If you are fan of the "Rocky" movies, the third week of November features two important anniversaries.
On Nov. 20, 1976, the original "Rocky" made its worldwide premier in New York, starting a phenomenon that included becoming the first sports movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture.
On Nov. 21, 1985, "Rocky IV" premiered in Los Angeles, making a statement about Cold War tensions as Rocky Balboa took on the unstoppable Ivan Drago from the Soviet Union.
Combined, the nine movies in the "Rocky" franchise, have done an inflation-adjusted $4.7 billion at the box office.
It should come as no surprise that props from the movies are highly coveted.
Here are the 10 most expensive to be sold at public auction:
1. "Rocky" original handwritten pages, $437,500, Julien's Auctions, 2021
This is the grand poobah. The very beginnings of "Rocky" on 26 handwritten pages from Sylvester Stallone in a spiral-bound notebook.
Stallone famously watched the fight between Muhammad Ali and "The Bayonne Bleeder" Chuck Wepner and based his underdog character on Wepner, who shockingly took Ali to the 15th round.
2. Rocky statue, $403,657, SCP Auctions, 2017
Aside from the fight scenes, the most famous scene in the "Rocky" franchise is Stallone running up the stairs of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and doing his famous pose at the top.
In "Rocky III," Balboa was awarded a 9-foot statue in front of the museum. Two statues were made in 1980 by sculptor A. Thomas Schomberg.
The one sold at SCP is the only one that has come available in a public sale. The buyer? Stallone himself!
3. Leather jacket from "Rocky," $325,000 Heritage, 2021
Many leather jackets have been sold from the film franchise, but the top sale is the jacket used in the original film.
Stallone told Heritage in 2015, when it originally sold for $149,000, he bought the jacket for his personal use and wore it every day. He wore it in the movie because there was no budget for anything else.
4. Sylvester Stallone’s Harley Davidson motorcycle, $312,500, Heritage, 2019
Balboa's black and yellow motorcycle is an epic piece, featuring the "Italian Stallion" logo on it.
Stallone famously rode this bike in the "Eye of the Tiger" montage in "Rocky III."
5. Screen-matched "Rocky III" shorts, $200,000 Julien's, 2021
Balboa's shorts, said to be from the movies, usually sell in the $20,000 to $60,000 range, but this pair from Julien's — as part of Stallone's official collection — garnered a big premium.
The difference? They were screen matched to his fight against Mr. T's Clubber Lang in "Rocky III."
6. "Rocky IV" original handwritten pages, $89,600, Julien's, 2021
Just like the version from the original film at No. 1 on this list, these pages features Stallone plotting out "Rocky IV," including the Drago fight scenes. An incredibly cool piece.
7. Tiger jacket, $68,760, Heritage, 2021
Sold originally for $42,500 in 2015, this jacket was moved again six years later for a significant bump.
"In 'Rocky II,' he's just gotten married, and this is the first thing he purchased after buying a car," Stallone told Heritage. "Rocky has finally made a little bit of money, and he goes out and buys what he thinks is the most special garment in the world -- a black satin jacket with a tiger emblem on the back of it."
8. Apollo Creed's coat and top hat from his ring entrance in "Rocky IV," $65,625, Heritage, 2024
Any fan of the film franchise easily can recall Creed's intro, set to James Brown's "Living In America," in "Rocky IV."
This is the flashy outfit Creed wore in the final moments of his life before his fight against Drago.
The price paid for this item, ironically, was undoubtedly affected by Weathers' death, which happened five weeks before the auction.
9. "Rocky III" original handwritten pages, $64,000, Juliens, 2021
The most comprehensive of the early Stallone notebooks, this one is filled with 285 pages of what would become the plot of the third film in which Balboa loses his mentor, Mickey, and is eventually coached by his former rival, Creed, in a comeback fight against the seemingly unbeatable Lang.
10. Yellow boots From "Rocky III," $62,500, Juliens, 2021
An outstanding pair of yellow and black Nike boots for the "Italian Stallion" topped $60k in 2021. It's a bit surprising to see this price without a photo-match for the shoes.
Darren Rovell is the founder of cllct.com and one of the country's leading reporters on the collectibles market. He previously worked for ESPN, CNBC and The Action Network.