Every so often, a collection appears that feels less like an auction catalog and more like a museum of imagination.
The upcoming “Hollywood Legends” Auction (Julien’s Auctions) features hundreds of artifacts from film and television history - costumes, props, posters, scripts, and collectibles that once helped bring beloved worlds to life. While the auction spans many genres, I couldn’t resist exploring the fantasy treasures hidden among its offerings.
Looking through these listings, I found myself thinking less about collectibles and more about time.
Some of these films arrived at different stages of life. A few I saw as a child. Some as a teenager. Others as a young adult. Some became favorites years later. The actors have aged. Some are gone. The collectors who carefully preserved these pieces are now passing them on.
This week my parents visited with my nephews for the first time. Watching one generation share stories with another while paging through artifacts from films that shaped my own imagination felt strangely fitting.
Perhaps that’s what fantasy has always done best. Not merely entertain us, but carry stories, memories, and a little bit of wonder from one generation to the next.
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Relics of Wonder: Fantasy Treasures from Hollywood History
Helfdane (Clive Russell) Stunt Ensemble from The 13th Warrior (1999)
My brother and I still quote this movie, 27 years after seeing it in the movie theater.
And what’s even cooler?
My nephews now do, too!
I remember reading that Omar Sharif didn’t like the movie and was embarrassed about being in it, but honestly, to teenagers with a healthy appetite for heroism and adventure, The 13th Warrior can hardly be beat.
Monty Python and the Holy Grail Book signed by Terry Gilliam, Terry Jones & Eric Idle!
Another masterpiece that transcends all generational barriers, blockades and problematic shrubberies.
It does my heart good to hear lines like “It’s just a flesh wound” coming from the mouths of youth born decades after myself.
Aztec Coin Prop from Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)
Who isn’t drawn to the lure of pirate treasure? Especially for generations of Disney goers who experienced the Pirates of the Caribbean ride long before (and after) the blockbuster films.
Clash of the Titans (1981) poster signed by Harry Hamlin
Still one of the best mythological adventure movies of all time in my opinion. Mirrored Medusa-murdering shields, blood-transformed desert scorpions, flying steeds, angry gods, beauty and splendor.
Reboots only prove that the magic of the originals is still real.
The Black Stallion Returns original poster art signed by the renowned Walt Disney Imagineer & illustrator, Dan Goozee
I don’t think I ever watched this movie but had to include the amazing artwork that evokes pure adrenaline-infused adventure.
Fun Fact! Dan Goozee worked on posters for Star Wars, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, The Goonies, Superman IV, Willow, Crocodile Dundee, Star Trek IV, James Bond (Octopussy, Moonraker, A View To A Kill) and more!
The Dark Crystal (1982) Jim Henson Signed Press Book
The 2019 series brought this classic fantasy gem (err, crystal) back into the spotlight for present and future fantasy fans.
GAME OF THRONES
Here are some other entries that tend to make me feel a bit wistful about the time that’s gone by. Does it really seem like it’s been 15 years since the first episode aired?
. . . and 7 years since it concluded?!
Stark Shields with Direwolf
Lannister Shield with Lion
Renly Baratheon Shields
Stark Direwolf Dragonstone Map Marker
Syrio Forel Training Sword
Ramsay Bolton Scroll to Jon Snow
Sons of the Harpy Mask
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003) Record Album signed by Elijah Wood (Frodo), Sean Astin (Sam), Billy Boyd (Pippin), and Dominic Monaghan (Merry)
Most of us don’t own a record player to ever desire this item, but there remain the epic grooves these movies have carved into our collective psyche.
How amazing is it that every time they re-release these movies in theaters, they outperform brand new releases?
New generations connect with them just like we did.
And the road goes ever on . . .
Circus Chain and Lock stunt props with Production Script from Big Fish (2003)
Among the many treasures in this auction, one item stopped me in my tracks: a prop and script from Big Fish.
It’s not the most visually impressive piece in the collection. In fact, compared to battle-worn shields, heroic costumes, and legendary fantasy artifacts, it’s surprisingly modest.
Yet Big Fish has long been one of my favorite fantasy films because it understands something many fantasy stories quietly explore: that a life well lived is magical and legendary in its own way.
Big Fish is a story about treasures of a different kind.
Not gold.
Not magical artifacts.
Instead, it asks what remains after the adventures are over.
It's a story about family, memory, and the larger-than-life tales we tell to make sense of our lives.
As I looked through these auction listings this week, shortly after my parents visited with my nephews, I found myself thinking about that idea.
The stories we inherit.
The stories we pass on.
And the realization that one day we become part of those stories ourselves.
Perhaps that's why Big Fish still resonates with me. Beneath its giants, witches, and impossible adventures lies a reminder that the most meaningful legacy we leave behind isn't found in the treasures we own, but in the stories that endure long after we're gone.
Most of us will never own a screen-used costume, a signed poster, or a treasured Hollywood prop.
Yet the real value of these artifacts was never the objects themselves.
It was the adventures they inspired, the stories they carried, the memories they helped create, and perhaps who they helped you become.
Whether these treasures end up in private collections, museums, or on another auction block years from now, the imagination they sparked continues its journey.
And perhaps that’s the greatest fantasy relic of all.
Like the stories in Big Fish, perhaps the real magic isn't found in the objects themselves, but in the memories, adventures, and legends that continue long after they've changed hands.
Until next time, Relic-Hunting Adventurer, Keep the Adventure going STRONG!
💬Tavern Talk
❓Which item in today's showcase would you most love to own?
❓Which fantasy film or television series has stayed with you the longest through the years?
❓Have you ever owned a collectible tied to a favorite fantasy book, movie, or game?
❓Which fantasy actor, creator, or artist most defined your imagination growing up or at other life stages?
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Anyone want to go in on the LOTR record? LOL. I listen to that soundtrack almost daily. These props are super cool, and there is so much lore behind them. They certainly bring verisimilitude to the movies, but also they are seemingly memory cues for us viewers. I instantly recall dialog and the actors who delivered the lines with one glimpse of these props.
Anyone want to go in on the LOTR record? LOL. I listen to that soundtrack almost daily. These props are super cool, and there is so much lore behind them. They certainly bring verisimilitude to the movies, but also they are seemingly memory cues for us viewers. I instantly recall dialog and the actors who delivered the lines with one glimpse of these props.
1) I would love to own the Monty Python book.
2) The movies that have always held my a place in my memory forever are The Beastmaster and Krull.
3) I do own replicas of Drizzt’s two scimitars (though people will say they are not scimitars since they don’t have any curve to them).