A charity auction of props from Downton Abbey sold out last week, with many items going for multiples of their pre-sale estimates.
The Downton Abbey: The Auction sale at Bonham’s confirmed the beloved status of the fictional aristocrats of the series that debuted in 2010. The 100% sale was preceded by packed-out exhibitions to coincide with the release of the final production of the franchise, Downton Abbey: the Finale.
Someone now has their own Downton bell board, a large plank of wood to which are attached the summoning bells that send Downton’s downstairs staff scurrying to their masters and mistresses upstairs.
The prop went into the sale with a £7,000 estimate and sold for £216,300 - more than 30 times the estimate.
The servants of Downton await their summons from the bells on the board above the table. It just sold for more than £200,000. Image courtesy of Bonhams.
A cane used by Maggie Smith (Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham) realised over £28,000. A gong made the same price.
And, the 1925 Sunbeam car that smoothly chauffeured the Granthams around sold for over £170,000 against a £35,000 top estimate. The vehicle, used in its original life by a Lancashire cotton magnate, is one of just 45 of its type believed to survive.
The sale proceeds go to children’s charity, Together for Short Lives.
In total, the auction brought in £1.7 million ($2.3 million), which Bonhams said was six-times the pre-sale estimate.
Gareth Neame, CEO of Carnival Films, which produced Donwton Abbey said: “I am delighted that not only will the props and costumes from the series be preserved - and hopefully cherished - by their new owners, but also that they have raised so much money for our chosen good cause.”
TV props, from the right shows, can be extremely valuable.
The bar from US sitcom Cheers sold for $675,000 in 2023. Earlier this year, a door from the show made $162,500 alongside costume pieces from Wonder Woman that realised a collective $240,000. A huge sale dedicated to Game of Thrones brought in over $21 million in October 2024.
For buyers looking for future value, the key is to find the shows that will have long-lasting appeal.
Perhaps Downton will, and these props will sell for even more in future, though it’s too early to say yet.
