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The One Ring Forums: Tolkien Topics: Movie Discussion: The Lord of the Rings:
What happened to...

TheNecromancer
Registered User

Mar 30 2014, 4:47am

Post #1 of 10 (711 views)
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What happened to... Can't Post

Hello everyone! So while talking with a friend, I remembered hearing about how there was thousands of armor props created for the LOTR series (Gondorian armors, chainmail, etc.). So my question, unto you fanatics, is what happened to these? Did the actors that used them get to keep them? Were they kept and placed somewhere, such as storage? Were they sold?

Thanks!


Ataahua
Forum Admin / Moderator


Mar 31 2014, 1:43am

Post #2 of 10 (446 views)
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Destroyed, I believe. [In reply to] Can't Post

Wasn't there a story about the mumakil prop being seen going to the landfill?

Celebrimbor: "Pretty rings..."
Dwarves: "Pretty rings..."
Men: "Pretty rings..."
Sauron: "Mine's better."

"Ah, how ironic, the addictive qualities of Sauron’s master weapon led to its own destruction. Which just goes to show, kids - if you want two small and noble souls to succeed on a mission of dire importance... send an evil-minded beggar with them too." - Gandalf's Diaries, final par, by Ufthak.


Ataahua's stories


IdrilLalaith
Rivendell

Mar 31 2014, 3:44am

Post #3 of 10 (421 views)
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I hope not [In reply to] Can't Post

That would be sad. So many people put a lot of effort and love into those props, it would be tragic to just through them out.

Plus think of all the money they could have made!


Meneldor
Valinor


Mar 31 2014, 4:53am

Post #4 of 10 (409 views)
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Say it ain't so! [In reply to] Can't Post

Frown


They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters; These see the works of the Lord, and His wonders in the deep.


dik-dik
Lorien


Mar 31 2014, 7:42am

Post #5 of 10 (410 views)
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I hope they sold the ones they weren't giving away. [In reply to] Can't Post

I bet thousands of fans would be eager to buy them. Or perhaps a part could go into archive stores to be presented at LotR exhibitions? (no idea if there have been any) It makes no sense to me to just dump the props and costumes as regular waste and pollute the environment, when people would pay good money for them.

"A journalist once asked me what I would like my epitaph to be and I said I think I would like it to be 'He did very little harm'. And that's not easy. Most people seem to me to do a great deal of harm. If I could be remembered as having done very little, that would suit me." ~ Paul Eddington


RangerLady23
Lorien

Mar 31 2014, 8:59pm

Post #6 of 10 (391 views)
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I think I heard they were destroyed [In reply to] Can't Post

Frown I wish they hadn't. I think it would be cool if they waited until the 15th or 25th anniversary and built a LOTR museum! But they won't. *sighs* Unimpressed


Bracegirdle
Valinor


Apr 1 2014, 4:29am

Post #7 of 10 (383 views)
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At auction [In reply to] Can't Post

Julien's Auctions of Beverly Hills, CA. held an auction of LOTR film props in December 2013 and sold the Shards of Narsil for $20,000.
Gimli's axe went for $150,000. (Yes one-hundred and fifty thousand dollars!) Crazy

"I sang of leaves, of leaves of gold
and leaves of gold there grew.
Of wind I sang, a wind there came,
and in the branches blew."

I, Narvi, didn't make this up, but I made some other real neat stuff.

(This post was edited by Bracegirdle on Apr 1 2014, 4:29am)


Arwen's daughter
Half-elven


Apr 1 2014, 7:58pm

Post #8 of 10 (356 views)
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I suspect it's a little bit of everything [In reply to] Can't Post

We know that some were given as gifts to the principal cast members.

Some were probably snuck off the set by extras and crew. Larger movies tend to have random checks and security so that this doesn't happen, but things still slip by.

Some were sold either at auction or through places like Prop Store.

Some of the key pieces were probably saved as historical items. We know that they had the original Gandalf the Grey costume in storage when they started The Hobbit, but Ian McKellen wasn't allowed to wear it as they considered it a part of history. They pulled it out to replicate for TH. I wouldn't be surprised to learn they'd saved one copy of each of the main characters' costumes, though I have no idea how much is actually stored away.

And some were probably destroyed. It's not at all uncommon, especially for bigger movies, to destroy their extra costumes and props to keep them from being stolen or sold off by someone other than the movie company. Remember that each hero costume was replicated dozens of times for the films, in various stages of wear and different scales. They might save some of these, but there's no need to put all of the copies into storage and they take up a lot of space.

The possibility exists that some of the pieces went to nice prop houses and wardrobe rooms where they could play with other props/costumes and would be used on other films, but I don't know how likely that is with pieces as recognizable as those from LOTR.



Warning: the preceding message may contain satire, sarcasm, irony, puns, and other attempts at humor.
My Costuming Site
TORn's Costume Discussions Archive


Ziggy Stardust
Gondor


Apr 2 2014, 1:00am

Post #9 of 10 (352 views)
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My thoughts exactly [In reply to] Can't Post

It's like throwing out a Steinway piano, or Les Paul guitar. I hope they were saved.


sauget.diblosio
Tol Eressea


Apr 21 2014, 7:39am

Post #10 of 10 (292 views)
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I remember this story from not too long ago... [In reply to] Can't Post

http://www.laweekly.com/...morabilia-collection

 
 

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