Wait, that sold for what? Clothes, cars and costumes – The Memorabilia That Sold For Millions
You might regret throwing away that old baseball card after you see this Infogrpahic. A new graphic from PlayNJ finds the film and culture memorabilia that went from props and equipment to multi-million dollar investments and collections – where they came from, who bought them, and how much they sold for.
Collector’s Items
There are a wide variety of items included in the graphic, and some unusual ones like the statue of the Maltese Falcon, the painting of the Sopranos, and the dance floor from Saturday Night Fever, but they’re not all equally valuable. Determined more by their cultural associations than their size, age, or purpose, these are the items of memorabilia that sold for the most:
- Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday Mr. President” Dress – worn by Monroe when she famously sang a sultry Happy Birthday to John F. Kennedy, this dress fetched $4.8 million when it went on sale in 2016.
- ‘The Girl’ Ivory Pleated ‘Subway’ Dress – anything attached to Marilyn Monroe sells well, as this is the iconic dress Marilyn Monroe wore in ‘The Seven Year Itch’. It went for $4.6 million in 2011, to Debbie Reynolds.
- Batmobile – the 1960s Adam West Batmobile wasn’t the first ever physical depiction of the familiar superhero vehicle, but it was the most recognisable one for many years. When it was sold to car designer George Barris as a Lincoln Futura, it was for $1. When he sold it on in 2013, it went for $4.2 million.
- Audrey Hepburn ‘Ascot Dress’ – from My Fair Lady, this is the dress Hepburn wore as Eliza Doolittle on visiting Ascot to test her new diction. It sold for $4.5 million in 2011, again to Debbie Reynolds.
- Babe Ruth 1920 Jersey – a piece of memorabilia for sports lovers, this jersey is the oldest-known New York Yankees jersey worn by Babe Ruth. It went for a stunning $4,415,000 in 2012.
For more of the top-selling memorabilia from throughout cultural history, check out the full infographic on PlayNJ here.
