A "Golden Ticket," said to be from the 1971 film "Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory," sold for $65,767 in an auction at Bonham's in England on Wednesday.
It's the second-highest price paid for the ultimate prop from the famous movie, based on Roald Dahl's 1964 classic book, second only to the $137,500 paid in December 2022 at Heritage.
Five Golden Tickets appeared in the movie, picked out of the chocolate bars by characters Charlie Bucket, Veruca Salt, Augustus Gloop, Violet Beauregarde and Mike Teevee.
It's not known how many additional ones were made, but those in the know have said over the years that director Mel Stuart did not hand out tickets, thus making them more collectible.
The ultimate Golden Ticket, held by Peter Ostrum, who played Charlie, was sold in 2012 by Profiles in History for $47,500. Bonham's previously sold one for $35,000 in 2015.
The authenticity of the tickets has never been challenged by graders as PSA and Beckett have not had a Golden Ticket submitted to be graded. PSA only started grading commemorative tickets last May.
Interest in "Wonka" has skyrocketed thanks to two new films in the last 20 years. Gene Wilder's role was reprised by Johnny Depp in 2005, and a prequel with Timothée Chalamet hit theaters last year.
Elsewhere in the auction, one of the top items, Eric Clapton's beloved acoustic guitar from the 1970s failed to reach its reserve price.
A 2009 handwritten questionnaire from a 15-year-old Taylor Swift sold for $18,077, and two Bob Dylan paintings sold for $46,014 each.
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.