The sled known as Rosebud — or at least one of the original red sleds created for the 1941 Orson Welles masterpiece Citizen Kane — has just sold for $14.75 million at auction.
The pine hardwood prop, which bears its original paint but signs of production use, wear and removed rails likely sacrificed to wartime scrap drives, has belonged to director Joe Dante since 1984. While he was directing Explorers (1985), it was given to him by someone clearing out a portion of the Paramount lot that once served as the home of RKO Pictures.
“One of the crew who knew I was a fan of vintage films came to me with a wood prop and said, ‘They’re throwing out all of this stuff. You might want this,’” Dante recalled in a recent interview. “I’m not sure he knew what the sled was, but he must have had some inkling, or why else would he have asked me?
“I was astonished. Since I am a huge fan of the movie, I said, ‘Yeah, I’ll be glad to take it.’”
Scientific testing has confirmed its authenticity.
“I’ve had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades,” Dante said in a statement released by Heritage. “To see Rosebud find a new home — and make history in the process — is both surreal and deeply gratifying. It’s a testament to the enduring power of storytelling.”
After the sale of a set of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in The Wizard of Oz (1939) for $32.5 million in December, this is the second most valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever sold, according to Heritage. (The $14.75 million price includes the buyer’s premium; the purchaser was not revealed.)
While he had it, Dante put the sled in Explorers, The ’Burbs (1989), Gremlins 2: The New Batch (1990) and an episode of the 1991-93 NBC series Eerie, Indiana that he directed.
Two other screen-used sleds from RKO’s Citizen Kane — only a “few” were produced for the film, the auction house says — sold to Dante mentor Steven Spielberg for $60,500 in 1982 and to an anonymous buyer for $233,000 in 1996.
The sale of Dante’s sled took place Wednesday during the second day of Heritage’s Entertainment auction, which runs through Friday. Earlier in the day, a painting by Bob Peak that served as original key artwork for Apocalypse Now (1979) went for $687,500.
Other items up for sale include inscribed tablets from Cecil B. DeMille’s The Ten Commandments (1956), Luke Skywalker’s Red Five X-wing from The Empire Strikes Back (1980) and a bullwhip from Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade (1989).
“This is not just the most important Entertainment event we’ve ever held — it’s one of the most important in Entertainment auction history,” Heritage executive vp Joe Maddalena said. “These aren’t just props. They’re mythic objects. They tell the story of Hollywood’s greatest moments, one piece at a time, each tied to a memory, a performance, a legend. We’re honored to bring them to the fans, collectors and institutions who will preserve them for the generations to come.”
From left: Harry Shannon, George Coulouris, Agnes Moorehead and Buddy Swan (as a young Charles Foster Kane) in 1941’s ‘Citizen Kane.’
Courtesy Everett Collection