Game of Thrones dragon-forged Iron Throne fetches £1.1m at auction
Jon Snow’s Longclaw sword was among hundreds of costumes and props that were available in the sale.
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 more than 21 million dollars (£16 million).
The Heritage Auctions event in Dallas featured more than 900 lots including suits of armour, swords and other 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 1.49 million dollars (£1.14 million).
The replica was made of plastic and moulded 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, which 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 21.1 million dollars (£16.1 million) from more than 4,500 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 that 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 RR Martin’s wonderful novels,” Mr Maddalena said. “People wanted a piece of that Game of Thrones magic.”
Beyond the coveted Iron Throne, more than 30 other lots commanded six-figure price tags.
Jon Snow’s signature sword, Longclaw, wielded onscreen by Kit Harington, sold for 400,000 dollars (£306,000) and his night’s watch ensemble, featuring a heavy cape, went for 337,500 dollars (£258,244). Both items kicked off prolonged bidding wars.
Starting bids ranged from 500 dollars to 20,000 dollars, but several items went for thousands of dollars more, such was the case for several cloaks and dresses worn by Emilia Clarke as Daenerys Targaryen and Lena Headey as Cersei Lannister.
A grey suede ensemble worn by Daenerys sold for 112,500 (£86,000), exactly 100,000 dollars over its starting bid, and the red velvet dress Cersei wears in her final appearance on the show went for 137,500 dollars (£105,210), which was 122,500 dollars more than its starting bid.
Suits of armour also proved popular, especially when they included sought-after weapons. Jaime Lannister’s black-leather armour ensemble fetched 275,000 dollars (£210,000) and his Kingsguard armour — including his iconic Oathkeeper longsword — went for 212,500 (£162,598).
Queensguard armour worn by the character Gregor The Mountain Clegane also sold for 212,500 dollars.
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.”
