6 Movie Props That Sold For Jaw-Dropping Amounts At Auction

Dorothy's ruby slippers sold for $28 million — the most expensive movie prop ever

One of the surviving pairs of ruby slippers Judy Garland wore in The Wizard of Oz sold for $28 million in December 2024, making it the most expensive piece of film memorabilia ever auctioned. Several pairs were made for the production; one was stolen from a Minnesota museum in 2005 and recovered by the FBI over a decade later.

The Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane went for $14.75 million

Multiple sleds were built for Citizen Kane's famous final shot, and at least one surviving example sold at auction for $14.75 million. As one of cinema's most direct visual metaphors — an entire film built around explaining one object — it remains one of the most valuable props in Hollywood history.

The Maltese Falcon statuette sold for $4.1 million

One of the lead-cast falcon statuettes used in the 1941 film sold for $4.1 million at a New York auction in 2013. Like the Rosebud sled, its value comes from being the literal object the entire plot revolves around.

The original 1960s Batmobile sold for $4.6 million

Built from a 1955 Lincoln Futura concept car for the 1960s Batman TV series and film, the original Batmobile sold at a Scottsdale auction for $4.6 million in 2013 — a record for a piece of automotive movie memorabilia at the time.

The piano from Casablanca's 'As Time Goes By' scene sold for $3.4 million

The upright piano played by Dooley Wilson's character Sam in Casablanca's most famous scene sold for $3.4 million in 2014, reflecting just how much value collectors place on props tied to a film's single most iconic moment.

An R2-D2 droid from the original Star Wars sold for $2.75 million

Several R2-D2 units were built across the original Star Wars trilogy for different functions (remote-controlled, motorized, actor-operated). One of the surviving droids sold for $2.75 million in 2017, part of a broader boom in sci-fi and franchise memorabilia at auction.