Officially sanctioned by ABC Television, the network that presented six seasons of LOST, the 1,174-lot auction drew a throng of fans – some dressed as their favorite LOST characters – to the sale venue at Barker Hangar of Santa Monica Municipal Airport. Gawker admission was $42, with a portion going to charities in Hawaii, where the series was filmed. Registered bidders were admitted free, but try as they might, onsite participants found themselves “lost in limbo” trying to compete against the avalanche of enthusiasts from 35 countries who bid online through LiveAuctioneers. As the hammer fell on the final lot, Internet bidders had scooped up 78 percent of the merchandise (808 lots) offered during the two-day event, with online purchases totaling $1,541,970, inclusive of buyer’s premium.
More than 100 bidders at the live sale vied for lot 878, Daniel Faraday’s leather-bound journal with extensive handwritten notes about time-travel experiments. This was a significant item within the storyline, as its contents were what convinced Eloise that Daniel was, indeed, her son from the future and that she must carry out his plan to detonate a hydrogen bomb. Estimated at $1,000-$1,500, the journal sold through LiveAuctioneers for $33,000.
The time-shifting frozen wheel made on the island by the mysterious Man in Black in an unknown early time period for the purpose of harnessing power was seen thoughout the last three seasons of LOST. It was entered in the sale with a $600-$800 estimate and went to a LiveAuctioneers bidder for $30,000.
Other iconic objects acquired by online participants included Desmond Hume’s fail-safe key with Joe Inman’s dog tag, embossed with the Dharma Initiative Swan logo, $13,200 against an estimate of $600-$800; and the Swan station hatch door bearing the cryptic numbers 4, 8, 15, 16, 23 and 42. With expectations of making $1,000-$1,500, the hatch door sold via the Internet for $19,200.
A 96-page final production script for the LOST pilot, signed by two of the show’s creators – J.J. Abrams and Damon Lindelof – sailed past its $300-$500 estimate to settle at $19,200 online. Another lot comprised of unique production materials was the selection of 140+ pieces of first-season production art from episodes 101-123. It included 50% hand-drawn and 50% photocopied drawings of sets, vehicles and shoot locations including such significant places as the beach plane crash site, the cave set, Sydney Airport (which was actually shot in Honolulu), and Jack’s infirmary cave. Estimated at $400-$600, the grouping of art was bought through LiveAuctioneers for $16,800.
“There was tremendous interest in this auction. The online page views and bidder sign-ups were nonstop in the run-up to the sale,” said LiveAuctioneers CEO Julian Ellison. “Pop culture memorabilia has never been stronger in the auction marketplace than it is now, and when you have a unique auction like this one, where the items are so iconic and have come from a TV series that was followed worldwide, you can be sure the estimates will be left in the dust. Our team at LiveAuctioneers was thrilled to join forces with Profiles in History and ABC Television in making this exciting event the success that it was.”
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ADDITIONAL LOTS OF NOTE
