Hundreds of Game of Thrones props to be auctioned

AAfter watching eight seasons of the epic saga Game of Thrones, fans can now take part in a competition that could rival the battle for the Iron Throne: an auction of valuable memorabilia from the HBO series.

Fans can now bid on a ton of costumes, props, sets and memorabilia from the hit series, which ended in 2019. More than 2,000 items – including a melted version of the coveted Iron Throne – spread across 900 lots will go on sale at Heritage Auctions in October.

Starting bids range from $500 to $20,000 for items as iconic as Jaime Lannister’s full suit of armor and sword to props as small as the White Walkers’ false teeth.

Other notable items include Daenerys Targaryen’s unforgettable cloaks, coats, and leather ensembles (some with dragon collars and embellishments) worn by Emilia Clarke, Jon Snow’s infamous Longclaw sword wielded by Kit Harington, and the Hand of the Queen pin worn by Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. Even items that didn’t have much screen time, like the bell worn during Cersei Lannister’s Walk of Shame or the bloodstained robe from the infamous Red Wedding, are likely to draw fans’ attention during bidding.

Jay Roewe, HBO’s senior vice president of global incentives and production planning, said the auction – a chance for fans to “snag a piece of history” – speaks to the series’ staying power five years after its finale.

“‘Game of Thrones’ was a zeitgeist moment in our culture. It was a zeitgeist moment in high-end television. It was a zeitgeist moment in terms of HBO,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s something we all grew up with. It affected the lives of every single one of us. It affected the culture, and ‘Game of Thrones’ meant something to every single one of us.”

Although the series launched in 2011 and several auction items date from that era, they aren’t “gathering dust,” Roewe said. HBO has carefully saved thousands of props, costumes and sets since the series began for use in potential spin-offs or sequels. With House of The Dragon recently wrapping its second season and other projects firmly in development – while others have been scrapped – the studio now knows what to keep and what to part with, according to Roewe.

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“These items have been carefully looked after since we finished filming. They are of the same quality as when we finished filming and we have had people for years to keep them in good condition,” he said. “We don’t need them anymore. It’s time to finally show them to the world.”

In addition to the preservation and quality of the objects, the sheer scale of the auction required months of collaboration with HBO and countless hours of research and planning to organize, says Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions.

Maddalena wanted to make sure fans and collectors didn’t feel like there were any “glaring gaps” in the collection by including a wide range of character costumes and props in a 750-page catalog. There are even several key items like Arya Stark’s Rapier Needle, which has had multiple versions throughout the series.

The intricate workmanship and craftsmanship of the costumes and props are part of what makes the show so memorable, said Maddalena, who is a fan herself. Emmy-winning costume designer Michele Clapton has been praised since the series’ inception for her detailed and thoughtful designs that fueled storylines. The catalog includes interviews with Clapton, showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss, and several cast members who comment on the episode-specific use and significance of hundreds of the items. Maddalena called this level of access and information “uncharted territory” in the auction world.

“Normally, there are no studio-sanctioned auctions like this. This is studio-sanctioned,” he said. “Everything comes from the archives. Everything is hand-picked, scene-specific. You know where your work has been used. You know it was actually used on screen.”

Fans who want to snap up a piece from “Game of Thrones” can now bid in advance on the extensive collection. The auction will take place from October 10 to 12 at Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The collection can be viewed from September 17 to October 4 at the auction house’s New York and London branches.