Anna Daniels
Calling all you Disney fanatics out there: I hope you haven’t blown your Christmas money on frivolous purchases yet, because you’re going to need it to bid on some super rare Disney theme park props, posters, art, and memorabilia in an auction that’s happening early next month. There are hundreds of items up for grabs, and we’ve highlighted several of the coolest ones below, including a park-used sign from the original Spaceship Earth attraction, a 40-pound Splash Mountain exit sign, some Indiana Jones ride art, and much more.
Before we dive into the items themselves, here’s what you need to know about how to potentially score some of these for yourselves. While the actual in-person auction will take place at Chicago’s Potter & Potter Auctions beginning at 8:00am on February 8, 2020, online bids (aka “absentee bids”) are currently being accepted right now through the company’s website, and they’ll continue to be accepted until the in-person portion begins. On the site, you can find the full list of every item that’s being put up for auction, but here are a few that stuck out to us, with descriptions taken directly from the official website.
Park used for Spaceship Earth, with lenticular image of rotating ride vehicle embedded in the front. Iconic sign from iconic attraction. Made entirely of steel. 25 x 24 ½”. Weight 45 pounds.
Each person who is commemorated with a window on Main Street receives a miniature of that window. These almost never come to market and are incredibly scarce. This window was given to Howard Roland, who worked for U.S. Steel in the construction of the Contemporary Resort and thereafter for The Walt Disney Company. His full size window appears on Main Street in WDW just past Casey’s Corner. Wood, hand painted, glass, hand lettered. 23 x 13 ½ x 5”.
Hand from skeleton lying face down on the ground early in the ride. Removed during refurbishment and given to retiring employee as a gift. Comes with a note from the Disney employee. Second and third fingertips chipped off. 16 x 5 x 2”.
Solid wood sign with heavy metal fixtures on top and bottom. Logo “Splash Mountain” carved into the front and painted. Park used. 19 x 57”. Weight 40 pounds.
One piece of original pencil art and the rest are laser copies used by WDI for their presentations to management for selection and approval of final art or attraction scenes to be created. Most of these images have never been reproduced elsewhere. Six boards of laser copy mockups (in black and white and color) of proposals for commemorative passports in 1995. 15 x 20” each. One piece of original pencil art on tracing paper for commemorative passport (Unknown artist). 15 x 20”. One color mock up (laser copy) of poster or brochure for new Indiana Jones Adventure. 18 x 24”. One color concept art (laser copy) of scene inside giant skull as passengers come upon the wraith. 14 x 18 ½”. One color concept art (laser copy) of interior queue of Tokyo DisneySea Temple of the Crystal Skull. 14 x 19. One color concept art (laser copy) for poster art for Tokyo DisneySea Temple of the Crystal Skull. 23 x 16 ½”. All items purchased from Disney.
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I’d encourage you to peruse the entire catalogue. Sorting by “highest price first” will point you to tons of cool stuff, including the contents of a treasure chest from the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction, sconces from the Haunted Mansion, a piece of Indiana Jones artwork signed by Drew Struzan, and cast member costumes galore. If you end up bidding on any of this stuff, I imagine you’re going to need to be on your A-game; best of luck beating out the likes of Guillermo del Toro and other well-funded Disney fans for some of these major items. But let us know if you score anything cool – especially this The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh partial ride vehicle, which could, as the description suggests, be turned into a pretty cool chair.
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