DALLAS, TX.- Achieving a total of $14,098,033 across five days of bidding, Heritage Auctions’ blockbuster Hollywood & Entertainment Signature® Auction July 13–17 broke auction record after record with an unprecedented assemblage of some of the most significant film, television, music and popular culture artifacts from nearly a century of entertainment history. From Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber and Dirty Harry’s .44 magnum to the Wicked Witch of the West’s hat to one of Willy Wonka’s Golden Tickets and that rug that really tied the Dude’s room together, bidders enthusiastically competed for the costumes, accessories and weapons that have come to define the most recognizable heroes and villains in the world and the MacGuffins that drive their unforgettable quests.
“This auction showed the passion collectors have for the most iconic items in entertainment history,” says Joe Maddalena, Executive Vice President at Heritage Auctions. “These artifacts allow fans to hold a piece of our shared modern mythology, whether it’s the weapon that symbolizes the hero of an iconic franchise, the paper on which a generation-defining musician poured their genius into a beloved song or promotional material for a landmark cinematic achievement. It is rare for items like these to become available to collectors, and bidders clearly recognized this auction presented an incredible opportunity.”
Mark Hamill’s original screen-used Luke Skywalker lightsaber, wielded — and lost, along with Skywalker’s hand — during the climactic fight with Darth Vader in Star Wars: Episode V – The Empire Strikes Back, realized $3,750,000 Wednesday, a new world auction record for a screen-used Star Wars prop. The sale further establishes Heritage’s status as the market leader for Star Wars collectibles, with the auction house now holding auction records in three of the hobby’s most important categories: the most valuable screen-used Star Wars prop, the most valuable Star Wars filming model (the screen-matched Red Leader X-wing Starfighter, which realized $3.135 million in 2023) and the most valuable original Star Wars artwork ever sold at auction (Tom Jung’s original half-sheet key poster painting for Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope, which took in $3.875 million in 2025).
The lightsaber was one of the auction’s several larger-than-life weapons that have come to symbolize the big-screen heroes from whom they are inseparable. Clint Eastwood’s hardboiled police detective Harry Callahan famously carries a .44 magnum revolver in the Dirty Harry action movie series, and the Smith & Wesson Model 29-2 he held when he uttered one of his classic one-liners — “Go ahead, make my day” — in the 1983 installment, Sudden Impact, was among the auction’s hot items, ultimately making the buyer’s day for $206,250. Others included the flintlock pistol Johnny Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow carries in the second through fifth films in the Pirates of the Caribbean series, which realized $68,750.
Margaret Hamilton’s Wicked Witch of the West, from 1939’s The Wizard of Oz, is one of the most enduring and terrifying villains in movie history. Her instantly recognizable silhouette was defined by the sharp shadow cast by her conical black hat and its silk scarf trailing behind her — a spell-binding screen-worn headpiece that realized $550,000.
Other noteworthy signature headwear included the top hat worn by Gene Wilder’s Willy Wonka in 1971’s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. A photo-matched screen-worn hat from the collection of director Mel Stuart, one of only two known to have been used in the production, achieved a record $350,000. From the same film, one of the coveted prize Golden Tickets fetched $137,500.
The signature Starfleet tunic worn in the second season of Star Trek: The Original Series by Captain James T. Kirk (William Shatner) also made history, realizing a world record $325,000.
The most comprehensive collection of hoverboards from the science-fiction classic Back to the Future Part II ever assembled at auction offered examples of every hoverboard design seen in the film. Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment acquired two of the boards used by hero Marty McFly — one used in special effects flying shots and the other in close-up shots — for $125,000 and $87,500, respectively.
“Great Scott! Some of the most iconic props in cinema history have officially landed at Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment,” says Stephanie Antequino, Exhibit Acquisitions, Ripley’s Believe It or Not! World Entertainment. “These screen-used hoverboards from the production of Back to the Future Part II helped bring one of filmmaking’s most legendary visions of the future to life. Now, they’ve found a permanent home alongside our ever-growing Back to the Future collection, and we’re proud to be their next stewards. It’s an honor to look after these genuine pieces of movie history and to bring this heavy dose of ’80s nostalgia to generations of fans across the globe.”
Among many other highlights of the five-day auction, John Lennon’s complete handwritten manuscript lyrics for The Beatles’ 1964 classic “If I Fell” realized $656,250. Written on the reverse of a Valentine’s Day card during the band’s New York trip for their first appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show, the manuscript captures a turning point in music history.
Daenerys Targaryen’s (Emilia Clarke) Dragon Eggs and Chest used in the production of HBO epic Game of Thrones achieved $312,500.
The screen-matched hero “Otto the Autopilot” prop from the classic comedy Airplane! from the collection of director Jerry Zucker flew to a record $200,000.
Both of the hero rugs from the Coen Brothers’ neo-noir stoner comedy classic The Big Lebowski — the legendary “desecrated” rug that “really tied the room together” for hero Jeff “The Dude” Lebowski (Jeff Bridges) and the replacement rug stolen from the mansion of the wealthy Jeffrey Lebowski for whom he is mistaken — were offered publicly for the first time, each opening at $15,000. The Dude’s original rug smoked the record for a Lebowski prop, ultimately selling for $350,000. But that record didn’t last long, as the rug he appropriated took in $375,000.
