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The Joker

Nicholson’s Joker costume runs away with $125K at Heritage

Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Sheila Gibson Stoodley
Purple suit worn by Jack Nicholson as The Joker in ‘Batman,’ $125,000
Purple suit worn by Jack Nicholson as The Joker in ‘Batman,’ $125,000. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions

DALLAS – Heritage Auctions’ two-day Hollywood & Entertainment Signature® Auction wrapped July 23 after realizing $4,330,594. Among the top lots in the July 22-23 event was the purple suit Jack Nicholson wore onscreen as the Clown Prince of Crime in Tim Burton’s 1989 film, Batman. The outfit, perfect for dancing with the devil in the pale moonlight, sold for $125,000 after a prolonged bidding war.

This, too, was the auction that featured George Clooney’s (in)famous Batman suit worn in 1997’s Batman & Robin – the one with the “nipples on the costume,” Burton recently said when asked why he didn’t make a third Batman movie. That titillating outfit found a new Batcave when it sold for $57,500.

Batman suit worn by George Clooney in ‘Batman & Robin,’ $57,500. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Batman suit worn by George Clooney in ‘Batman & Robin,’ $57,500. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions

Here, too, were moments from some of Hollywood’s biggest spectacles and grandest blockbusters, chief among them the never-ending Star Wars series and the ever-growing entries in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The latter was well represented by the likes of the hero Mark III illuminating Iron Man helmet worn by Robert Downey Jr. in 2008’s Iron Man, which sparked the franchise. A bidder not named Tony Stark paid $137,500 for the trophy.

Not far behind was Obi-Wan Kenobi’s bladed hero lightsaber Ewan McGregor wielded in 1999’s Star Wars: Episode 1 – The Phantom Menace. This elegant weapon from a more civilized age realized $125,000.

Hero prop E-11 blaster from ‘Star Wars,’ $47,500. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions
Hero prop E-11 blaster from ‘Star Wars,’ $47,500. Image courtesy of Heritage Auctions

But in the words of Han Solo, “Hokey religions and ancient weapons are no match for a good blaster at your side.” One bidder clearly agreed: A screen-used, Bapty & Co.-crafted hero E-11 blaster from 1977’s original Star Wars, which was wielded by stormtroopers and Han, Luke and Leia during the Mos Eisley Spaceport shootout and key Death Star sequences, sold for $47,500.

“One of the great joys of this job is bringing to auction treasures from throughout entertainment history, then watching as clients get to take home these artifacts replete with magic and memories,” says Heritage Auctions Executive Vice President Joe Maddalena. “Everything in this auction, as in all of our entertainment events, is something everyone has seen once or a thousand times, whether it was a prop held by a hero or a key moment from a favorite film or landmark achievement. These auctions are as much fun as the movies themselves.”

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