Citizen Kane Sled Sells for $14.75 Million – Hollywood’s Most Valuable Prop

The iconic “Rosebud” sled from Orson Welles’s 1941 masterpiece, Citizen Kane, has fetched a staggering $14.75 million (£11 million) at auction.

This particular sled, one of at least three known to exist, was once believed lost. It was saved from destruction in 1984 when director joe Dante received it. dante, a noted film historian and fan, later incorporated it as an “Easter egg” in his own directorial works, including Gremlins 2: The New Batch.

The sale positions the Rosebud sled as the second most valuable piece of film memorabilia ever sold, surpassed only by the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, which commanded $32 million (£23.9 million) in December.

“along with Dorothy’s ruby slippers, the Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane is one of the most iconic objects in Hollywood history,” stated Joe Maddalena, executive vice president at Heritage Auctions, the firm that conducted the sale, in an interview with the Smart Collector magazine.

The identity of the buyer remains undisclosed.

Other versions of the Rosebud sled have found homes with notable figures, including director Steven Spielberg, who generously donated his to the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles.

However,the sled sold on Thursday had been out of public view for many years until it’s reappearance in Dante’s possession.

Dante recounted his acquisition during the filming of Explorers in 1984. Working on the same studio lot formerly owned by RKO Radio Pictures,the producer of citizen Kane,he was approached by a crew member aware of his passion for vintage films.

“I was astonished… Since I am a huge fan of the movie, I said, ‘yeah, I’ll be glad to take it.'”

“Citizen Kane may be the greatest film ever made, and Rosebud is the linchpin of the story – the whole heart of the plot and the focal point of the mysterious drama in Kane’s life.

“As a director, to own the prop that represents such a vital element of a cinema treasure is particularly meaningful.”