I don't know what I expected from Superman briefs. But to be honest, I was really shocked by its thin, slightly rough texture.
“This was worn by Christopher Reeve in one of the early Superman movies,” prop shop general manager Tim Rouse told me. The panties were on a model the same size as the actor's body, and my hands were caressing them. "There are indeed a lot of fakes, but when you see the real thing, you can recognize it at a glance."
This is how people feel when they buy these products. Purchasing these items is more like purchasing a piece of movie history, and it's this sentiment that has allowed the prop store to grow over the past eighteen years. The Prop Shop is one of the few reputable film and television memorabilia companies.
The company's headquarters are located on the outskirts of the village of Kermansworth, 32 kilometers (20 miles) from central London. It covers an area of 929 square meters and can be used as a temporary warehouse to store the unforgettable costumes, props and tools from these screens.
More than 500 pieces from the collection will be auctioned on September 27 this year, with a total auction value estimated at 13.2 million yuan (1.5 million pounds). Sadly, the event does not include Superman costumes.
Walking around the warehouse gives you an experience that transcends reality. The dismembered alien heads and limbs were placed on shelves or cupboards. A Terminator endoskeleton hangs from the ceiling. In the shadows, there is also the costume of the 2.13-meter-tall predator.
"It's really cool," Rouse said.
The ax used by Jack Nicholson in "The Shining" was one of the first items purchased by Prop Store CEO Stephen Lane. A plasterer who once worked on the set had been using it to chop firewood, Lane said.
"That ax is already hanging on the wall of my house," he said. "It's like a precious treasure."
The store primarily completes transactions online or in stores in the UK and Los Angeles. The auction later this month will also be the company's third.
One of the standout pieces is Batman's Batmobile, which was ridden by Christian Bale and Anne Hathaway in The Dark Knight Rises. It is expected to sell for 705,000 yuan (£80,000). The vehicle is equipped with 31-inch tires, a Honda 750 engine, cannon barrels and a laser targeting system.
But unfortunately, this car cannot be driven on the road yet.
"If someone wants to make it work later, it should be possible," Lane responded when pressed by the reporter. "Most of the parts needed to work properly are on it."
To complete the look, you also need the Batsuit from the movie, which costs about 5.288 million yuan (£600,000).
"This is an amazing piece of costume engineering," Lane said. "It's full of little parts and technology that you love. You ask, What is this? What is that? How does this work? I love that stuff."
There are many other standout items in this auction, including:
TIE fighter pilot’s helmet from Star Wars: A New Hope 440,000 – 616,000 (£50,000 – £70,000)
Stephen Spielberg’s slate in Jaws 264,000-352,000 (£30,000-£40,000)
Harry Potter's Hogwarts notice, which appears in "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone", with a wax seal on it, 26,400 – 44,000 (£3,000 – £5,000)
Personal notes from Attenborough Richard in Jurassic Park. 35,200 – 52,800 (£4,000 - £6,000)
Lane and his team looked at the sales price of a number of similar products that had recently sold, or the closest product, when determining the starting price. Prices also take into account the rarity of the item, the popularity of the movie and how it was used in the movie: the more important the item, the higher its price should be, Lane said.
Lane doesn’t think it’s as simple as a die-hard movie fan searching for a rare treasure. Lane made this analogy: Batman's tank is a very wise investment because it is the only tank for sale on the market.
Prop weapons including swords, axes and rifles fill the shelves from floor to ceiling.
The design team at Industrial Light & Magic created this X-Wing starfighter using commercially available model kits, and used the prop during filming of the Rebels' evacuation from Hoth in Star Wars: Episode II: The Empire Strikes Back.
“We haven’t reached the level of excitement and recognition that collecting rock and roll or pop music memorabilia has, but I believe we’re getting there,” Lane said. "There are a lot of people looking for these special items because they hope that what they see will become a rare commodity someday."
Joyce Jacobson is professor of economics at Connecticut Wesleyan University. He believes that general collectibles are not good investments. People often forget to consider the costs spent on shipping and storage.
"Sometimes the market will promote certain items and locations, such as Hard Rock, which will decorate its restaurant with memorabilia," Jacobson said. "But overall, the market is a little soft for most commodities."And the money can often be better invested elsewhere, he said.
"Compare this to taking $80,000 and investing it in a diversified no-load equity fund," he said. "In the long run, it's difficult to determine whether these purchases will be profitable."
In Lane’s view, regardless of the potential returns, the core of collecting should be a love of movies.
"Some people ask me, 'What should I buy? Which ones will make money?'" he said. "I always tell them the same thing. Come from the heart."
The prop shop auction is scheduled for September 27 at the BFI in Waterloo, LondonIMAX cinema. Before then, there will be a free, two-week preview starting September 14th. Registration has begun.
(Translation: Li Siqi)
