Overview

• The original pine hardwood sled used as “Rosebud” in 1941’s Citizen Kane sold for $14.75 million at Heritage Auctions in Dallas.
• The sale ranks as the second-most valuable piece of movie memorabilia, surpassed only by Judy Garland’s ruby slippers.
• Director Joe Dante rescued the sled from an RKO storage clearance in 1984 and discreetly included it as an Easter egg in several of his films.
• Scientific testing verified the sled’s provenance before the auction, and the purchaser remains anonymous.
• As one of only three surviving “Rosebud” sleds, its record price highlights escalating valuations in the high-end film collectibles market.