Game of Thrones fans came out in droves to bid on hundreds of costumes, props and other items from the series in an auction that raked in over US$21 million (NZ$34.4 million).
The Heritage Auctions event in Dallas featured over 900 lots including suits of armour, swords and weapons, jewellery and several other items of significance from the HBO series.
The top-dollar item was the very thing the characters in the series vied for throughout its eight-season run: The Iron Throne.
After a six-minute bidding war, the throne sold for US$1.49 million (NZ$2.44 million).
The replica was made of plastic and molded from the original screen-used version, then finished off with metallic paint and jewel embellishments. In the series, the throne was forged with dragon breath that melted the swords of a thousand vanquished challengers and became a symbol of the struggle for power throughout the show’s run.
Heritage Auctions said in a statement that the event brought in US$21.1 million (NZ$34.54 million) from more than 4500 bidders.
The auction marked Heritage’s second-best entertainment event, just shy of the record set by a Debbie Reynolds sale it held in 2011.
Heritage executive vice president Joe Maddalena said in a statement he knew the auction would resonate.
“These are extraordinary treasures made by Emmy-winning costume designers and prop makers, who worked tirelessly to adapt George R.R. Martin’s wonderful novels,” Maddalena said. “People wanted a piece of that Game of Thrones magic.”
Beyond the coveted Iron Throne, over 30 other lots commanded six-figure price tags.
In an interview when the auction was announced in September, Jay Roewe, HBO’s senior vice president of global incentives and production planning, said the sale 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. “It’s impacted the culture.”
