LOTR Gandalf white staff achieves 550% on valuation in LA

The white staff wielded by Ian McKellen in his role as Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings made $325,000 at Profiles in History in Los Angeles.

The wood and resin lot was among the highlights of day three of the Hollywood Auction, which took place on October 19, beating a valuation of $50,000 by 550%.

Gandalf staff Profiles
The staff stands at 2m tall and is made from wood and resin

It first appears in The Two Towers (2002), the second film in the trilogy, following his transformation to Gandalf the White. It stands at around 2m tall and was built at New Zealand's Weta Workshop - which constructed the majority of props for the series.

The enduring popularity of the films ensures strong results at auction, with an axe wielded by John Rhys-Davies (Gimli) achieving $180,000 at Julien's Auctions last year.

A kangaroo hide whip from the Indiana Jones trilogy that was used in close up scenes also sold well, realising $180,000 - an increase of 157.1% on a $70,000 estimate.

It sold for �68,000 ($109,644) at a charity auction in London in 2001, equating to growth of 3.8%pa over the past 13 years.

The sale included a phenomenal selection of pieces from the history of film, with Peter Fonda's chopper from the 1969 classic Easy Rider becoming the most valuable motorcycle ever sold.

We have some incredible movie memorabilia available.

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