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Top 10 Most Expensive Film Memorabilia Ever Sold as of 2023

July 2, 2022

When these props or costumes were originally used, nobody would have imagined that they would become so recognizable in modern film history that they would become some of the most expensive memorabilia pieces ever sold.

1. The Lotus from The Spy Who Loved Me

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.

2. Audrey Hepburn’s Breakfast at Tiffany’s dress

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.

3. Steve McQueen’s racing suit from Le Mans

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.

4. Elvis’s Duesenberg from Spinout

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

5. The Do-Re-Mi outfits from The Sound of Music

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 2023)

6. The Cowardly Lion costume from the Wizard of Oz

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.

7. My Fair Lady Ascot dress 

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.

8. The Maltese Falcon

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.

9. James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5

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.

10. Marilyn Monroe’s white dress from The Seven Year Itch

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 the most expensive piece of movie memorabilia in history selling for $4.6 million.

Valuation

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