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If you think of eBay at all, you probably think of it as a kind of a digital flea market — a place for buyers to put their old records and collectible dolls and Pez dispensers where the few people who want them can easily find them.
But there's another side to eBay: A wonderfully weird side where hardcore movie fans can acquire props, both iconic and banal, that have been culled from a wide variety of film sets. What buried treasures can be found on the auction site? A guide:
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How would you like to have a terrifying, rubbery, inexplicably aged Arnold Schwarzenegger head gracing your coffee table? This prop from 1990's Total Recall — which the seller says was used in one of the Mars sets — also comes with an autograph from Schwarzenegger. Unlike many of the props available on eBay, the Total Recall head has no minimum bid. It currently sits at a staggeringly low $100 — so get your bids in before Valentine's Day!
Ocean's Eleven is less about gambling and more about robbery — but you can't knock over three of Las Vegas' biggest casinos without sending a few poker chips flying. These ones were scattered across the floor of the Bellagio during the grand heist at the movie's climax, so they probably didn't see any actual play — but there's always the chance George Clooney stepped on one or something.
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There aren't too many movie props that will actually be useful in a real-world situation, but if you ever end up on a sinking ship, you might want to hold onto this oar from Titanic. The seller says this oar was heroically "recovered from the water of the huge tank" where the movie was filmed, so it's probably the closest thing you'll find to an actual relic from the Titanic anytime soon.
Who wouldn't want to dress up like hunky, sleeveless fake cop Robert Patrick? This shirt from Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which was used in the scene when the T-1000 turns his arms into hooks and grabs onto the dashboard of a car, also comes with two liquid metal bullet hits, so your absurdly out-of-date Halloween costume can be even more authentic.
If the rubber Schwarzenegger head wasn't disturbing enough for you, here's something that's both much more expensive and much grosser: The misshapen, sore-covered prosthetic feet Jeff Goldblum wore for 1986's The Fly. The seller gleefully describes the prop from the horror movie as "the ultimate Christmas present for a fan" — or, perhaps, for the parent who wants something even worse than coal to give their misbehaving kid.
Yet another iconic/disturbing prop for the horror fan in your life. This saw from the horror movie of the same name was used by the movie's protagonist when he failed to cut through his own chains. Goes great with Jeff Goldbum's diseased feet!
Any immortals looking to collect their quickening in style have a new, pricey possibility: The sword used by Michael Ironside in the legendarily awful sequel to Highlander. The seller is quick to acknowledge that the movie itself was "crap," but swears that the sword itself "is the most powerful ever made. Period."
This "flying" costume was worn by Robin Williams in Steven Spielberg's Hook. (Alas, his weird little sword is not included.) "Hook was one of the biggest movies ever to be made in Hollywood," says the apparently delusional seller. But hyperbolic claims about Hook aside: If you're a huge Robin Williams fan, owning his Peter Pan tights is probably as up close and personal as you're going to get.
This prop, from 1971's Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, is the oldest on this list by a considerable margin — so even if this was real chocolate, you probably wouldn't want to eat it. Alas, the seller reveals that this allegedly scrumdidilyumptious Wonka bar is actually "heavy stock paper wrapper surrounding a light tissue paper-filled center." My entire childhood was a lie.
Quentin Taratino's Death Proof, which made up one half of 2006's double feature Grindhouse, wasn't exactly his most successful movie — but apart from a severed ear or a Hattori Hanzo sword, it's hard to imagine a cooler prop from his oeuvre than the 1970 Chevrolet Nova driven by Stuntman Mike. According to the seller, this is one of two surviving Novas from the film's production. Sure, the price isn't exactly something to sneeze at — but hey, free shipping!
This is it — the greatest prop ever sold on an auction website. For just under $100,000, you can own the massive velociraptor crate from the opening scene of 1993's Juarssic Park — and it comes with an actual full-sized velociraptor model inside it. If you have a hundred grand to spare (and a truck to lug your new dinosaur around the greater Los Angeles area), you have absolutely no excuse not to buy this clever girl.
Scott Meslow is the entertainment editor for TheWeek.com. He has written about film and television at publications including The Atlantic, POLITICO Magazine, and Vulture.
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