Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Indiana Jones’ iconic whip among famous movie props up for auction

Many of movies’ most sought-after props are going up for auction, including the Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane

Ap Correspondent
Wednesday 11 June 2025 14:00 BST
A whip wielded by Harrison Ford during the Holy Grail trials of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will be up for auction
A whip wielded by Harrison Ford during the Holy Grail trials of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will be up for auction (Paramount)

Some of cinema's most iconic props, including Indiana Jones’ famous whip, are set to go under the hammer in an auction next month.

The Summer Entertainment Auction, hosted by Heritage Auctions from July 15-19, also features science fiction treasures from the Star Wars universe, such as a miniature of Luke Skywalker’s X-wing starfighter, used in The Empire Strikes Back.

Also up for grabs are the lightsabers wielded by Ewan McGregor’s Obi-Wan Kenobi and Hayden Christensen’s Anakin Skywalker in Revenge of the Sith.

The Rosebud sled, a key symbol from Orson Welles’ 1941 masterpiece Citizen Kane, represents the childhood of Charles Foster Kane. The sled is one of only three known to have survived.

It's owned by Gremlins director Joe Dante, who stumbled on it when he was filming on the former RKO Pictures lot in 1984.

Dante wasn’t a collector, but knew the value of the sled and quietly preserved it for decades, putting it as an Easter egg into four of his own films.

This combination of images shows the Rosebud sled from the film Citizen Kane, left, a whip wielded by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, center, and the knit hat worn by Macaulay Culkin in the film Home Alone
This combination of images shows the Rosebud sled from the film Citizen Kane, left, a whip wielded by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, center, and the knit hat worn by Macaulay Culkin in the film Home Alone (Heritage Auctions via AP)

Another famous prop is a whip wielded by Harrison Ford during the Holy Grail trials of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.

Ford gave the Indiana Jones whip going up for auction to then-Prince Charles at the 1989 UK premiere of The Last Crusade. It was given as a gift to Princess Diana, who gave it to the current owner.

“These aren’t just props. They’re mythic objects,” Joe Maddalena, Heritage’s executive vice president, said in a statement. "They tell the story of Hollywood’s greatest moments, one piece at a time.”

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Apple TV+ logo

Watch Apple TV+ free for 7 day

New subscribers only. £8.99/mo. after free trial. Plan auto-renews until cancelled.

Try for free

ADVERTISEMENT. If you sign up to this service we will earn commission. This revenue helps to fund journalism across The Independent.

Also going up for sale are a blue velvet suit that Mike Myers wore as Austin Powers in Goldmember, and a Citroën 2CV driven by Roger Moore as James Bond in For Your Eyes Only, one of the films Myers was parodying.

The auction also includes essential artifacts from the collection of legendary director Cecil B. DeMille, including a promotional pair of the titular tablets from DeMille's The Ten Commandments, which the director had cut from stone from Mount Sinai.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in