The $500,000 Hat! Genuine Indiana Jones Fedora
Classic cars and motorcycles are a staple at Barn Finds, although we frequently feature interesting boats and aircraft. Movie memorabilia is rare, but this hat deserves a close look. It is confirmed as the hat worn by Harrison Ford during the filming of Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. It is part of a large collection of such items to go under the hammer, and it will be interesting to gauge reader response to this iconic slice of cinematic history.
When George Lucas and Steven Spielberg collaborated to shoot Raider of the Lost Ark, neither knew the phenomenon they would create. Viewed purely as a form of escapism that would probably not earn an Academy Award, it spawned four sequels. The franchise’s main character, Indiana Jones, played by Harrison Ford, became known for several characteristics. He had the uncanny knack of escaping from seemingly impossible situations and embodied the triumph of good over evil. However, the character’s clothing sealed his iconic status. Indiana Jones never went anywhere without his beloved whip or his Fedora on his head. Those items became trademarks, and it is one of those hats that features in this auction. It is confirmed as the one used during the filming of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, the second movie in the series. The seller offers verification of its authenticity, and the interest it has generated demonstrates how badly people want to add this piece of movie history to their collection.
We can continue the Harrison Ford theme with a slice of history from the 1973 George Lucas film, American Graffiti. The movie featured a stellar cast, but some of the cars became the enduring stars. The most instantly recognized is the yellow ’32 Ford 5-Window Coupe, driven by John Milner. It and its owner were the kings of the local street racing scene but faced opposition from a serious contender for that title. Harrison Ford played Bob Falfa, an over-confident individual who owned an extremely potent ’55 Chevrolet 150. The pair would eventually face one another during the film’s climax, with Milner prevailing and Falfa’s Chev ending its days upside down by the side of the road. This License Plate is confirmed as one worn by the ’55 during filming and is ideal for someone seeking an eye-catching slice of movie memorabilia.
If your leanings are more toward science fiction, this Tricorder may prove irresistible. It hails from the third season of the Star Trek TV series and was used by Leonard Nimoy’s character, Mr Spock, several times during filming. It is in unrestored condition and comes with a fascinating piece of trivia. Nimoy often sucked on lollipops between takes, and it is rumored that he typically stored the sticks in the Tricorder’s lower compartment during filming. Whether or not that is true would be hard to verify, but this Tricorder is ideal for passionate Star Trek fans. It is worth scrolling through the photos for that listing because the attention to detail is astounding.
Movie memorabilia is typically worth what someone is willing to pay, and placing a value on such items is challenging. The Indiana Jones hat is no exception. The seller listed it here at Propstore Auction for online bidding. The auction estimate is between $250,000 – $500,000, and with the bidding already sitting at $130,000, it may eventually reach the auction estimate. If that is too rich for your blood, the Bob Falfa American Graffiti License plate has an upper estimate of $30,000, while the Star Trek Tricorder is expected to go for between $75,000 and $150,000. This is a huge auction that is worth a close look because there is something for everyone. The big question is how much you might pay for the Indiana Jones Fedora.
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Comments
These aren’t anything I’d be interested in, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t cool. I can easily see a super fan paying a boatload of money for Indiana Jones’s hat or Mr. Spock’s Tricorder. It was nice seeing them featured on this site.
I’ve got a pretty good collection of drag racing memorabilia, dating back to the late-50’s, most of it I stumbled across most of it through dumb luck while hitting swapmeets at 5:30am, answering classified and horse trading, basically “showing up”. That’s how most of my friends have accumulated their collections. I don’t begrudge anyone who spends up to buy what the pieces they want. There is more than enough interesting stuff to go around, it just might not be the quality, in term of exclusivity, the average person might hope for. That doesn’t matter for most “collectors” since the chase is a built in part of the adventure. Me and most of my friends can recount when, where, how, even what we paid for the pieces we really like, regardless of how long ago we acquired a certain item. That’s part of what makes these items special.
Steve R
I remember when I had my first job, making $.07 per hour and these hats were only $1.26. I bought a used one of these in 1967 for $.77. What’s wrong with these folks? Have they lost their minds? Trying to get rich off a hat- what’s this world come to?
P.S.- What is the 0-60 time for this hat?
The 0-60 time depends on wind conditions.
7 cents an hour ? It would have been more profitable to collect deposit bottles for a nickel each ! lol
Goos God John. I was making $ 1.20 an hour in ’62 in a food service Job in Chicago and I thought I was being exploit. Stil think so.
Ok, forget who wore the hat, I think it’s cool, but not half a million cool, no matter who or what.
I’ll just buy a new one and “bash” it.
( rolling eyes), this not only pushes the limits of BarnFinds, IT BEHOOVES IT. Luckily the license plate brings us back to earth. The hat, meh, if you have no other place to pixx your( daddy’s) money away, by all means. AG plate has some merit, as it was the absolute coolest, most authentic car movie we had ever seen. Unlike fictional movies like Indiana Jones, or Star Trek, people that were only a gleam in their parents eyes in 1962, if they weren’t there, many of the references will go over their heads, and the movie will fade away. The “tricorder” was pretty hoaky. In fact, I read most of the props were simply made on a budget, I think the door opening noise was made by a human. To be clear, while Spock did use the Tricorder, it was Dr. McCoy ( DeForrest Kelly) that used it mostly.
Remember the prop house I mentioned on the Pacer post? Like I said, these places are HUGE, the size of a gymnasium, and 5 floors, and there’s like 5 in the L.A. area alone. What are prop houses? People that are filming something, can go to these places, and pick out whatever they need. Clearance is tight, I almost didn’t get in, but had “connections”. Everything from the furniture used in Gone with the Wind, to Gomer Pyles military uniform. Every once in a while, they have actions on stuff not used, and these items are the tip of the iceberg as to what they have. No deep pockets, don’t go, as these people that want this stuff, will have to have it. I wonder if they’re really happy?
How does it behoove it, Howard?
To give you some benefit, you may have posted before 22 others pretty much said the same thing I did. Since you opened a can of worms, I’ll tell you what I think. Vintage car sales are tanking, and BarnFinds is looking to the future. This stuff has no place on an automotive site, and you know it. The site could easily morph into this stuff so gradually, we’d never know it,,until it’s too late. It only perpetuates the fact, like the cars, the spending is out of control, and I don’t like anyone encouraging this behavior.
Behoove means necessary or proper. You and are are in complete agreement that some prop hat is neither.
I thought this was a pop-up ad.
“$130,000?” There’s one born every minute.
I could go for the license plate for say, 1/100th of the estimate! What caught my eye was the inside out frame. J&B Ford was in Corte Madera, a suburb of Marin County, where parts of American Graffiti were filmed, most notably the dance, which was in my high school gym. I spent a lot of time in J&B’s parts department, trying to keep my ‘68 GT/CS running.
Half a mil for a hat?? I’d rather have a house on a lake with a boat.
I’d build the house in the shape of that hat.
What
A fool and their money soon part….
I will get this hat. I need it to wear when I’m driving my Chiron to the discount grocery store in the bad part of town to pick up a quart of milk.
The prop guy defintely had more than one hat. Probably three or four.
There is probably someone that was an extra or worker on that movie kicking themselves for getting rid of the hat they stole after production ended.
Steve R
The hat was being sold for the estate of the stunt man who doubled for Harrison Ford.
If this hat goes for a lot of money it won’t be long before you will be able to buy a reproduction at Walmart or Dollar General. I actually like the hat but will have to wait until copies arrive. I don’t begrudge anyone who has enough play money to spend over a hundred K on something like this, but it’s not me.
Too late, there are hundreds of current and sold listings on eBay, many even looks similar to his actual hat. It’s a dead franchise due to the lousy Indiana Jones movie released last year. The time to capitalize on that style of hat was 30 years ago.
Steve R
HOW MUCH FOR A HAT??
If I seriously craved the possible attention and “prestige” that might come from owning a famous person’s hat, I’d just buy a regular fedora somewhere and lie about where it came from. Who’d know?
The missus says for that price it had better have Harrison Ford attached to it.
I think I’d rather have that LeBaron that George bought.
So, the hat and whip in the Smithsonian must be fakes
You forgot to mention the Captain Kangaroo costume also available at this auction.
Something for everybody, maybe even Howard A.
Ha! Mr Green Jeans was my hero.
I want the Trek TOS pilot phaser rifle & Spock’s LASER! gun.
& the HUGE Fantastic Voyage laser rifle.
There are collectors of all sorts of things. If things like this interest you check out a tv show called Collector’s Call. This show goes to different collectors homes or in some cases place of business to showcase their collection. They have featured several collections of movie and Hollywood items. They appraise some items and some of them have some pretty hefty price tags. Some of these collections are appraised at 7 figures. I can see some of those collectors being interested in this type of item.
Wouldn’t give penny over 400k then I would spray paint it silver and bedazzle it for those long walks around the asylum.
I’d have it tested for Harrison’s DNA before I paid that much!
The hat Harrison wore as Bob Falfa in Graffiti sold a couple years ago for north of $30K
The high bid for this hat was $630,000.00.