Lights... Camera...Auction! - Just Collecting

© Bonhams

Lights... camera... auction!

By Simon Lindley, JustCollecting

If you're a film fanatic, there are few things more pleasurable than owning a piece of movie history.

After all, who wouldn't want James Bond's Rolex watch or Indiana Jones' hat? Got space in the garage? Why not buy yourself the Batmobile?

Okay, you might not have the financial resources of Bruce Wayne, but the movie memorabilia market is open to every level of collector – and business is booming.

You'll find high-profile sales at international auction houses, dedicated dealers with links to film studios, and passionate fans trading thousands of pieces online.

Whether you love old silent movies or modern-day blockbusters, there's a piece of memorabilia out there for you.

However, if you're looking to movie memorabilia as a potential investment it's important to understand what elevates an item from B-movie quality to a Hollywood classic.

With the right research and the right piece, you could combine pleasure of ownership with a good financial return in the future. Because let's face it, what's more fun to own - income stocks or Luke Skywalker's lightsaber?!

But first, let's grab some popcorn and take in a quick history lesson.

A long time ago, in an auction room far, far away...

Before 1970, there really was no market for movie memorabilia. Most props and costumes were either re-used for different productions or simply thrown away.

There were a handful of niche collectors, but nobody placed much value on memorabilia from classic films – least of all the studios themselves.

In 1970 MGM Studios decided to free up storage space, and sold off their entire archive of over 350,000 costumes and props to auctioneer David Weisz.

It included some of the most beloved costumes in Hollywood history, such as Judy Garland's ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, and Gene Kelly's water-soaked suit from Singin' in the Rain.

Weisz then organized a massive auction and made more than $8 million, proving that there was an untapped market for movie memorabilia that has continued to grow ever since.

Where to start

Firstly, and most importantly, buy what you love. It's the old adage that any collectibles dealer will tell you, and it's especially true for movie memorabilia.

Maybe you grew up wanting to be a Ghostbuster, or to fly the Millennium Falcon? Perhaps you idolized Steve McQueen, or were terrified of the Terminator?

Owning something from your favourite film is the real joy of collecting movie memorabilia. And if you love the piece, chances are there are other collectors out there who will want to own it in the future.

Secondly, you should always buy the best you can afford, as condition and quality are two main factors in whether any collectible will rise in value.

In the past 20 years the market has gone from strength to strength, and today the most iconic items can fetch millions at auction. Some of those seven-figure sales include:

• Marilyn Monroe's iconic white 'subway' dress from The Seven

Year Itch (20th Century Fox, 1955) which sold at Profiles in History in 2011 for $4.6 million.

• The original piano from Sam's café in the timeless Casablanca (Warner Bros., 1942), which sold at

Bonhams in 2014 for $3.4 million.

• The falcon statue from classic film noir The Maltese Falcon (Warner Bros., 1941), which sold at Bonhams in 2013 for $4 million.

• Robby the Robot, the seven-foot robot from Forbidden Planet (MGM, 1956), which sold at

Bonhams in 2017 for $5.37 million.

As you can see, there's some serious money at the top end of the market, as wealthy collectors compete with museums and institutions for the best pieces.

But for those new to the hobby, there's still room to profit if you do your homework and follow a few simple rules.

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And thirdly, always buy from a reputable dealer or auction house. The market is awash with fakes, and genuine screen-used props and costumes can be as difficult to authenticate as Old Master paintings.

Once you've searched through auction catalogues, spoken to experts and found a piece of memorabilia to suit your interests and budget, it's time to consider a few questions: • Is the film considered a classic? • Does it have a passionate fan base? • Is the piece clearly identifiable on the screen? • Does it come with a strong provenance and chain of ownership?

The more you can answer “yes” to these questions, the more likely the piece is to offer you a return on your investment a few years down the line.

When it comes to 'classic' films there are some, like The Wizard of Oz or Casablanca, which are considered timeless, more than 80 years after their release.

1970s films like The Godfather, Apocalypse Now, The Exorcist, Picnic at Hanging Rock and Grease have already established themselves as classics, and will be discovered by new audiences for generations to come. And anything starring cultural icons such as Charlie Chaplin, Marilyn Monroe or James Dean will always have dedicated fans.

Memorabilia from these films can be considered 'blue chip', with a solid track record in the market, but with more modern films it's difficult to know which will stand the test of time. Will people still be watching Back to the Future in the future?

You might not have a crystal ball like the Wicked Witch of the West, but you can take an educated guess at what props and costumes could be worth more in years to come.

Box Office Gold

The most popular genres for collectors are science-fiction, fantasy and horror, along with famous action film series such as James Bond and Indiana Jones.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, Star Wars memorabilia is by far the most popular and sought-after by collectors.

Almost anything that appeared in a Star Wars film has a good chance of holding or increasing its value, whether it's Darth Vader's helmet, Han Solo's blaster or C3-P0's foot.

The most recognizable props now fetch six-figure sums, and in 2017 an original R2-D2 robot sold for a record $2.75 million.

Items from movies based on comic book superheroes like Superman and Batman are also a fairly safe bet, as the characters have been popular for over 80 years and are still going strong.

In December 2019, the Superman cape worn by Christopher Reeve sold at Julien's Auctions in Beverly Hills for almost $200,000, more than 40 years after the film's release in 1978. Memorabilia from more recent franchises like Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter and the Marvel movies is already fetching impressive prices, although it can be harder to find.

Hollywood studios now realize the value of these pieces, and you're more likely to see them in museums and touring exhibitions rather than auction rooms.

And thanks to CGI, many of the vehicles, weapons and even costumes from these films only exist as digital effects inside a computer. So anyone wanting to own Robert Downey Jr.'s Iron Man suit is probably out of luck.

But when real pieces do appear on the open market, canny collectors are quickly reaping the rewards.

For example, when a prop hammer used by Chris Hemsworth as Thor first sold at auction in 2012, it fetched $23,370; but when it hit the block again in 2017 it sold for $98,000, marking a 319% increase in value in just five years.

And despite being less than 20 years old, a pair of Daniel Radcliffe's glasses from the first Harry Potter film in 2002 will already set you back around $30,000.

Image © www.propstore.com

Courtesy of Heritage Auctions

Movie posters

If you're looking for something a little easier to hang on your wall, vintage movie posters offer you the chance to indulge your passion and own some truly beautiful artwork.

These original posters were designed by studios and distributed between cinemas to publicise upcoming films. They were never made available to the public, and most were destroyed when the films finished their theatrical runs.

Those rare examples which survived over the years are now highly collectible – and in some cases, highly valuable as well.

Once again, if you're considering movie posters as a potential investment, you'll need to do your research and buy wisely.

Vintage posters are usually graded using a 10-point system created by Jon Warren, author of Warren's Movie Poster Price Guide. The grade of a poster has a huge impact on its value, and investment-grade posters are those in 'Excellent' to 'Near Mint Condition' (C8 to C9) or higher. Anything graded C7 or lower won't appeal as much to collectors, making it unlikely to appreciate in value.

Just like movie props, the most popular areas for collectors tend to be horror, science fiction, and classic films from the 1930s – 1950s.

The most valuable are early horror movie posters featuring famous monsters such as Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, the Invisible Man or King Kong.

The current auction record for a movie poster was set back in 2017, when an original 1931 poster for Dracula starring Bela Lugosi, sold at Heritage Auctions in the U.S for $525,800 (£400,000).

Posters for classics like Casablanca, MGM musicals, 1930s crime and gangster films, and early Walt Disney cartoons can also fetch more than $100,000 at auction.

Those treasures may be out of reach for most collectors, but more modern posters from the 1970s, '80s and even '90s can offer huge potential for growth at an affordable price.

The value of an original 1976 Jaws poster has grown tenfold in the past 20 years, and posters for modern classics such as A Clockwork Orange, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction are all rising as the next generation starts to collect.

A Hollywood ending

The movie memorabilia market has been growing for over 40 years, and today's serious collectors understand both the cultural and financial value of these rare artifacts in a way that few did back in the 1970s.

These pieces are now considered a serious alternative investment in the same manner as art, classic cars, rare watches and vintage wine.

However, as any producer of a box-office bomb would say, when it comes to Hollywood there's no such thing as a sure thing.

Just like any other investment, there are no solid guarantees for the future. So the best reason to collect movie memorabilia will always be the same reason we watch movies to begin with: pure entertainment.

Simon Lindley

JustCollecting News: https://news.justcollecting.com

Paul Fraser Collectibles: https:// www.paulfrasercollectibles.com

simon@justcollecting.com / simonlindley@paulfraser collectibles.com

Simon Lindley is the editorin-chief of JustCollecting News, and an entertainment memorabilia expert at the rare collectibles company Paul Fraser Collectibles.