Westeros

There are two distinct eras in the history of modern television: pre–Game of Thrones and post–Game of Thrones. Not only did Thrones reinvigorate fantasy as a mainstream television genre,
but the scope of its production resulted in an onscreen world that looked, sounded, and felt like a real place. Now, for the first time, the building blocks of that reality are available for public view and will shortly become
available for purchase by private collectors through Heritage Auctions’ HBO© Game of Thrones: The Auction.

At the September 16th press preview at Heritage Auctions’ New York location, Production coordinator Michelle Burns, Prop Master Chris Moore, and Wardrobe Mistress Donna Hughes were present to discuss their body of work before it’s scattered across private collections. All three were Thrones lifers, having been with the show from the unaired pilot to the series finale, a feat which fewer than 50 people can boast. Their work continued with the creation of the HBO Archive and the eventual curation of the auction collection.

“In 2018, HBO approached us to set up the HBO Archive and the first project was Game of Thrones,” said Moore. “We entered an 80,000 square foot warehouse with sealed crates floor to ceiling high, full of bodies, horses, carts, you name it. Armor. We’ve spent the past five years navigating our way through to the end, which you can see on the walls here.”

Those walls, festooned with house banners, shields, prop weapons, and more from all seasons of the show, set the visual history of Game of Thrones production on display in a way the public has never been able to access until now. In one section of hanging banners, Moore pointed out the difference between a House Lannister banner from Season 1, screen printed on a shiny red fabric with a thicker, plastic-looking fringe and a House Stark banner from Season 6, which had a thick tapestry texture, era-appropriate aging, and was visibly created with more authentic techniques.

Lannister and Stark banners from different seasons, created using different techniques.

That dedication to authenticity was obvious in every item displayed, particularly with regard to the costumes. Up close, there are details that even the most eagle-eyed viewer couldn’t hope to notice on screen and are worth seeing in person if possible. From the hand stitched neckline of the orange gown Ellaria Sand wore to the Purple Wedding to the choice to make sure the patterned fabric used in an Olenna Tyrell costume had both roses and thorns, each piece in the collection comes with a behind-the scenes story.

“Michelle [Clapton] was stickler for authenticity,” said Hughes, with Burns nodding next to her. “The only person that ever got a zip in the whole series was Cersei in season 6.”

Though these props and costumes come from the world of Westeros and Essos, the location most mentioned by Moore, Burns, and Hughes was the real-world city of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Much of Game of Thrones was shot at Belfast’s Titanic Studios and at locations within driving distance of the city, and many of the items on display at the New York viewing have a uniquely Belfastian history.

Sansa’s poison necklace, for example, was created by Belfast goldsmiths Steensons, with further copies decorated with 3D-printed crystals made by a local fabrication company. Less glamorous but equally interesting were ragtag sets of Wilding armor decorated with the discarded shells of mussels and oysters. “Those came from a seafood restaurant we liked,” said Hughes.

At the time of writing, the top five highest bids on the Heritage Auctions website are for Jon Snow’s “Hero” Longclaw (the version of the sword Kit Harington carried on screen for non-action scenes), the touring Iron Throne, Jaime Lannister’s 12-piece kingsguard armor set, Tyrion Lannister’s Hand of the Queen pin, and the action version of the infamous Catspaw Dagger.

For those not backed by the gold of Casterley Rock, there is still hope. Because of the scope of the collection, some items are grouped in lots — a set of 13 shields from multiple houses might be a steep buy for a single buyer, but a buyer with twelve friends who share the same dream might have a better chance at snagging a piece of Game of Thrones history than they think.

The viewing dates and locations for highlights-only items from the HBO® Original Game of Thrones Auction are as follows:

 

CHICAGO, USA:

222 West Hubbard Street, Chicago, IL 60654

September 16 - 20th 2024, 9AM to 5PM CT

NEW YORK, USA

445 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022

• September 17 - 20th 2024, 10AM to 5PM ET
• September 23 - 27th 2024, 10AM to 5PM ET
• September 30 - October 4th 2024, 10AM TO 5PM ET

FLORIDA, USA

548 S. Quadrille Blvd, West Palm Beach, FL 33401

• September 17 - 20th 2024, 10AM to 5PM ET
• September 23 - 27th 2024, 10AM to 5PM ET
• September 30 - October 4th 2024, 10AM to 5PM ET

LONDON, UK

10 Hanover Street, Mayfair, London WIS IYQ

• September 19 - 20th, 11AM to 6PM BST
• September 23 - 27th, 11AM to 6PM BST
• September 30 - 11AM to 6PM BST

TEXAS, USA*

2801 W. Airport Freeway Dallas, TX 75261 HA - HAWHQ

• September 30 - October 4th, 10AM to 5PM CT
* The Dallas, Texas viewings are by appointment only. The auction will take place at Heritage Auctions in Dallas, Texas from Thursday, October 10th to Saturday, October 12th from 11AM to 6PM CT. Bids are accepted on the live floor, by phone, mail, fax, online, and through Heritage Auctions’ Heritage Live platform. For more information on the collection, how to bid, and current bids, visit the auction’s main page here.

About the Author

Alexis Nedd is a Brooklyn-based pop culture writer and author. Her writing on ASOIAF, Game of Thrones, and House of the Dragon has appeared on Indiewire, Mashable, Esquire, Marie Claire, Cosmopolitan, BuzzFeed, and in some of the most unhinged text threads you’ll ever read in your life. Her debut novel Don’t Hate The Player was published by Bloomsbury in 2021 and her next book in the “Playerverse,” How We Play The Game, will be in bookstores Summer 2025.

Posted at 22:42 CET by Elio
Tags: Weapons, Props, Heritage Auctions, Game of Thrones, Costumes, Auction, Armor Game of Thrones | PermaLink