Movie prop auction features items from Star Wars, Jurassic Park

A cinephile’s delight. Props from film classics are up for auction this month at London’s Pop Store. The valuable items going under the hammer include dinosaur skulls from 1993’s Jurassic Park, a stormtrooper helmet from 1977’s Star Wars and the holy hand grenade from 1975’s Monty Python and the Holy Grail.

Notable pieces also included in the sale is the iconic axe from 1980’s The Shining and the purple Joker suit from 1989’s Batman. Both items were used by veteran Hollywood actor Jack Nicholson.

Pop Store expects the stormtrooper helmet, worn by actor Syd Wragg in the original Star Wars film, to go for over USD200,000 as reported by Reuters. Wragg’s name, penned on the helmet’s interior, is still visible.

The British comedy classic Monty Python and the Holy Grail’s “Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch” is one of the auction’s key items. It won’t be a surprise to see the prop grenade sell for a hefty price tag as the film nears its 50th anniversary.

“In true Monty Python style, this is actually built from a ballcock from a toilet system,” auction organizer Stephen Lane told Reuters of the item.

A similar interesting story lies behind Nicholson’s Joker Suit. Lane shared that the actor himself chose the same shade of purple for the costume as that of the Los Angeles Lakers basketball team. Nicholson is an avid fan of the NBA team and is constantly seen watching games at courtside.

Aside from these items, around 250 more are currently for auction out of the 900 available for display only at Waterloo’s BFI Imax Building.