'Antiques Roadshow' expert gives massive appraisal to 'Blade Runner' prop that 'jealous nerds' would love
“Antiques Roadshow” experts are known to stick to mentioning the significance of an item or its history before putting a price tag on it. But sometimes, the appraisers tend to throw in personal opinions about the artifacts. That is exactly what Laura Woolley did on an earlier episode of the show in which she had appraised a set decoration painting from the original "Blade Runner" movie. “You’ve got a lot of jealous nerds out there who would love to see this in their home,” Woolley said as she valued the painting at a five-figure sum.
"Blade Runner" is a classic sci-fi movie, and with a star like Ford as the hero, it was no surprise that it became so popular. The painting in question could be seen in the background in the scene where the actor kisses Sean Young. It might not be as popular or valuable as a prop, but as a set decoration item, the expert believed that it could bring in a decent amount of money.
Woolley revealed that the painting had been modified and that the original was purchased by the people in charge of set decoration for $720 and some change. “This has what we call a 'cult following,' so any time you have a piece that’s associated with a cult following, it means we can go pretty deep into the film to find things that people are going to be interested in,” she added.
When it was time for the appraisal, the expert said that at auction, one may expect it to sell for between $10,000 and $15,000. “That is really exciting,” the guest said upon hearing this. “That is truly exciting. You know, when you hear people say they had no idea, and I really didn’t, so this is a marker.” It’s not bad for something her husband bought off the internet for a little over $2,500.
Blade Runner isn’t the only Harrison Ford movie whose on-set elements have been highly valued on “Antiques Roadshow.” Another such movie was Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. On that occasion, the guest had brought one of the very first prototypes of the iconic Ark of the Covenant. It was the object that the entire film revolved around. While this wasn’t the one that was used for filming, it was still highly valuable.
The expert, in this case, was James Supp, and he immediately noticed that the Ark used in the film was a lot smaller than the one in front of him. The prototype had been hastily put together and had marks of glue all over. The two angels on the top of the Ark had taken from a couple of trophies. “This is the closest anybody in the private market can get to owning the Ark of the Covenant from Raiders of the Lost Ark,” the expert said.
When the time came for it to be valued, Supp said that at auction, it could sell for anything in the $80,000 to $120,000 range. “Realistically, I can see it getting into the quarter-million-dollar range,” he added.
