New York.- After watching eight seasons of the epic saga “Game of Thrones,” fans can now take part in a battle for the Iron Throne at an auction of coveted items from the HBO series.
Fans can bid on a wealth of costumes, props, set pieces and memorabilia from the hit show that ended in 2019. More than 2,000 items, including a melted version of the coveted Iron Throne, spread across 900 lots, will go up for auction in October through Heritage Auctions.
Starting bids range from $500 to $20,000 for items as iconic as Jaime Lannister’s armor and sword and accessories like the prosthetic teeth used by White Walkers.
Other notable items include Daenerys Targaryen’s capes, coats, and leather ensembles (some with chokers and dragon detailing) worn by Emilia Clarke, Jon Snow’s famous Longclaw sword wielded by Kit Harington, and the Queen’s Hand brooch worn by Peter Dinklage as Tyrion Lannister. Even items that didn’t get much screen time, like the bell wielded during Cersei Lannister’s walk of shame or the blood-stained outfit from the infamous Red Wedding, are expected to catch fans’ attention during the bidding.
Jay Roewe, HBO’s senior vice president of global incentives and production planning, said the auction, which he called a chance for fans to “grab a piece of history,” speaks to the staying power the series has had five years after its finale.
“’Game of Thrones’ reflected a moment in the zeitgeist of our culture. It was a moment in the zeitgeist of high-end television. It was a moment in the zeitgeist in terms of HBO,” he said in an interview with The Associated Press. “It’s something we all grew up with. It’s impacted every one of our lives. It’s impacted the culture, and ‘Game of Thrones’ has meant something to every single person.”
Although the series began in 2011 and several items in the auction date back to that time, they haven’t been “collecting dust,” Roewe said. HBO had carefully preserved thousands of props, costumes and pieces since the series began for use in potential spinoffs or sequels. With “House of the Dragon” having recently completed its second season and other projects firmly in development, as well as others that have been scrapped, Roewe said the studio now knows what they will have to hold on to and what they can let go of.
“These items have been selected and cared for since we finished filming. They retain the quality they had when filming ended, and we have had people working on them for years to keep them in shape,” he said. “We no longer need them. It is time to finally open them to the world.”
Beyond the preservation and quality of the items, the magnitude of the auction required months of collaboration with HBO and countless hours of research and planning to put together, said Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions.
Maddalena wanted to make sure fans and collectors didn’t feel like there were “any glaring holes” by including a wide variety of the characters’ outfits and accessories, which are displayed in a 750-page catalogue. There are even crucial items like Arya Stark’s small sword, of which there were several versions throughout the series.
The intricate nature and craftsmanship of the costumes and props is part of what makes the show so memorable, said Maddalena, who is also a fan of the series. Emmy-winning costume designer Michele Clapton was praised from the beginning of the series for the detailed and intentional designs that fueled the stories. The catalog features interviews with Clapton, executive producers David Benioff and D.B. Weiss and several of the cast members commenting on the episode’s specific use and significance of hundreds of the items. Maddalena called this type of access and information “uncharted territory” in the auction world.
“There are usually no studio-sanctioned auctions like this. This has been overseen by the studio,” he said. “Everything is from the archive. Everything was carefully selected, it’s scene-specific. You know where your piece was used. You know it was actually used on screen.”
For fans looking to get their hands on a piece of “Game of Thrones,” the vast collection is now open for preliminary bidding and the auction will take place Oct. 10-12 through Heritage Auctions in Dallas. The collection will be available for viewing at the auction house’s New York and London locations from Sept. 17 through Oct. 4.
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