When you play the "Game of Thrones," you win or you die.
Or you spend $1.49 million on an Iron Throne replica.
Headlining Heritage’s three-day “Game of Thrones” auction, featuring more than 900 lots and 2,000 items, was a 310-pound replica of the show’s greatest prize, the fabled Iron Throne.
But this mold wasn’t actually used in the show. The description of the item states it was solely used for promotional events. Still, the throne of the conqueror will be impossible to miss for anyone who sees it.
Interestingly, a replica Iron Throne sold five years ago at Heritage for just $14,080. The model, which sold only a few weeks after the Season 8 finale in 2019, was used for a fan experience engagement at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn in 2014. And there has actually been a $35,000 offer made on the item since Heritage's "Game of Thrones" auction this weekend.
Seemingly, the only difference between the two is the amount of promotional usage they received. Whereas the one sold in 2019 was used in New York for one year, the $1.49 million throne was used for global experiences, including Comic-Con. That said, should that result in a 10,500% price increase?
A total of 33 items from this massive auction crossed the $100,000 threshold. In second place, behind the Iron Throne, was Jon Snow’s Valyrian steel sword, Longclaw, given to him by former Lord Commander of the Night’s Watch, Jeor Mormont.
The sword is undoubtedly the most important prop piece in the show owned by an individual. It’s tough to think of anyone more important to “A Song of Ice and Fire” than Jon Snow. The bastard child of Ned Stark, who was really the true heir to the Iron Throne, wielded the sword through many of the show’s most seminal moments, including the Battle for Castle Black, the Battle of the Bastards, Hardhomme and the Battle of Winterfell.
The only sword that comes close to its importance in the show is Arya Stark’s sword, Needle, which ironically Jon gifted to her. Needle sold for $131,250. Jon certainly dominated the auction though, as his full Night’s Watch uniform as Lord Commander in Season 4 sold for $337,500.
Coming in second, though, for characters whose items fetched the heftiest prices, was Jamie Lannister. His nine-piece military ensemble, worn in the Loot Train Battle, his first experience trying to fight a dragon, earned a whopping $275,000; and his 12-piece kingsguard set fetched $212,500. Jon and Jamie were the only characters to have two of their items reach the $200,000 threshold.
The Clegane Bowl, one of the only highlights of season eight, showed its head again in bidding, where the brothers’ armor kept outdoing each other. Gregor Clegane’s ("The Mountain") full armor suit from Season 1 sold for $187,500. The set is from his first on-screen appearance in season one, during the tournament in the name of Ned Stark, the new Hand of the King. There he attacks Sir Loras Tyrell and later clashes with his brother, Sandor Clegane ("The Hound").
Sandor’s armor from Season 2 later sold for $200,000, only to be topped by Gregor’s armor from Season 7 at $212,500.
Next up was a tie between two different outfits, one from Daenerys Targaryen and the other from Arya Stark, each selling for $187,500.
The most fun sales:
Jamie’s golden hand: After Locke cuts the Kingslayer’s right hand, his dominant swordsman hand, in Season 3, the elder Lannister brother wears a golden hand for the remainder of the show. This sold for $112,500.
Daenerys’ dragon eggs: For those who didn’t watch “Game of Thrones,” the one thing everyone knows is that the show had dragons. But when it started, there were no dragons. In fact, before Drogon, Rhaegal and Viserion were born, there hadn’t been dragons in Westeros for quite some time; which is why their return was so important to the show. They were Daenerys’ children.
All three eggs were up for auction on Day 1, with the first going for $93,750 and the second edging it at $100,000. The third egg did not perform well compared to the other two, going for $57,500.
Shame bell: Outside of maybe her son Joffrey, it’s hard to argue any character was more hated in Westeros than Cersei Lannister. But even the queen of the show, who displayed that “power is power,” couldn’t escape the Faith Militant in Season 5.
Cersei, who was accused of crimes against The Seven, was paraded through the streets of King’s Landing, followed by Septa Unella who yelled out “shame” while ringing a bell. This bell sold for $100,000.
Arya’s Dagger: There’s a lot to say about how Heritage detailed this dagger. Labeling it Arya’s dagger is misleading. Yes, the dagger ends up in Arya’s possession at the end of the show, and she uses it to kill the Night King.
But it wasn’t her dagger. It was Littlefinger’s. The entire framework of the show was Littlefinger hired an assassin to murder Bran Stark. The attempt failed and the Starks theorized the dagger belonged to the Lannisters, and Westeros’ two most formidable families plunged into war. Littlefinger began the war because it was an opportunity for him to gain more power.
In a very long description of the dagger’s importance of the show, Heritage only dedicates one sentence to this plot point. This dagger was the show. So, its failure to reach $100,000 ($93,750) was wild. There’s an argument to be made that it should have been the top item after the throne itself.
Matt Liberman is a reporter and video producer for cllct.