Los Angeles (AFP)
Darth Vader's helmet and mask in "The Empire Strikes Back", "Wizard of Oz" dress, and Marilyn Monroe's nightgown are among the hundreds of Hollywood-related relics that will be auctioned off near Los Angeles next month.
According to the organizers of the sale, there are only a few copies of the Darth Vader's helmet worn by actor David Prowse, who played the sworn enemy - and the father - of Luke Skywalker in the first Star Wars trilogy .
This "Grail" of science fiction objects "is estimated in the catalog between $ 250,000 and $ 400,000, and you can never know how much something will go before the last hammer blow, it could well exceed that," says AFP Zach Pogemiller, from the sales house Profiles in History.
"Star Wars is still popular, it's never been as fashionable as it is now, with the series going on," he says.
Called "Icons and Legends of Hollywood", the sale takes place on September 25 and 26, with nearly a thousand lots expected to total more than ten million dollars.
Fans will find memories ranging from silent movies to contemporary times, to the "golden age" of Hollywood movies.
Among the most emblematic lots is a black and white dress worn by Dorothy in "The Wizard of Oz" in 1939 (more precisely by Judy Garland's lining, Barbara Koshay), which could reach $ 500,000.
Even more rare and kitsch, a lunar vehicle prototype stolen by Sean Connery / James Bond in "Diamonds Are Eternal" is estimated up to $ 600,000.
The catalog also contains costumes worn by Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet in "Titanic", Daniel Radcliffe's glasses in "Harry Potter at the School of Wizards" or the carcass of the famous DeLorean car shattered by a train in "Back to the Future 2 ".
"There are still stories of how some studio employees have saved unique pieces of the trash," says Zach Pogemiller.
"It's amazing that, until relatively recently, people have not had the presence of mind to safeguard all those objects that are part of our cultural history," he says.
© 2019 AFP