Overview

• The original pine hardwood sled from the 1941 film sold for $14.75 million on July 16 at Heritage Auctions’ Beverly Hills sale, making it the second-highest movie memorabilia sale ever recorded.
• Scientific testing verified its wartime-era production features, including original paint layers and evidence of rail removal for scrap drives.
• Joe Dante received the sled in 1984 from RKO storage on the Paramount lot and later concealed it in his films and TV episodes as a nod to cinematic history.
• Two other screen-used Rosebud sleds previously sold for far lower sums: one to Steven Spielberg in 1982 for $60,500 and another in 1996 for $233,000.
• The buyer’s identity remains undisclosed as surging collector demand and high-profile auctions continue to drive record prices for Hollywood artifacts.