Movie Memorabilia That Cleaned Up at Auctions

Sometimes a movie makes such an impression that a viewer will pay a little extra to take the experience home. For most, this means buying the DVD. But for serious collectors, nothing less than a tangible piece of the film's history will do.

Such collectors have spent sums of money normally associated with new car purchases for their piece of film history. For them, a prop or some clothing is must-have memorabilia, and to secure a place above the mantel, money is no object.

Here are some items from the movies that commanded huge bids at auctions. In most cases, memorabilia from older movies fetched the highest prices, but treasures from newer ones didn't fare too badly either.

Read ahead to see CNBC.com's list of movie keepsakes that fetched top dollar at auctions.

'Saturday Night Fever' – White Polyester Suit

Sold for: $145,500

"Saturday Night Fever" was the movie that made disco a mainstream phenomenon in 1977. The movie was also responsible for a preponderance of polyester suits, such as the white one worn by John Travolta.

His suit sold at a 1995 Christie's auction for $145,500. The winning bidder was the late Chicago Tribune film critic Gene Siskel. Inside the suit, Travolta wrote: "To Gene, So here's to a classic, your friend, John Travolta."

'The Seven Year Itch' – Pleated Ivory Dress

Sold for: $4.6 million

Not everyone has seen "The Seven Year Itch," but everyone knows the scene in the 1955 film in which Marilyn Monroe's character stands above a subway grating, and the breeze from a passing train blows up into her dress. That particular garment was designed by Billy Travilla, who had dressed her in seven other films.

Monroe's clothes have always commanded high auction prices, such as the red-sequined dress from "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes," which sold for $1.2 million in 2011. But at the same auction, the "Seven Year Itch" dress outpaced it by selling for $4.6 million to an unidentified buyer, more than twice the $2 million it was expected to get.

'The Wizard of Oz' - Cowardly Lion Costume

Sold for: $826,000

The Cowardly Lion costume worn by actor Bert Lahr in "The Wizard of Oz" was lost for over three decades before it was found in a California barn in 1970. Fifteen years later, it became the property of Bill Mack an artist from Minnesota for several thousand dollars, according to The Associated Press.

After 21 years of ownership, Mack sold the costume at a 2006 Beverly Hills auction for $826,000. Despite the huge payday, he said he had mixed feelings about the sale. "I'm going through seller's remorse now," he said. "But it's a big number, so it's good."

'The Wizard of Oz' – Ruby Slippers

Sold for: $666,000

When a film is being made, important props and pieces of wardrobe are often made in duplicate or triplicate, or even more. This includes the ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in "The Wizard of Oz," several pairs of which have made the auction rounds over the years.

One of the pairs used in the 1939 film sold at a 2000 Christie's auction for $666,000. The soles had the word "double" written on them by hand, and the inner sole of the right shoe bore the label of the Innes Shoe Company of Los Angeles.

'Star Wars' – Panavision PSR 35mm Camera

Sold for: $625,000

Collectors of "Star Wars" memorabilia normally limit themselves to items that have appeared in front of the camera. That changed in 2011, when a Panavision PSR 35mm camera used to film the 1977 movie was auctioned for $625,000.

The camera was one of many items sold by actress Debbie Reynolds, and it was far, far and away the most lucrative camera sale of the day. According to The Guardian, a camera used to film "2001: A Space Odyssey" sold at the auction for $70,000, and one used by Charlie Chaplin never even found a buyer.

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