Movie & TV Show Memorabilia News

They're snuck off set by cast and crew unwilling to part with props and costumes. Or they're held by the studios until they're released to auction. But when the greatest movie memorabilia finally makes it to sale this is where you'll find the details.

The legendary, the record breaking and the just plain odd - when movie collectibles make news, find them at Sports and Music Legends.

An attic collection to envy

For most households a trip into the attic takes place only once or twice a year when it's either time to get the Christmas decorations down or suspicions of an uninvited furry guest are to be checked out.

That isn't the case for the Sprague family however. But then again, it isn't a normal house.

Instead of a cluttered mess at the top of their property in Wales, man of the house, Edd, has transformed the loft into a spectacular Star Wars shrine including very rare movie memorabilia.

Autographs from the likes of Harrison Ford and the late Carrie Fisher are proudly displayed, as well as figurines collected over a 30 year period and shelves of LEGO including an Ewok Village and a Millennium Falcon.

Despite that, it was only the 2015 release of The Force Awakens which sparked Edd to dig out all his old memorabilia.

He then passionately scoured the globe to complete his set of original figurines from the 1977-85 movies, which saw new additions of an R2D2 with a pop-up lightsaber and Luke Skywalker in Stormtrooper disguise plus many more.

Those movie collectibles are now on show in the Sprague's attic and despite receiving offers worth hundreds of pounds from collectors in the States, Edd is determined to hang onto his treasured collection.

The primary school teacher's love for the sci-fi franchise has even seen him name his son Finn after the character played by John Boyega in The Force Awakens.

Now that might be going a little bit too far but if you're planning your own loft conversion, we've got plenty of movie memorabilia to fill those display cabinets!

Debbie Reynolds: The Queen of movie memorabilia

In December, Hollywood not only lost one of its most talented actresses of all time but also one of its greatest ever movie memorabilia collectors.

Debbie Reynolds was only 19 when she shot to stardom in her role as Kathy Selden in the classic musical Singin� in the Rain, but 18 years on from that stunning performance and Reynolds began to take a firm interest in the very movie collectibles that make the film world so great.

With movie memorabilia carelessly being auctioned off, Reynolds told a Hollywood reporter in 1970: "They literally threw away our history and I just got caught up in it."

It soon became much more than that, with items such as the movie cameras used to film horror classics Frankenstein and Dracula, as well as Marilyn Monroe's pleated dress from The Seven Year Itch all becoming part of Reynolds magnificent memorabilia collection.

With the Texas-born star desperate to share her collectibles with movie fans around the world she opened a museum but unfortunately due to financial problems, it was forced to shut down in 1997.

After failing to find other avenues to go down, Reynolds reluctantly opted to sell her collection in a series of infamous sales, starting in 2011.

Three years later and she had made $25million but with her passion not just about the glamour of being a Hollywood actress but also what happens behind-the-scenes including movie sets and costumes, it was a sad end to many enjoyable years of memorabilia collecting for Reynolds.

Marilyn Monroe memorabilia auction sets new world record

Iconic movie star Marilyn Monroe once said, "Fear is stupid, so are regrets", and there was certainly no fear shown by bidders in a recent world record-setting auction of Monroe's personal and movie memorabilia.

The three day auction fetched a spectacular grand total of $11million, which is the highest amount ever raised from a single event hosted by LA-based auction house, Julien's Auctions.

Topping the bill was the 'Happy Birthday Mr President dress' worn by Monroe in 1962 when she famously sang to President John F. Kennedy at Madison Square Garden.

How much would you pay for a dress? Well Ripley's Believe it or Not parted with $4.81 million to get their hands on that iconic piece of memorabilia.

That wasn't the only dress up for auction however, with famous movie collectibles including Monroe's cocktail dress from "Some Like It Hot" and a gown from her appearance in "No Business Like Show Business" selling for $450,000 and $81,000 respectively.

On what was an extremely diverse and fascinating weekend of bidding, fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger beat off competition from good friend Tommy Mottola to buy Monroe�s Pandora minaudi�re evening bag, while a signed driver�s licence and an address book were also sold.

That auction will take some beating but in the meantime why not check out some of our movie memorabilia here.

Twilight hits the auctions!

If you�re planning on popping the question to your Twilight obsessed partner, this latest movie memorabilia auction is going to guarantee you a big fat yes.

That is because the engagement ring worn by Kristen Stewart�s character Bella Swan in the vampire movie franchise is up for grabs!

You�ll have to fork out in the region of �2,400 - �4,000 however if you want to beat off competition from all those other Twi-hards, in what is being billed as the first Twilight auction of its kind.

That infamous ring is one of more than 900 props and costumes which will be available over a two-day period including the motorcycle ridden by werewolf Jacob Black aka Taylor Lautner, which is expected to fetch the biggest return of around �5,700.

Iconic outfits worn by Stewart, Lautner and Robert Pattinson will also be up for auction at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, with movie collectibles from the first three films on sale on November 19 and the final two movies, a day later on November 20.

It is guaranteed to be a fierce two-day bidding war, but let�s hope there�s no blood sucking�

In the meantime, why not get your teeth stuck into some of our movie memorabilia.

Harry Potter house up for sale

Next month will celebrate 15 years since the first Harry Potter film hit the screens and, as if by magic, there�s also a fantastic movie collectible up for grabs.

Actually, it may be a bit more than that because no.4 Privet Drive, the house where Harry Potter grew up with the Dursley family, is on the market for just under half a million pounds.

Although it may have been redecorated since the days of Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia and Harry�s cousin Dudley, one piece of movie memorabilia remains and that is the infamous cupboard under the stairs where Harry was forced to live.

That small, cramped space provided many uncomfortable nights for the young wizard but its iconic status is guaranteed to be a big selling point for all Potter fans.

If you like the sound of owning a magical property, no.4 Privet Drive is based in Bracknell, Berkshire and includes three bedrooms, a small south-facing garden with a new patio and a driveway which can fit two cars.

Despite the house being created on a set for future films following Harry Potter and the Philosopher�s Stone, no.4 Privet Drive will always be remembered fondly as the place where the film world first got to meet Harry Potter.

If that is a little out of your price range however, you can check out some of our Potter memorabilia here.

A wedding day fit for a movie�

We�ve heard of some extravagant weddings both at home and abroad, but how does the sound of floating into your new marriage sound?

�What are they on about?� you may be thinking, but if you�re a fan of old western films and movie memorabilia, we�ve got the thing for you!

The first ever yacht owned by movie legend John Wayne is now being used as a floating museum and you can stage your own wedding ceremony there!

You�ll be surrounded by great movie collectibles including props, theatre cards and signed photographs from various stars of the past.

And by hopping aboard the Norwester � which is docked in La Conner, Washington � you�ll be following in the footsteps of some serious film royalty, with the likes of Cary Grant and Gary Cooper attending parties on the yacht thrown by the Duke himself.

The yacht, which is owned by Guy Vallee, is open for tours, priced at $14, or a tenner to me and you.

With personalised items such as the Dukes� toothpaste and shaving cream still on board, it�s definitely worth a visit, but in the meantime why not check out our brilliant movie memorabilia.

There�s always Hogwarts�

If you didn�t get the GCSE or A-Level results that you were looking for, do not worry because we feel we�ve got the next best thing with a quirky piece of movie memorabilia.

Yes that�s right, Harry Potter�s Hogwarts acceptance letter is one of the items up for sale at a rare TV and movie memorabilia auction to be held in London in late September.

With the Hogwarts Crest printed on the back of the envelope, it is expected to go for a fee in the region of �3,000-�5,000.

We can�t think of anything better than this unique movie collectible to frame alongside your fantastic, or maybe not so good, results. You never know, if you�re lucky, your parents may even think it�s your acceptance letter�

If that is not the thing for you however and you�ve got cash to burn, there are plenty of other options with both Batman�s Batsuit and Batpod up for grabs and they could make up to �60,000 each!

Those popular items, as well as others including the wedding dress worn by Keira Knightley in Love Actually, will be on display to the public at the BFI IMAX in central London from September 14 until the auction on September 27.

With that in mind, why not check out our television and movie memorabilia here.

Boldly going, going, gone

A crew-load of Start Trek costumes (or Starfleet uniforms if you think it�s all real) has gone under the hammer in Hollywood � with the biggest price (relative to the expected value) fetched by� well, probably not who you�d expect.

With the 13th movie in the series, Star Trek Beyond, opening worldwide this week, it�s unsurprising that Hollywood based auction house Profiles in History timed this sale of TOS (that�s The Original Series to those who don�t speak Trek) TV memorabilia.

You might expect the tunics of Kirk and Spock to fetch the biggest prices � and they did, raising $60,000 each. But as CNBC reports, those figures were very much in line with � if not at the bottom end of � expectations.

The real winners were Ensign Pavel Chekov, played by Walter Koenig, and Nichelle Nichols� Lt. Nyota Uhuru, whose uniforms fetched $42,5000 each against much lower expectations.

All of which goes to show that, when it comes to TV and movie memorabilia prices, the actions of collectors are, as a certain blue shirted, green blooded science officer once said, illogical.

Want to beam up your own movie memorabilia (well, have it delivered by post, at least)? Take a look here.

Doctor Who, movie memorabilia and the pain of downsizing

What do you do when your other half decides it�s time to downsize? It�s time to wave goodbye to your cherished movie and TV memorabilia collection.

Some collections are just too good to broken up and sold, but when there�s no room to keep it all, selling it on to avid fans has to be preferable to sticking it in storage. That was the case for one collector from Hertfordshire this month, whose Doctor Who collection has outgrown the living space, and his wife�s patience.

�There's no way that we can accommodate all of these things,� she told the BBC. �The last thing I want is a Dalek in the bedroom." Well, quite.

But this is no ordinary Dalek. This is a prop from one of two �rogue� Doctor Who films, 1966�s Daleks � Invasion Earth AD2150, starring Peter Cushing and Bernard Cribbins.

The prop is incredibly rare, and was expected to fetch up to �15,000. In the end, it made twice that at Bamfords Auctions in Derby, with the gavel coming down at �32,000.

Also up for auction were a Cyberman costumer from Peter Davison�s era, an Ice Warrior costume from Jon Pertwee�s tenure, and a Magma Beast costume from Davison�s final story that was so unconvincing it goes a long way to explaining why he decided Patrick Troughton was right, and that 3 seasons really were enough.

All in all, the collector�s Doctor Who TV and movie memorabilia auction raised over �50,000 - which must surely have been enough to avoid the need downsize altogether...

Want to expand your movie memorabilia collection (before someone you love makes you sell it all again)? Take a look here.

What happens when your movie memorabilia auction gets pranked?

A replica Back to the Future DeLorean has hit the rather unlikely sum of $91.5 million.

You read that right. An auction by Universal Studios Japan has seen a replica of the time travelling DeLorean used in the Back to the Future trilogy max out the online calculator at a staggering �9,999,999,999, or $91.5 million.

That total seemed a little too good to be true, and so it has proved. Universal launched an investigation into the validity of the extreme bidding when the online auction on Yahoo Japan hit �1.5 billion. This seemed to trigger a rush of similarly unlikely bids until the total stood at over �7 billion.

It�s at this point that someone appeared to want the final word, and filled every field in the bid box with 9s.

So what happens when your online auction gets pranked in this way? In this case, investigations seem to have revealed that all the �billion+ bids were bogus, so auction officials have returned to the last genuine bid and gone with that.

This is good news for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson�s Research, which no doubt could have done some serious good with the �9,999,999,999 donation, but will still be able put �4 million � almost 5 times the initial goal � to Parkinson�s research.

The Movie Memorabilia Bug

A motoring movie icon is about to go up for auction�

Nowadays, if you were to tell someone that your Volkswagen had developed a personality of its own, chances are they�d say it was something to do with those dodgy vehicle emissions shenanigans.

Not so very long ago though, they�d have said one simple word: Herbie.

Herbie was the sentient Volkswagen Beetle who debuted in Disney�s The Love Bug in 1968. Now 6 cars from the sequels � including the 2005 Fully Loaded reboot starring Lindsey Lohan � are going under the hammer at Mecum Auctions in Indianapolis in mid-May.

The cars, which span 1977�s Herbie Goes to Monte Carlo, a 1997 TV remake and the 2005 reboot, are expected to fetch between $20,000 (for the more beaten up versions and an �evil� all-black variant) to $90,000 for a pristine Herbie with iconic �53� decals on the bonnet and door.

As far as we�re aware though, they don�t actually drive themselves, so keep your hands on the wheel if you buy one.

Life�s Labours Sold

Charlton Heston was never a man to shirk the big characters in human history. This was, after all, cinema�s most memorable Moses. Yet a new movie memorabilia auction shows that his real passion had more to do with the stage.

This week�s auction of Charlton Heston movie memorabilia (it�s at Bonhams, Los Angeles in case you�re planning on bidding) is a real eye-opener.

Partly, the surprise is just how eclectic it is � from pen drawings of the actor with his children, to fine art, cowboy hats and a garden bench, the auction is the literal sale of a lifetime.

Pride of place among the lots, though, are a series of items that show Heston�s real passion: Shakespeare.

Extracts from Shakespeare�s first four folios (the collected works) are expected to sell for $3,000 - $7,000 each. But the greatest prizes of all are two quarto editions of Macbeth and Hamlet, from 1673 and 1676 respectively. They are expected to raise as much as $35,000.

What�s so special about them? Quartos were �player�s editions�, slim, pamphlet-type versions of the plays where certain passages would be omitted in favour of focusing on the performance.

There are a number of quartos in existence, but they seldom appear on the market, and even more rarely appear in movie memorabilia auctions attached to a name like Charlton Heston�s � so they�re likely to be the star lots.

But if a Shakespearian quarto seems to have little to directly link it with the legendary actor, you can always opt for a bronze of the man as Moses.

Licence to sell

A SPECTRE-based auction in London later this month will be some lucky so-and-so�s chance to win some spectacular James Bond movie memorabilia.

SPECTRE, the 24th official Bond movie (we�re still not counting Never Say Never Again or the David Niven version of Casino Royale) is out on DVD imminently. To celebrate, a select, invitation only auction is being held by Christie�s on February 18th with 10 very special lots helping to raise money for Doctors Without Borders/Medecins Sans Frontieres, the United Nations Mine Action Service (UNMAS) and other charities.

Top of the wish list is Bond�s Aston Martin DB10 which has us salivating at the very thought of it. It�s expected to fetch between �1 and �1.5 million. Also in the catalogue are an Omega Seamaster 300 watch and a pair of Tom Ford �JB� cufflinks, raising �15,000-�20,000 and �3,000-�5,000 respectively.

If your movie memorabilia budget won�t quite stretch to the Aston Martin you might like to head to the online auction between February 16-23. There you�ll find Q�s laptop, as used by Ben Whishaw, and Daniel Craig�s sunglasses, both expected to fetch between �4,000 - �6,000.

Any movie collectibles with the Bond name attached always tend to beat expectations, so to guarantee your bid�s success, you�ll need deep pockets and a lot of luck. Or an evil henchman to get rid of the opposition.

Or you could just take a look here.

Autobots, auctioned

You�ll need serious space in the collectibles cabinet if you win this. Optimus Prime and Bumblebee are the star attractions of a new movie memorabilia auction.

Transformers fans, start raiding the piggy bank now. Barrett Jackson car auctions of Scottsdale, Arizona are auctioning two vehicles used in the Decepticon-beating franchise.

One is the truck that transformed into Autobot leader Optimus Prime, used in the first three movies. The other is Bumblebee, the 1967 Chevrolet Camaro SS used in the fourth movie in the franchise, Age of Extinction.

The publicity material for the sale notes that Optimus Prime�s spec includes �a custom bumper, "headache rack," dark tinted windows, glowing blue lights and the truck�s two most well-known features: the blue and red flamed paint job and "Autobots" badge mounted prominently to the grille shell.�

It�s a fully functioning vehicle too, with a real VIN, although attempt to drive it anywhere and you probably wouldn�t get too far for all the attention it would generate.

The Camaro is director Michael Bay�s own and features �an LS3 Corvette engine with overdrive transmission, and Wilwood brakes with added stunt caliper. The exterior is finished in satin black paint with high-gloss yellow accents and custom carbon-fiber fender flares and air dam.� The director has autographed the car too, just in case you�re in any doubt as to its authenticity.

Sadly, both vehicles are just vehicles. Don�t expect them to start talking or transforming any time soon, but there�s no reserve � which means (theoretically at least) even a relatively low bid could see these iconic pieces of movie memorabilia on their way to your home.

If you�re thinking of bidding, you can register here.

The Force Awakens feeds movie memorabilia boom

Why the new Star Wars movie could represent a watershed for the franchise�s movie memorabilia prices.

You might think that, unless you get in early, your chances of finding the best, rarest and most valuable pieces of movie memorabilia are next to zero. But no one seems to have told Japanese designer and collector Nigo, who just 6 years ago began collecting Start Wars memorabilia.

Just 1 week before the latest Star Wars film, The Force Awakens, hits theatres, he sold his collection via an online Sotheby�s auction for over $500,000.

Yet the real story is that so many items sold for far more than their expected price. From a rare Luke Skywalker doll to a set of 7 pristine, boxed figures from The Empire Strikes Back, Nigo�s collection kept trouncing expectations.

The likely reason is the renewed interest in this most durable of film sagas. An aging original trilogy hasn�t dampened the appeal to collectors. Nor has the relatively poor reception given to the prequel movies. But make no mistake, The Force Awakens marks a major landmark for movie memorabilia buffs.

If the film is the financial, critical and fan success everyone (especially Disney, who just spent $4 billion gaining the rights) hopes, you can keep your original Boba Fett action figure safe in the knowledge its value should continue to rise.

But what if JJ Abrams new movie is a Phantom Menace-sized disappointment? That would be a real issue for collectors, because just as the frenzied anticipation of the new movie has driven up memorabilia prices, so a disappointment could depress them, perhaps for good.

So if a happy retirement relies on your Star Wars movie memorabilia increasing in value, start praying now that the Force is with the new Star Wars movie.

Early Disney memorabilia up for sale

What�s the earliest Walt Disney collectible you think you�d be able to lay your hands on?

If you�re thinking the answer is some early Mickey Mouse movie memorabilia, nice try, but no. Real Disney buffs might suggest something featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit � Mickey�s forerunner - but you�d still be a decade too late.

That�s because, long before Mickey was born and movie success was even a possibility, Walt Disney was busy sketching characters and cartoon strips on the battlefields of wartime France.

The young Walt Disney was too young to fight during World War One, but he did drive Red Cross ambulances - and in his spare time he created a sketchbook of comic strips and characters (many of them rodents).

Two years later, Walt and his brother Roy would launch the company the bore their surnames, and paper would be replaced by celluloid. But this scrapbook, until recently owned by friends of the Disney family, is a remarkable insight into the development of the Disney style.

This unique piece of proto-movie memorabilia will go on sale at Bonhams in New York later this month and is expected to fetch more than $200,000.

Celebrating Back to the Future Day

Has any movie prop ever caught the imagination quite like the Back to the Future Part 2 hoverboard?

A quick, spoilerific recap on events at the end of Back to the Future: Doc Brown returns from the future to warn Marty McFly and girlfriend Jennifer that their children are in trouble. All three take the newly airborne DeLorean time machine back to the future to a date that�s rather familiar: 21 October 2015 � or last Wednesday as we�re now calling it.

The movie�s predictive success has proved rather patchy. We never reached Jaws 19. Cars don�t fly. And there�s no such thing as the internet in BTTF P2.

But if there�s one piece of the future everyone wanted from the moment they saw it, it�s the hoverboard, and 21 October proved the ideal date to celebrate Back to the Future Day with lots of hoverboard related movie memorabilia.

In Loughborough, student cinema chain Flix raffled off a prize piece of movie memorabilia � a replica hoverboard signed by the movie�s cast.

Universal released a spoof ad for a �working� hoverboard, and even got toymaker Mattel in on the action.

In California, skateboarding legend Tony Hawk test drove/flew the latest version of the Hendo Hoverboard. Less movie collectible, more leading edge science project the hoverboard is the first of its kind and actually works - although only if you happen to be skating above a copper surface.

And finally, at a movie memorabilia auction in London, a prop hoverboard from the movie sold for �26,000. Actually, that happened precisely one year ago, but no article on BTTF would be complete without a little time travel, would it?

Coolest movie memorabilia auction ever

Mighty movie memorabilia auction house Profiles in History is promoting its latest event auction. And the lots read like a checklist of 20th century pop culture.

Indiana Jones�s bullwhip. Darth Vader�s helmet. An actual alien (well, one of the creatures designed for the film). Princess Leia�s slave outfit. An original transcript for Orson Welles� War of the Worlds. Marty McFly�s self-lacing shoes (from Back to the Future Part II � a movie set in 2015. Gulp).

Auctions don�t come much bigger, and with expectations for each of these lots in the tens of thousands, you�ll need deep pockets to add them to your collection.

But how does one auction house become the go to place for selling the world�s most valuable movie collectibles?

It started with one man, Joseph �Joe� Maddalena. Joe loved collecting historical autographs, and when he needed a way of earning money he turned his hobby into a business, scouring old Hollywood bookstores for rare documents.

Joe knew his stuff. As a leading authority on movie memorabilia his credibility, passion and knowledge made him the natural choice for auctioning the biggest movie memorabilia. He opened his first office 30 years ago. 30 years later, a sports, music and movie and memorabilia store in the UK is writing about him.

Not bad for a hobby.

So next time you�re carefully selecting your next piece of movie memorabilia, bear in mind just how far your expert knowledge could take you.

The Hollywood Auction 74 takes place on 29 of September and you can browse the catalogue here. And if the prices are a bit much for your budget, you�ll find movie memorabilia for more modest amounts here.

Selling movie memorabilia to make way for more movie memorabilia?

Sly Stallone is raising money for US servicemen and women, and making room for new Rocky memorabilia into the bargain.

If you�re a serious collector, you know the feeling. When your house is creaking at the seams and you need to find more room for your latest movie memorabilia, perhaps it�s time to sell a few of the less cherished items.

That�s the position Sylvester Stallone has found himself in (although we doubt his house is really creaking at the seams). Nevertheless, the Rocky and Rambo star is auctioning off key pieces from both franchises to free up more room for, well, new Rocky memorabilia.

The auction of items including Rocky�s motorcycle, gloves and shorts and John Rambo�s knife and jacket will take place at Heritage Auctions on October 14 and 15, just ahead of the release of Stallone�s latest addition to the world of Rocky Balboa, Creed.

As AV Club reports, a portion of the movie memorabilia sale proceeds will go to armed forces charities, a fitting destination given Rambo�s � and a fair few of Stallone�s other characters� - origins.

�It basically is something that has bolstered my career so I thought I�d like to pay back the real people that have supplied the inspiration for the characters I�ve played,� said Stallone.

Ready to top up your movie memorabilia collection?

Shirley Temple memorabilia up for auction

Movie memorabilia from a short but memorable movie career.

Short, stellar movie careers are the stuff prime movie memorabilia is made of. Usually, the brevity of those careers is the result of tragic events. Take James Dean, River Phoenix and Heath Ledger, to name just 3.

Sometimes though, acting career longevity is a matter of box office performance and personal choice. By the time she was 7 (in 1935) Shirley Temple was the biggest box office draw in the world. By 1940 her box office was on the wane and she�d retired from acting completely by 1950 when she was a positively veteran 22.

Throughout her career, her mother collected and carefully stored the memorabilia she collected along the way. It�s this movie memorabilia � some 500+ costumes, dolls and toys � that was auctioned by Theriault�s of Annapolis this week.

As Theriault�s notes: �The collection includes: a child-sized racing car given to Shirley by her close friend and co-star Bill �Bojangles� Robinson, a Steinway baby-grand piano inscribed to her by, Theodore Steinway on behalf of his family, her extraordinary autograph books, and a myriad of Shirley�s own cherished dolls, playthings and signed letters and photos from such luminaries as President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eleanor Roosevelt, Irving Berlin, Noel Coward, Marlene Deitrich and Orson Welles.�

If you�re of an age where you remember her films, we bet you�re humming On The Good Ship Lollipop right about now�

A cunning movie memorabilia plan�

Blackadder has had a plan so cunning you could pin a tail on it and call it a fox. He�s taken his 18 year old, twice banged-up, 41,000 miles on the clock sports car, and sold it for a �7.3 million profit.

Blackadder has had a plan so cunning you could pin a tail on it and call it a fox. He�s taken his 18 year old, twice banged-up, 41,000 miles on the clock sports car, and sold it for a �7.3 million profit.

The car, described by petrolhead Jay Leno as �the greatest car of the 20th century�, was bought by Atkinson in 1997 for around �640,000.

Fast forward 18 years, and a new buyer (possibly a movie memorabilia collector, probably a car aficionado, definitely rich) has given Atkinson the heftiest of returns on his investment which, given its history, is something of a surprise.

That�s because the car that was sold isn�t quite the car Atkinson bought. As the Daily Mail reports, it�s been crashed twice, once in 1999 in Lancashire, and the second in 2011 near Peterborough. That crash was so severe it resulted in the engine coming to rest 60 feet away, an almost complete McLaren rebuild, and what is thought to be Britain�s biggest ever insurance pay-out of �900,000.

The new owner, we can assume, won�t face quite the same annual insurance bill as Atkinson, whose post-accident premium shot up to �60,000. You�ve got to really love your cars to pay that much for the insurance.

Happily, our TV and movie memorabilia is considerably less costly to insure (and to buy). You can find it here.

How far would you go to find movie memorabilia?

One Oregon man sets off in the footsteps of Reese Witherspoon � and finds her boot.

In the recent movie Wild, Reese Witherspoon�s real life character, Cheryl Strayed, embarks on a 1,000+ mile hike to escape her past life.

Her journey takes her from California to the Washington State border, and that means crossing Oregon. It was while watching the movie that local Oregonian Chris Kesting realised she was effectively walking through his back yard � an area he knew well. So he decided to retrace her steps.

As Cinema Blend reports, the opening scene of the movie sees Witherspoon flinging a distinctive, red-laced boot off the edge of a cliff in frustration. In reality, what should have happened next is that the production crew would have retrieved the boot, but they couldn�t find it. Chris Kesting could.

He knew the Mt Hood Skibowl area where the boot went missing and it took him just 15 minutes to find this unique piece of Reese Witherspoon movie memorabilia.

All of which begs the question, what other movie collectibles are out there, in the undergrowth or beneath the waves or dirt, waiting to be discovered?

Tell us about the movie locations you�ve visited on the Sports and Music Legends Twitter feed, and if you prefer an easier way to find movie memorabilia, you�ll find it here.

Our favourite Game of Thrones memorabilia

TV memorabilia at its geekiest.

Season 5 of the ratings behemoth that is Game of Thrones begins this week, and you�ll be unsurprised to learn it�s spawned more memorabilia than you could shake a pointy stick (probably with a severed head on it) at.

Here are some of the more eccentric items of memorabilia we�ve found on offer.

1. The sword/umbrella combo
An umbrella with a sword hilt. An impressive combination of geeky and ever so slightly threatening. Mind you, winter is coming so it should prove handy.

2. House sigil shot glasses & cookies
Considerately, they omitted the flayed man of House Bolton, because it�s tricky to eat/drink whilst looking at that.

3. House Stark earphone
Makes sense when you think about it. At least some light music will mask the screams.

4. Toilet cistern decal
All it takes is the addition of a few swords to turn a porcelain throne into an iron one.

5. The Iron Throne replica
The perfect addition for anyone with a stone-flagged, stadium sized living room. And the cost of this piece of TV memorabilia? $30,000.

For a less eccentric collection of TV and movie memorabilia, take a look here.

Paddington leads the 2015 movie memorabilia nostalgia boom

Paddington is showing 2015�s other crop of heritage favourites how it�s done.

$200 million. Not bad box office for a bear who arrived in London with nothing to his name but a battered suitcase and a marmalade sandwich under his hat. And the surprise hit of 2014 has got 2015 off to a particularly good start for TV and movie memorabilia collectors.

The success of the movie has sent collectors scurrying to the attic in search of 1970s and 80s Paddingtons. The earliest examples of the bear were made by Gabrielle Designs (set up by Jeremy Clarkson�s mum, fact fans) and a mint condition early Paddington could now be worth �500.

So whilst you�re digging out your old toys, what other reboots and reimaginings are happening this year that could see the value of your collection skyrocket?

Thunderbirds Are Go: cITV is bringing the Tracey family back to television with an all CGI version of the Gerry Anderson classic. Time to start dusting off that Tracey Island again (no not the DIY Blue Peter version).

Daredevil, Preacher, Iron Fist, Supergirl, Luke Cage, AKA Jessica Jones�: Think comic book titles are cluttering up your multiplex a little too often right now? You may want to avoid the TV in 2015 too, because at last count there were no fewer than 23 TV series based on comic books in production or development.

Still, by avoiding TV you�ll have more time to dig out your old comic books, which could increase in value if the corresponding series is a hit. And providing the world doesn�t tire of comic book shows very, very quickly�

The Odd Couple
Friends� Matthew Perry is part of a new TV version of the 1968 movie, which has already spawned a 1970s TV series and a 1980s remake. If the latest version is a success, memorabilia from the Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau starrer (or the slightly less starry Jack Klugman/Tony Randall TV version) could increase. Early reviews haven�t been kind though.

Jurassic World
Jurassic Park is 22 years old. Yikes. Happily, that means memorabilia from the first movie (and there was a heck of a lot of it) is now reaching a venerable age and could receive a welcome boost thanks to the Jurassic reboot later this year.

Star Wars
The Star Wars collectibles market is about as fractured and over-saturated as you�re ever likely to get. But given the Christmas arrival of The Force Awakens, it may be worth taking another look at your collection for any of the following:

• A complete set of the 12 original 1977/8 characters
• A complete set of the final 1984 wave of Return of the Jedi characters
• A 1980 Boba Fett action figure with a firing backpack missile

What movie memorabilia are you expecting to thrive this year? Tell us on the Sports and Music Legends Twitter feed.

5 directors who collect movie memorabilia

You�d think just making movies might be enough. But movie directors are fans too. In fact, they might just be the biggest fans of all, which is why you�ll find movie collectibles from their own and other people�s movies covering their homes and offices. Here are 5 directors with impressive collecting habits.

James Cameron
The Titanic and Avatar director keeps mementoes of all his movies at his Santa Monica office. An Avatar suit. A helmet from The Abyss. And of course there�s a Terminator arm hanging around. Our favourite? The wheel from Titanic which, Cameron once told 60 Minutes, reminds him he knows �what it�s like to be at the helm of a sinking ship.�

Steven Spielberg
Pride of place in an enormous film memorabilia collection goes to the surviving sled � the pivotal �Rosebud� � from Orson Welles� masterpiece Citizen Kane. Three were made. Two were burnt for the movie. Spielberg bought the surviving sled in 1982 for $60,500.

Peter Jackson
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings director is a serious TV and movie memorabilia hoarder. His love of Doctor Who is well documented, as is the fact he has his own Dalek and the 7th Doctor�s original costume.

And Empire magazine revealed this month that he also owns a number of Dad�s Army costumes and a pair of Baldrick�s trousers from Blackadder

Neill Blomkamp
If you�re going to collect movie memorabilia, there�s no point hiding it away, right? So the District 9 and Elysium director has a full-size android probation officer from the Matt Damon starrer sat at his dining table.

George Lucas
When George Lucas does memorabilia he thinks big. So big, he�s building a museum to house it all. The Lucas Museum of Narrative Art is currently under construction in Lucas� second home, Chicago (he�s from Modesto, California, but his wife is from the Windy City).

In addition to the Star Wars creator�s impressive art collection, the museum will house a full size Millennium Falcon as part of its movie props exhibition. Now that�s just showing off.

Where does your movie memorabilia live? Tell us on the Sports and Music Legends Twitter feed.

2015�s most prized movie memorabilia

Where�s the smart money being spent this year?

The roster of blockbusters due in 2015 has industry experts predicting a record breaking year for the box office. Here�s our entirely unofficial guide to 5 of 2015�s highest profile movie memorabilia investment opportunities.

1. Star Wars: The Force Awakens
When the 88 second teaser trailer for Star Wars 7 appeared online it amassed over 50 million views in a few days. Hamill, Fisher and Ford are back. Lucas is taking a back seat. And no Jar Jar.

After the critical mauling of the prequels, new franchise owner Disney needs this film to not only be a hit (which is practically guaranteed) but to sustain the market for many more Star Wars movies over the next decade. Find out whether it�s any good in December.

Movie memorabilia upside: It�s Star Wars
Movie memorabilia downside: It�s a crowded market, so your Star Wars collectibles need to be a) unique or extremely rare, b) immaculate or c) complete collections

2. Avengers: Age of Ultron
The sequel to the biggest movie of 2012, and after Star Wars, probably this year�s best bet for a sure thing.

Movie memorabilia upside: Marvel has yet to make a mis-step, and nobody does big action ensembles better than writer/director Joss Whedon (Toy Story, Buffy). Invest in Avengers memorabilia now and it�s unlikely you�ll be investing in a dud. Movie memorabilia downside: Spandex overload? Marvel and DC have announced plans to release so many comic book movies over the next few years there�s a danger of saturating the market. Mind you, that�s never hurt comic book sales.

3. Spectre
Bond 24 is shooting now. But in addition to the titular threat, the movie also has to face the Sony hack which saw an early draft of the script distributed online and the weighty legacy of Skyfall. Director Sam Mendes is back though, as is Daniel Craig, so don�t bet against them.

Movie memorabilia upside: Think Matchbox Aston Martins. Think bowler hats that fetch �62,000 (Oddjob�s) or bikinis that raise �44,000 (Ursula Andress�). And then think Skyfall, the UK�s most successful film ever.
Movie memorabilia downside: Give it enough time and there really isn�t one. Even memorabilia from lesser entries in the franchise (Die Another Day?) can prove valuable if rare enough.

4. The Hunger Games: Mockingjay � Part 2
There are two prime times to become a collector of memorabilia for a specific franchise: before it becomes a hit, and when everybody�s moved on. Make no mistake, the final part of The Hunger Games will be big, but we�d like to bet that with the story told, the merchandise may not perform quite as well as previous outings. Could be good news for wise collectors.

Movie memorabilia upside: See above
Movie memorabilia downside: Teen market movies (and their memorabilia) need to break out beyond their core audience to be huge hits. Hunger Games has done that, but will we still be talking about it in 10 years?

5. Terminator Genisys
Terminator 2 seems a long time ago. Neither Terminators 3 nor Salvation could reinject momentum into the franchise. And that raises the stakes for this Terminator reboot.

Movie memorabilia upside: Shrewd, collectible-friendly casting has already made this Terminator one to watch in movie memorabilia terms. Game of Thrones� Daenerys, Emilia Clarke and former Doctor Who, Matt Smith should bring in-built box office. Movie memorabilia downside: The Terminator franchise really needs a hit, as do Terminator collectors.

Holy disappointment, Batman!

It�s a movie (and other) memorabilia fact of life. Sometimes, even the best exhibits just don�t grab the memorabilia hunters� imaginations. As we reach the end of 2014, here are 5 prize collectibles/collections (some featured earlier in the year on these very pages) that fizzled at auction.

Van Dyck�s Head Study of a Man in a Ruff
The Antiques Roadshow�s most impressive �find� had been bought in a Cheshire antiques shop for �400. Verified as an authentic Van Dyck and estimated to sell for �500,000, the painting didn�t live up to expectations at auction, and failed to sell.

President Dwight D Eisenhower�s Rolex watch
Bidding stalled at around $475,000, short of the (unknown) reserve price.

John Lennon�s guitar
Much was made of the auction of the guitar used to record Paperback Writer, but the reserve price of �400,000 proved too steep a mountain to climb so, for the time being at least, the guitar is back home with its owner, Lennon�s cousin.

Prince William
Not the Prince himself, you understand, but a portrait of the Duke of Cambridge by Welsh artist Dan Llywelyn Hall. The guide price of �15,000 proved optimistic.

Steve Matthew�s Batman collection
Perhaps the most heart-breaking movie memorabilia tales of all are the ones of committed collectors who place years of care and effort up for auction only to find that the world says �Meh�.

Such was the case for Steve Matthews whose 2,000 strong collection of Batman memorabilia failed to hit the heights in a Manchester auction this October.

With around two-thirds of lots left unsold, Steve told the BBC, "The traditional stuff sells very well in the toy sales� but because [the Batman collection] was so modern - you can get lured into thinking that because you've got a lot of a thing, it makes it more valuable but it doesn't always work."

If you�re building up your own collection of movie memorabilia, take Steve�s advice and opt for quality over quantity.

And if you want to find movie memorabilia as a last minute Christmas gift, take a look here.

Gandalf staff sells for a magical sum

One piece of movie memorabilia to rule them all�

As the final part of The Hobbit, The Battle of Five Armies prepares to take over every screen at your local multiplex, a piece of movie memorabilia from the first Lord of the Rings trilogy has proved that it�s not only the written versions of Tolkien�s tales that have enduring appeal.

A staff used by Sir Ian McKellen�s character, Gandalf, in The Two Towers and The Return of the King (parts 2 and 3 of the original movie trilogy) fetched $390,000. The figure was almost 8 times the guide price in the sale by LA movie memorabilia auction house Profiles in History.

The staff, almost two metres tall and constructed by New Zealand props and effects house Weta, isn�t the first piece of Rings memorabilia to fetch an impressive price. So if you happen to have an authentic Middle Earth axe, bow or piece of armour gathering dust, now could be a good time to sell.

What do movie stars collect?

We are movie fans. That�s why signed photos, movie props and posters get us all giddy. But movie stars are fans too � so what sort of memorabilia do they collect?

We�ve featured celebrity collections in these pages before � from Leonardo DiCaprio�s amazing movie poster collection to impressive auctions by founding members of the Wiggles (no really). But then, stars do have rather more money to indulge their passions � which explains why, while we hunger for movie collectibles, the people featured in those collectibles invest in more rarefied collections.

When screen icon Lauren Bacall died this August aged 89, she left behind an art collection of staggering importance and value. Henry Moore sculptures, original Picassos and impressive examples of tribal art decorated the actress� New York, LA and Long Island homes. Now they�ll be heading for a series of auctions, the first of which, by Bonhams, is expected to raise over $3 million next year.

The marriage of Bacall to Humphrey Bogart is celebrated Hollywood history, the unlikely love that began in 1943 on the set of To Have and Have Not when she was 19 and he was 44. The pair were inseparable until Bogart�s death in 1957, and it was whilst accompanying her husband during the shoot of The African Queen that Bacall�s passion for art � and African art in particular - was kindled.

But Bacall was not alone in her passion for art. George Lucas, Harrison Ford, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, Daniel Radcliffe, Gwyneth Paltrow, Sly Stallone and Steve Martin all have a passion for art, and collections that would make your average gallery green with envy.

So while you collect their movie memorabilia, take heart from the fact that they�re hunting additions to their own collections too.

Easy Rider chopper heads for auction

Get your motor running. Head out on the highway�

Movie auctions always come with an accompanying brochure or catalogue which documents the movie collectibles for sale. Usually, each lot will be backed by some explanatory information in case the heritage and value of a particular piece of movie memorabilia escapes you.

But there are some pieces of movie memorabilia that really need no introduction or explanation. A big picture will suffice. And possibly the opening bars of that tune by Steppenwolf.

Easy Rider was the 1969 counterculture classic that sent Jack Nicholson�s acting career into the stratosphere, and proved a directorial high point for co-star Dennis Hopper. Hopper and star/co-writer Peter Fonda�s tale of dope smugglers on a road trip to Mardi Gras takes place in the saddle of motorcycles and on the roads between LA and New Orleans.

The bikes are the most prominent supporting characters and Fonda�s �Captain America� motorcycle, the last survivor of four used by actor in the movie and renovated by Fonda himself, is expected to fetch over $1 million at auction next month.

If you happen to have a spare $1 million handy and feel like doing something appropriately wild, you�ll find the movie auction details here.

Ker-pow! Batman sunk by new arch-nemesis

60s Batman movie memorabilia fails to overcome that most deadly of foes � the auction-room punter.

He�s all so moody and serious these days. But back in the 1960s, Batman was camper than a tent made of feather boas. The 60s TV series ran for a pretty impressive 120 episodes between 1966 and 1968, before beginning a 20 year cycle of repeats that turned its particular brand of day-glo silliness into a cultural icon. Which makes it all the more surprising that a rare piece of 60s Batman movie memorabilia has failed to sell at auction.

The success of the TV series led almost immediately to a big screen outing. Publicity stills for the film featured the Batboat (although it never featured in the film). Two versions of the boat were created and one made its way to auction in Surrey recently.

�It�s not your everyday piece of machinery,� owner and Batfan Mark Perkins told the Daily Mail. Nor does every piece of movie memorabilia come armed with bazooka hatches, twin canopies and a water squirter (to make it look as though the boat is travelling faster than it really is). But the movie collectible crowd at the Historics auction proved a deadly adversary and the boat, expected to fetch �36,000 to �40,000, failed to sell.

Which just goes to show that in the world of movie memorabilia there�s no such thing as a dead certainty.

Buy it again, Sam

You must remember this. The Casablanca piano is going up for auction this autumn.

Some items of movie memorabilia transcend their movie host and become part of something much bigger. In the 70+ years since Casablanca hit the big screen, �Play it again, Sam,� the song As Time Goes By and that line about a hill of beans have amounted to, well, a very big hill of beans indeed.

Now, the piano on which Sam (Dooley Wilson) played the tunes in Rick�s (Humphrey Bogart�s) bar is heading for auction and it�s expected to break the million dollar mark.

That estimate isn�t plucked out of the air either. A piano used in flashback during the movie sold at auction in 2012, fetching over $600,000. The big question, though, is whether this movie collectible can set a world record � currently held by a prop from another Bogart movie.

As mentioned previously in these pages, the world record for a piece of movie memorabilia was set at Bonhams in 2013, when a statuette from The Maltese Falcon sold for more than $4 million.

Is it possible that Bogey could grab 1st and 2nd spot in the world record memorabilia stakes?

Take your movie memorabilia back to the future

The power of movie collectibles. It�s a curious thing.

When Back to the Future II was released in 1989, one scene caused kids of every age to yell �I want one!� Hoverboards (skateboards that, er, hover) seemed just about the coolest thing since trainers that tied themselves � another futuristic invention featured in the film.

Well now you can have one, but you�ll have to pay around �15,000 to get it. The prop from the movie is just one of around �1 million�s worth of movie collectibles due for auction by Vue Cinemas at Westfield London in White City, in association with Prop Store.

Also under the hammer will be Arnold Schwarzenegger�s bike leathers from Terminator 2 � Judgement Day, a golden ticket from 1971�s Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, and a model Batmobile from Batman Forever.

Sadly, the hoverboard won�t really hover. Unless, of course, you happen to have a handy DeLorean and can pop into the future for the necessary parts.

You can view our movie memorabilia here (don�t worry, they cost rather a lot less than �15,000).

Humpty Dumpty sat on an auction room shelf�

For today�s TV memorabilia story, will we be going through the round window, the oval window or the square window?

It was always Humpty. Humpty was big, round and cuddly, and sported a curious British racing green top / tartan trousers combo that made him look like a Bay City Roller who�d really let himself go.

Big Ted and Little Ted were just bears and we had lots of those. Jemima was a rag doll and not of immediate appeal to even the most open-minded 70s boy. And Hamble was the one no-one liked. She had those creepy eyes that followed you around the room. No, Humpty was the one to own. And as of this week, Humpty ownership comes with the hefty price tag of �6,250.

This iconic piece of TV memorabilia was sold at auction in Oxford. The character was a constant presence during Play School�s run between 1964 and 1988 and fetched 4 times its initial estimate.

But don�t worry, because like every Play School story, TV memorabilia collectors in search of their own Humpty doll still get a (potentially) happy ending. The Humpty sold in Oxford was one of around 20 used on the show. So there are still 19 other versions out there somewhere.

And once they�ve all been snapped up, there�s always Hamble.

Princess Leia�s mum times it just right

Star Wars is about to become bigger news than ever (if that�s possible). So if you happen to have been a major part of the first trilogy. And if you happen to have some unique behind the scenes shots from your personal collection. And if you�re wondering when would be the ideal time to put your movie collectibles up for auction. Well, now would be good.

As with most things in life, in movie memorabilia auctions timing is everything. Take Debbie Reynolds, for example. The Singin� in the Rain actress is, of course, famous for a hugely successful career in her own right � but her daughter reached a different level of fame altogether.

When Carrie Fisher became Princess Leia in the first three Star Wars movies she became perhaps the most famous woman on the planet. Last week director JJ Abrams revealed the first casting shot from the new Star Wars trilogy (due to begin shooting in the UK this week) and there was Carrie Fisher, along with original trilogy alumni Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Anthony Daniels and Peter Mayhew.

So the timing couldn�t be better for Debbie Reynold�s movie memorabilia auction with Profiles in History. In addition to photos and posters spanning her own career, she�s also added a few items from her daughter�s collection. And if there�s any item of movie memorabilia likely to send the collecting world into meltdown, it�s a shot of Fisher, Ford and Hamill relaxing off-set.

Their involvement in the new movies provides potential for a whole new wave of movie memorabilia. So if you happen to be working on the new Star Wars movie and are not � by some curious oversight � contractually obliged to keep everything under Death Star levels of security, be sure to get in touch�

They don�t make �em like they used to�

Sitcom staying power creates sought after TV memorabilia.

British sitcoms haven�t fared particularly well over the past decade. For every hit like The Thick Of It and Gavin and Stacey there have been a dozen instantly forgettable failures. Anyone remember Big Top? Nope, thought not.

Even the hits aren�t as big as they used to be � and for evidence, you need look no further than our TV memorabilia page where a sitcom which started in 1981 and hasn�t aired a new episode (Sport Relief special aside) in over a decade is proving its enduring appeal.

Only Fool and Horses had a slow start, but by the time the Trotters reached the peak of their popularity in the mid-1990s over 24 million people were tuning in. Del�s mangled attempts at French have become part of the landscape, as has calling people �plonkers�. At the time of writing, a signed picture of David Jason, framed with 5 additional publicity stills from the show, is our highest value piece of TV memorabilia.

Crudit�s a la plat, as Del might say.

Movie memorabilia with added bite

Almost 40 years after its release, new images from the making of Jaws have been sold at auction, and fetched over $50,000.

You�d think that anything that could have been said about Jaws would have been said by now. This was the movie that invented the modern day blockbuster and sent the career of Steven Spielberg into the stratosphere. As such it�s a movie that has been dissected again and again � but never quite like this.

A newly revealed collection of photos and other movie memorabilia collected by a nautical engineer who worked on the movie, sheds new light on the day to day shooting of the movie.

Call sheets (which list the shots planned for each day) show 18 December 1974 as the day Bruce - the affectionate nickname for the model shark - was blown to pieces. Lifejackets bear the names of Spielberg, Robert Shaw and Richard Dreyfuss. And photographs taken on set capture star Roy Scheider on a break, and Bruce the shark being winched into place.

The auction, by Nate D Sanders auctioneers of Los Angeles, was expected to fetch $30,000. But this collection of movie memorabilia was a perfect example of how to please an eager market. Historic movie. Unique memorabilia. And approaching an anniversary year too. That the eventual price reached $50,330 is hardly surprising.

You can find signed movie photographs from your favourite films here.

TV and movie memorabilia with added bada bing!

There�s an auction of movie-related cars and the mere mention of your name can triple the price? Tony Soprano would no doubt approve.

The 1972 Oldsmobile 442 convertible is impressive enough without its movie star connections. Power steering, power brakes, electric windows and air con were hardly standard features of most 1970s cars. Add the classic 1970s two-tone leatherette interior and the special edition performance set up and any petrol head would be queuing up to join the auction.

But it�s the previous owner that lends this piece of movie memorabilia, to be auctioned this week by Barrett-Jackson in Arizona, even greater prestige. The last 442 to hit auction fetched a highly respectable $37,500 in 2011. Yet when Sopranos star James Gandolfini died last year, a Chevrolet featured in the show sold for over $100,000. There�s every expectation that this car�s Gandolfini connection could give it a similar boost.

If a trip to Arizona (or a possible sale price of $100,000+) puts this movie memorabilia a little out of your league, you can find something a little closer to home here.

UAE about to drive up the cost of movie memorabilia?

UAE publication The National ranks movie memorabilia as a �smart spend�. The rest of the world gets nervous.

We�re movie memorabilia fans � so we already know the investment potential of collectibles. But when a country�s national press suggests investing in movie memorabilia, collectors could be forgiven for shifting a little more nervously in their auction house seats. Especially when that country is the United Arab Emirates.

An article in the UAE�s The National this week highlights the ability of movie memorabilia to appreciate in value. From Bond cars to Maltese Falcons to Gene Kelly�s Singin� in the Rain suit, the article lists the record-breaking sums fetched by props from big movies.

Nor, the article stresses, are the prize film collectibles limited to older movies. Costumes and props from The Hobbit, The Hunger Games and the Harry Potter movies are all fetching big sums � amounts that will no doubt grow further over the next few years.

Should collectors be worried? Well, if you�re after a signed photo, animation cel or movie still, probably not. There�s enough to go round to keep prices affordable (you can explore some here).

But for those with their eyes on the major movie collectible prizes, a bigger market with often seemingly endless pockets can mean only one thing: greater competition will push up prices.

So next time a Maltese Falcon figurine arrives at auction, expect it to fetch even more than the $4.1m raised last time one sold. And don�t be surprised if it flies to the UAE.

Pinocchio movie memorabilia steals show at auction

An original production cel from Disney�s Pinocchio has fetched the highest price at an auction of animation memorabilia. No strings attached.

The cel, signed by Walt Disney and featuring Pinocchio and Jiminy Cricket, was expected to be one of the highlights of the auction, held by California�s Profiles in History. But its expected sale price of $20,000 - $30,000 was far exceeded as bidding topped out at $42,000

Animation cels have long been a prized form of movie memorabilia. The market in reproduction cels is huge � but the Profiles in History auction brought together a huge range of original cels from Disney and other studios. Other star lots included a rare Porky Pig cel, an early Snoopy sketch, and concept drawings from numerous Disney classics, detailing how characters and scenes evolved over time.

Although the auction is over, you can still view the brochure � and some spectacular artwork � here.

When is genuine TV memorabilia not genuine movie memorabilia?

He�s conned �35,000 out of unwary eBay customers. Now, �autographed� photos of David Tennant and friends have helped bring one fraudster to book.

Well they certainly looked genuine. Photos apparently autographed by David Tennant, Billie Piper and Karen Gillan. Sold as genuine. Even with their own certificates of authenticity. Only Andrew Sullivan of Lyng knew that the signed TV collectibles he claimed to be genuine were nothing of the sort.

It was a sharp-eyed customer who spotted that their photo of the one-time Doctor Who looked as if it had regenerated once too often. Norfolk Trading Standards brought a successful prosecution and a jail term looks likely.

We�ll save the expressions of faux shock � it�s not if we were previously unaware that this sort of thing is happening day in, day out, up and down the land. If we�re frustrated by this news story it�s because it�s very easy for retailers of genuine TV memorabilia to become �lumped in� with the fake and the fraud.

So, just to make it absolutely clear: we work hard to ensure all our TV, movie, sports and music collectibles are genuine. We were founded by Ian Austin, ex-Lancashire and England cricketer. When you know many of the world�s sporting heroes, as he does, you can be certain of obtaining authentic autographs. Many items are signed right in front of us.

So if you want to be certain that the TV, movie, music and sporting memorabilia you�re buying is the genuine article, trust Sports & Music Legends.

No Mr Bond, I expect you to sell

Now there's a turn up for the books. James Bond cars usually sell for millions, but one of the most iconic of them all has left the movie memorabilia world shaken but not stirred.

You know the scene: Roger Moore raises an eyebrow. Mrs Ringo Starr gasps. And the white Lotus Esprit plunges off the pier, into the water and transforms into a submarine. As classic Bond scenes go this one, from 1977's The Spy Who Loved Me, is up there with Aston Martin ejector seats, union flag parachutes and Ursula Andress/Daniel Craig rising from the waves in their skimpies.

So you might expect the only fully operational version of the sub-car, affectionately known as Wet Nellie, to come close to the �2.9m set in 2010 by the Aston Martin DB5 of Goldfinger and Thunderball fame. Not so.

This classic piece of movie memorabilia sold for a sizeable, but still rather underwhelming �550,000 at auction recently. London auctioneers RM Auctions had hoped for an upper limit close to double that.

So why the underwhelming price? Perhaps it's the fact that, despite being the only working sub version of the car, another five versions were made for other purposes. Or perhaps it's because the car isn't roadworthy (although it could be made seaworthy again, with a bit of work). Which means this movie collectible will forever remain a display piece.

You can find movie memorabilia better suited to dry land here.

New Doctor sees memorabilia sales soar

TV memorabilia sites go into overdrive at the announcement of the new Dr Who.

So the surprisingly well-kept secret is out. Peter Capaldi, the spectacularly profane political terrier Malcom Tucker in The Thick of It, will be the next inhabitant of the Tardis. But as Doctor number 12 was revealed a strange thing happened. Collectibles relating to Doctor number 11, Matt Smith, jumped 80%.

According to Dr Who fan site Kasterborous, the clock is ticking on the production of any new Smith-era TV memorabilia. And in the gap between the end of 11's reign and the start of 12's, there's a vacuum of TV memorabilia opportunities to be filled.

So whether your Doctor is Hartnell, Baker (Tom or Colin) or Tennant, it seems now, with the 50th anniversary approaching, is the perfect time to buy or sell your Dr Who TV memorabilia.

The hills are alive with the sound of...

... ringing tills. Costumes from The Sound of Music have fetched over $1 million at a movie memorabilia auction in California.

Back in 1965, when the 'loosely based on a true story' tale of the Von Trapp Family Singers was first released, few expected success. Fewer still could have predicted 5 Oscar wins and a longevity that remains practically unmatched. And don't get us started on the singalong screenings.

Yet The Sound of Music is hardly your typical movie collectibles fare. No action figures. No sequels. No special effects. So when TSoM movie memorabilia does arrive at auction it's a big deal.

The costumes, a set of floral lederhosen worn by the Von Trapp children and a dress and blouse worn by Dame Julie Andrews, fetched $1.3m (�845,000). Proof, if it were needed, of The Sound of Music's ability to climb every movie memorabilia mountain.

Captain America wins movie memorabilia auction

He was facing off against Batman, Indiana Jones and Luke Skywalker, but at ScreenUsed's July 6 movie memorabilia auction, it was Captain America who won the day.

ScreenUsed prides itself on auctioning movie memorabilia which, as the name suggests, has actually been used in the making or marketing of a movie. At $14,000, its latest auction winner was a distressed shield used by Chris Evans' Captain America in his first movie outing.

He was seen again in 2012's movie juggernaut The Avengers, and will return in his own sequel, The Winter Soldier, next year.

If you failed to bag this particular movie collectible, don't worry. Multiple shields are used in each film � and six test/concept shields were also designed, five of which never made it to screen. All of which means there are a few more pieces of Captain America movie memorabilia still to be found.

You will believe movie memorabilia can fly

Few pieces of movie memorabilia can be quite so bittersweet as the Superman costume auctioned recently for $35,000 by Julien's Hollywood Legends.

The latest 'reboot' of Superman, Man of Steel, opens in cinemas this week, but spare a thought for the film that spawned this particular piece of movie memorabilia � and simultaneously sank the Superman franchise.

1987's Superman IV, The Quest for Peace was a labour of love for star Christopher Reeve. Superman III had been a disappointment, a frustrating muddle which turned into a misguided Richard Pryor vehicle.

Superman IV would be different. New producers promised big budgets. Reeve himself oversaw plot and scrip development. Superman would rise again. It all looked so good on paper...

The promised money never appeared leading to special effects that weren't special, and set pieces that never appeared on film because there wasn't time to get them right. The plot was overtly preachy. The movie's main bad-guy, Nuclear Man, was a permed embarrassment. The film was derided. Christopher Reeve never stepped back into the spandex.

There's little to love about Superman IV. Even the suit and cape seem rather half-hearted. Yet they serve as a worthwhile reminder that sometimes the most valuable movie memorabilia doesn't come from movie successes.

Please sir, I want some more movie memorabilia

You want movie collectibles. You're eager to attend a convention to buy same. Unfortunately, for most of the year, your choice of movie memorabilia will frequently be limited to superhero, fantasy and sci-fi movies. So all hail the London Film Memorabilia Convention (LFMC) which, on 18 May, will celebrate a movie which features no spandex or spaceships.

It's all so easy to mock now. A staple of school shows, with songs so well known it's almost as if they've been around as long as the book itself. But Charles Dickens never wrote 'Food, Glorious Food' or 'Consider Yourself.' Lionel Bart did.

When it first hit the stage in 1960, Oliver! was a joyous revelation. 23 curtain calls on its opening night. Almost 3,000 performances in London alone. And a 1968 movie treatment that's as much a bank holiday staple as The Great Escape.

At the LFMC, you'll be able to have your movie memorabilia signed by Mark Lester and Ron Moody (the movie's Oliver Twist and Fagin respectively) and celebrate the first British musical to take Broadway and Hollywood by storm.

Movie memorabilia "for every collector" in April

Hollywood movie memorabilia you might just be able to afford? Crikey.

Now this makes something of a change. Usually when Hollywood clears out its cupboards, the movie memorabilia on sale is the sort of thing only the fabulously wealthy could afford. So it's good to report that Julien's Hollywood Legends Auctions will include some (hopefully) more affordable items amongst its collection.

There'll be the usual headline tv and movie collectibles, including items from the wardrobes of Marilyn Monroe, Tippi Hedren and Elizabeth Taylor. And big money will likely be paid for a Munchkin hat, a Star Trek laser rifle and a Bruce Lee battle claw. But the auction will also include 80,000 images of early Hollywood history, representing over 6,000 films.

With over 800 lots, you might just be able to bag yourself a movie collectible that doesn't break the bank.

And if you're looking for movie memorabilia that definitely won't break the bank, can we suggest this?

Top director auctions movie role

You can buy movie memorabilia. Or you can be movie memorabilia. David O Russell, director of Oscar favourite Silver Linings Playbook, is auctioning a role in his latest movie � with the proceeds going to charity.

The as yet unnamed movie will be shot in New York, set in the 1970s and star Jennifer Lawrence, who won this year's Best Actress Oscar.

This isn't the sort of 'stand at the back; don't say anything' sort of role either. The lucky winner will have a speaking walk-on part and will get to meet and greet the stars on set.

Proceeds from the auction will go towards the Kenny Gordon Foundation, a charity working to provide education scholarships for underprivileged youngsters.

If you'd like to bag this distinctly different form of movie memorabilia you'll need to bid at least �33,000 on the CharityBuzz website before 28 March.

Get your hands on our movie memorabilia and collectibles.

"Greatest" sci-fi movie memorabilia under the hammer

Klaatu barada nikto. Total gobbledegook, of course, but if you're a sci-fi fan those words have special meaning. They were the names of three aliens in Return of the Jedi. But first, they were uttered to the robot Gort in the 1951 sci-fi movie The Day the Earth Stood Still. Auction house Profiles in History has just sold what it's calling the greatest piece of sci-fi movie memorabilia ever to appear at auction: Gort's helmet.

Even if you haven't seen the movie, you know Gort. He was the classic movie robot: a silver giant, his laser vision bursting from posters that featured amongst some of the other movie collectibles up for grabs. Yet the real focus was the helmet.

The original costume was made for 7' 7" actor Lock Martin. The headpiece had suffered damage over the years, but has been lovingly restored, making it a pristine piece of movie memorabilia with many original features.

Expected to raise up to $150,000, the final price of $180,000 is a reflection of the impression Gort has made since his debut. The Day the Earth Stood Still may have been a classic Hollywood B movie, but as a piece of classic film memorabilia, Gort is definitely A-list.

Godfather movie memorabilia up for sale

You remember the scene. James Caan pulls up at the Long Island toll booth and meets a grisly end as he and his Lincoln Coupe are peppered with bullets. Now, you could be the proud owner (of the car, not James Caan) if you make an offer the owner can't refuse.

You might think there wouldn't be much left of this particular movie collectible, but when it bit the dust along with Sonny Corleone in Francis Ford Coppola's masterpiece, the car had been switched.

Two cars that were already in pretty poor condition were rigged with squibs and sprayed with bullets for the shoot out scenes, whilst the pristine Lincoln remains just that - pristine.

Cars with this sort of history always prove compelling movie memorabilia buys, and with this particular movie collectible there is no reserve or estimated price. Register your interest with Bonhams Scottsdale and you could bag yourself a piece of movie history.

The parallel universe of movie memorabilia

At a recent Texan movie memorabilia auction one of the earliest recorded posters of Mickey Mouse fetched a price in excess of $100,000. Last year, a cartoon featuring Oswald the Lucky Rabbit made less than a quarter of that amount. Quite right too, you might say. After all, everyone has heard of Mickey Mouse. And Oswald who? But it could all have been so different...

No one has ever quite put their finger on what it is about Mickey Mouse that, more than 80 years after his creation, still makes him one of the leading figures in movie collectibles. Even Walt Disney was rather mystified by his creation's accomplishments.
But Mickey almost didn't happen.

Walt Disney had a brief flurry of success with a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, who looks like a Mickey prototype. The success didn't last. When Oswald's popularity began to falter, Disney lost the rights to his distributor. A miffed Disney went back to the drawing board (literally) and created a movie legend.

The 1928 Mickey poster is a wonderfully rare piece of movie memorabilia, yet if Oswald's sales hadn't started to slide it would probably never have existed at all. Which means that, somewhere in a movie collectibles parallel universe, there's an Oswald the Lucky Rabbit poster that's about to fetch a fortune...

Insure your movie collectibles

For most of us, movie memorabilia is something to celebrate, display and enjoy. But for the more movie-savvy burglar, it's an opportunity.

It's with a sinking heart that we report the theft of rare DVDs and figures from a collector's home in Hampshire. The haul, comprising limited edition Harry Potter, Alien and Predator DVDs, and a large collection of rare Star Wars figurines, is believed to be worth around �20,000.

Police say the items' rarity makes them easily identifiable, but being difficult to sell isn't the same as being difficult to steal.

As we near Christmas many of us will be gift-wrapping movie collectibles. If movie, music or sports memorabilia is on your wish list, we'd suggest you take a good look at your collection, have it properly valued, and get it insured.

If the worst happens you may not be able to replace everything, but you will at least be able to build your collection again.

James Bond movie memorabilia - a 50th anniversary celebration

Visit Christie's auction house on 5 October and you won't be expected to talk; you'll be expected to buy.

It's 50 years since Sean Connery first said "Bond. James Bond." With the latest episode in the Bond franchise, Skyfall, due any day now, EON Productions are celebrating with a charity auction of Bond movie memorabilia that spans the full 50 years.

There's a first edition of Ian Fleming's Dr No novel at one end of the 007 time line. And at the other, a set of cufflinks inscribed with the Bond motto 'Orbit Non Sufficit' (The World is Not Enough) worn by Daniel Craig's Bond in Skyfall.

Our personal favourites are the 'trick' tarot set used by Roger Moore in Live and Let Die and a pre-production BMW Z8 driven by Pierce Brosnan in The World is Not Enough.

You can view more of the 007 movie memorabilia on Christie's website.

McQueen car most expensive

It is the most expensive car ever to be sold at an American auction. The Ford GT40/Mirage Lightweight Racing Car driven by Steve McQueen in the 1968 film Le Mans sold at auction for a mighty $11 million, a sum that is not only the highest paid for a movie car at auction, but one of the most expensive pieces of movie memorabilia ever.

The auction at Monterey, California resulted in a bidding war among collectors. When the final figure was reached the crowd gave a standing ovation.

Whilst we can't promise a standing ovation next time you buy a piece of movie memorabilia from Sports & Music Legends, you can at least feel relieved that it won't cost you $11 million.

Release the Stig

Some say its presenters are oafish, misogynistic has-beens still pretending to be 25. Some say that, despite ostensibly being a car show, it isn't - and that the only thing larger than Jeremy Clarkson's ego is his paunch.
All we know is: it's the most successful BBC export. In the world.

Right, we'll stop pretending to be Jezza and instead celebrate the success of a show which, despite a love it or hate it reception in the UK, is BBC Worldwide's most exported programme.

Top Gear is watched in over 100 countries around the world. In some cases it's the same format with local presenters (step forward Top Gear's US and German remakes), and in some it's the UK version - only with Captain Slow and the gang re-dubbed.

But the success of, on the face of it, a fairly unlikely candidate for world domination is helping raise the value of its memorabilia.

Making TV collectible
� It takes one of two factors to make a TV programme's memorabilia collectible. One is global success (however unlikely) a la Top Gear. The other is a level of cult fandom (Firefly, Red Dwarf, Blackadder, Buffy) that keeps a programme alive in the memory long after it's left our screens.

Occasionally, a programme will manage the tricky task of turning cultdom into global success. Doctor Who, number three in the BBC's export list, spent over 40 years bubbling along as a worldwide cult before 'suddenly' discovering spectacular success following its relaunch in 2005.

Get in early
With the BBC's stock growing ever higher, the message for collectors is clear - get in early. Want your pick of Sherlock, Torchwood or Top Gear memorabilia before they're discovered? You've missed the boat - they're already global brands.

The trick is spotting the new shows that will dominate tomorrow's global market. Time to start scanning the pages of Radio Times.

Raiders of the movie collectibles

There's a scene in Steven Spielberg's Raiders of the Lost Ark where Indiana Jones [Harrison Ford] and nemesis Belloq [Paul Freeman] debate what it is that makes an item valuable.

"Look at this watch," says Freeman, "It's worthless. $10 from a street vendor. But I bury it in the desert, wait a thousand years and it becomes priceless."

He has a point. Well, right up until his head explodes he does. And it's a point that stretches far beyond watches.

Take Raiders as an example. Signed posters, production stills, costumes, whips and hats remain hugely collectible. And this is a film that has only just sailed past its 30th birthday.

1000 years may be pushing it, but we'll surely still be avidly sourcing movie memorabilia from the movies of 1981 (or 2012) a hundred years from now. We are, after all, still collecting memorabilia from the birth of cinema over 100 years ago.

So, select your $10 piece of movie memorabilia, bury it in a desert for 100 years (or lock it in a trunk if you don't have a desert handy) and let your grandchildren see what happens...

The world's most expensive movie poster

Have a spare $690,000 to spare? Even if you do, chances are you'll still be unable to nab one of the rarest movie posters in existence because, if rumours are to be believed, Leonardo DiCaprio got there before you.

Only a handful of posters for the Fritz Lang's 1927 masterpiece Metropolis remain. Two are in museums. Occasionally one will surface for private sale, as happened recently, but the record holder is an international version of Heinz Schulz-Neudamm's design, identical to the original save for the absence of any German text.

The buyer was reputed to be Leonardo DiCaprio, whose mammoth outlay beats that for any poster before or since.

Why such a mighty price tag? It took until the 1970s for movie posters to start generating significant fees. Even classics such as Gone with the Wind or the Wizard of Oz had many of their billboard posters destroyed after general release as no one believed they would ever be of any value. This was especially true of movies such as the Wizard of Oz, whose success was built on generations of tv viewings, not its original theatrical release.

For Metropolis, released 12 years earlier, the fate of the vast majority of its posters means the tiny few still in existence are likely to be breaking records almost every time one appears.

Do you own movie memorabilia from the silent era? It could be worth far more than you think...

Marilyn still a top movie collectible

You can tell how much of a star someone is by the length of time their memorabilia continues to sell.

Take Marilyn Monroe. The New York Times reported recently that a wig worn by Michelle Williams, Oscar nominated star of biopic My Week With Marilyn cost $4,000. It will be heading for auction soon and is expected to sell for a record amount.

Let's stop and think about that for a moment. This isn't a movie collectible with any physical connection to Marilyn herself. It wasn't owned by Marilyn. It wasn't worn by Marilyn. It's a movie prop worn by someone pretending to be Marilyn. And even that is expected to break records.

In the world of movie memorabilia there are few certainties - but the collectability of Marilyn Monroe is one of them.

Did you know:

The ''Arabian'' test pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in the classic movie ''The Wizard of Oz'', sold for $627,300. The pair of ruby slippers were auctioned off for The Debbie Reynold's auction, and are believed to be 1 of 4 pairs made for Judy at the time of filming.

A record breaking price, it is

A Panavision camera used for principle shooting of Star Wars Episode IV - A New Hope, has become the most expensive movie camera ever to appear at auction.

Beating all expectations, the camera sold for $520,000. Used on the first Star Wars film, released in 1977, the camera had been owned by Hollywood actress and singer Debbie Reynolds, mother of Carrie Fisher, Star Wars' Princess Leia.

The camera also became the most expensive piece of Star Wars memorabilia ever sold, beating the previous record of $200,000 for a model TIE fighter used during shooting of the movie's special effects.

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