOR METROPOLIS BY FRITZ LANGE – $690,000

The international version of this classic silent 1927 is the most expensive movie poster of all time. Sold in 2005 at the Reel Poster Gallery in London, it fetched an incredible $690,000.

2. The Lotus from The Spy Who Loved Me – $860.000

The white Lotus Esprit from the 1977 film was part of one of the most memorable Bond moments when 007 drives off a jetty only for the car to transform into a submarine. In 1989 the car was sold in its storage container to an unsuspecting buyer for under $100. Once the valuable contents of the container were discovered, it was resold at auction for $860,000 in 2013.

3. Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s dress – $807,000

Hepburn is wearing the black Givenchy dress in the 1961 film when she steps out of a yellow cab in the opening scene. Expected to fetch around $130,000, the dress actually sold for $807,000 in 2006….another example of how the most expensive memorabilia can beat even the wildest expectations on auction.

4. Steve McQueen’s racing suit from Le Mans – $984,000

The suit from the 1971 film was originally donated as a prize to British newspaper The Observer and won by Thomas Davies who sold it for $155,000 in 2011. The same year it was sold at a Hollywood auction for a whopping $984,000.

5. Elvis’s Duesenberg from Spinout – $1.2 million

The classic 1929 Duesenberg used in the 1966 film which starred Elvis Presley sold in 2011 for $1.2 million.

6. The Do-Re-Mi outfits from The Sound of Music – $1.5 million

The dresses, made from curtains, worn by the Von Trapp children while sitting on the grass singing Do-Re-Mi in the 1965 film incredibly sold for $1.5 million in 2013. Just to re-emphasize, the curtains made memorabilia became one of the most expensive film assets in the world (as of the time of this writing in 2024)

7. DOROTHY’S RUBY SLIPPERS FROM THE WIZARD OF OZ – $2m

It should come as no surprise to see Dorothy’s ruby slippers on our list of the most expensive movie memorabilia. In 2012, a consortium headed up by Hollywood Royalty Stephen Spielberg and Leonardo Di Caprio so they could be shown in the Academy Museum in Los Angeles. The price? $2 million.

8. The Cowardly Lion costume from the Wizard of Oz – $3 million

The lion costume in this timeless movie looks so realistic mainly because it was made from real lion fur. It was bought by the Arizona Museum of TV in 2014 for $3 million.

9. X-WING FIGHTER MODEL FROM STAR WARS – $3.1m

This classic piece of movie history was the original model from the 1977 space opera. Sold by Heritage Auctions, Dallas, for $3.1 million in 2023, it’s the holy grail for Star Wars fans across the world.

The model was used in the breathtaking and much-loved climactic battle in “The New Hope.” Interestingly, the famous modelmaker Greg Jein thought the iconic item was lost but recently found it in a box in his attic. What a find!

10. SAM’S PIANO FROM CASABLANCA – $3.4M

“Play it again, Sam.” At $3.4 million, I’d want to hear it a few more times, at least. Sam’s Piano is easily the most recognizable movie instrument, so it’s no surprise at all to see it make our list of most expensive movie memorabilia.

Warner Brothers had the piano restored in the 1980s before the record-breaking sale in 2014 in Bonhams, New York.

11. My Fair Lady Ascot dress – $3.7 million

The beautiful white lace dress and matching hat worn by Audrey Hepburn in My Fair Lady is instantly recognisable and stunning. The Cecil Beaton piece made $3.7 million at an auction of Debbie Reynold’s memorabilia collection in 2011. A worthy entry on our 2024 list of most expensive film memorabilia ever sold.

12. The Maltese Falcon – $4.1 million

The statuette of the Maltese Falcon featured in the 1941 film of the same name, although some believe that lighter plaster copies were actually used during filming. It fetched $4.1 million in 2013.

13. James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 – $4.4 million

The silver Aston Martin featured in Goldfinger in 1964 and Thunderball the following year. The car was sold for £2.6 million (around $4.4 million) in 2010. The other car used in filming known as the effects car was stolen from an airport hangar in 1997.

14. THE BATMOBILE FROM BATMAN – $4.2m

The 1966 original Batmobile from the camp but much-loved 1960s series motors into the top three of our most expensive movie memorabilia after it was sold at the Barrett-Jackson house in Scottsdale, Arizona for a staggering $4.2 million.

15. Marilyn Monroe’s white dress from The Seven Year Itch – $4.6 million

When picturing Marilyn Monroe, this is the image that springs to mind: the blond bombshell standing above a subway grate while her flowing white cocktail dress billows around her legs. The iconic gown worn in The Seven Year Itch in 1955 was also part of the late Debbie Reynolds’ collection auctioned in 2011. It is one of the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia in history selling for $4.6 million.

16. ROBBY THE ROBOT FROM FORBIDDEN PLANET – $5.375m

Robby the Robot from the 1956 classic Forbidden Planet takes first place in the list of the most expensive movie memorabilia ever sold thanks to its sale at Bonhams in 2017. It’s easily one of the most iconic pieces of sci-fi and, according to Bonhams, “cinema’s most famous and instantly recognizable robot.”

At a cool $5.375m, it easily beats out the other most expensive movie costumes on our list.