On July 16, the second day of Heritage Auctions blockbuster Entertainment auction sessions that took place July 15 through 18, the sled famously known as Rosebud, from Orson Welles Hollywood classic Citizen Kane, sold for a remarkable $14.75 million, including the buyers premium. The iconic prop had belonged to Gremlins director Joe Dante since 1984. After Heritages 2024 sale of the Ruby Slippers from The Wizard of Oz for $32.5 million, this Rosebud is the second most-valuable piece of movie memorabilia ever sold. The previous auction records for an example of the screen-used Rosebud, of which only a few versions were produced for the 1941 production, are $60,500 sold to producer-director Steven Spielberg in 1982 and $233,000 to an anonymous buyer in 1996. Ive had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades, mentioned Dante following the sale. To see Rosebud find a new home and make history in the process is both surreal and deeply gratifying. Its a testament to the enduring power of storytelling. This Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane was once considered lost and was stumbled upon by Dante in 1984 while working on the former RKO Pictures studio lot. Rosebud is thought by many to be among the most potent symbols of cinematic storytelling from a film that defined the language of cinema. Orson Welles tale of mogul Charles Foster Kane often tops the list of best movies of all time, and Rosebud, Kanes childhood sled, is at the heart of it. The prop is one of three known sleds used for the film. Dante, who recognized the sleds importance, even planted it as an Easter egg in four of his own films. Scientific testing confirmed the sleds period authenticity, and like the others, it bears signs of production use, including original paint, wear, and removed rails possibly sacrificed to wartime scrap drives. This is not just the most important Entertainment event weve ever held, its one of the most important in Entertainment auction history, remarked Joe Maddalena, Heritages executive vice president. These arent just props. Theyre mythic objects. They tell the story of Hollywoods greatest moments, one piece at a time, each tied to a memory, a performance, a legend. Were honored to bring them to the fans, collectors, and institutions who will preserve them for the generations to come. Earlier in the auction session Bob Peaks Apocalypse Now original painting broke auction records for the artist when it sold for $687,500. (Heritage holds all records for Peak, including the most recent high-water mark for the 2024 sale of another key original artwork for Apocalypse Now for $300,000). To learn more, visit www.HA.com.