The futuristic phaser rifle was created by game designer Reuben Klamer, who held on to his creation until 2013. Klamer sold the rifle at an auction for $231,000, and 8 years later, in November of 2021, it became one of the most expensive “Star Trek” props ever sold.
The rifle also marked William Shatner’s debut as the legendary Captain Kirk, as it was the first episode he appeared in as well.
The Tramp’s Cane
The famous cane became a symbol of Chaplin’s signature comedy, as he was always twirling and doing acrobatics to aid his comedy sketches.
The elegant cane was immortalized through Chaplin’s film as an icon of the silent film era, allowing it to sell for nearly half a million dollars nearly eight decades later. It was sold from a collector’s private collection, where it remained for decades before being auctioned to a silent film buff.
Star Trek (1966) - Phaser Rifle: $615K
It's not uncommon for multiple versions of a movie prop to be made for filming. This is why truly unique items can fetch a much higher price at auction. One example of this is the phaser rifle used by William Shatner in his first portrayal of Captain Kirk in "Star Trek: The Original Series."
This rifle appeared in the third episode of the series "Where No Man Has Gone Before" and was sold for $615,000 at the end of 2021.
Cast Away (2000) - Wilson Volleyball: $308K
One of the saddest scenes in cinema history is when Tom Hanks’s volleyball friend Wilson drifts away at sea in the 2000 film “Castaway.” After seeing Hanks’s character endure the impossible on a desert island, we get some relief when he finally creates Wilson.
This inanimate ball became the main character of the movie and sold for a whopping $308,000 in an auction in London in 2021. It sold for four times the estimated price!
Wilson the Volleyball
After discovering the volleyball in one of his FedEx packages, Hanks aptly names it Wilson, after its brand. Wilson undergoes some transformations throughout the film, first when Hanks’s bloody hand is marked, giving it the appearance of a face.
For the filming of the movie, there were dozens of Wilsons, but the version that sold for over a quarter million dollars featured Wilson wearing tobacco stalks for hair.