Famous ‘Rosebud’ sled from ‘Citizen Kane’ sells for US$14.75 million

This image shows the Rosebud sled from the film “Citizen Kane." (Heritage Auctions via AP)

“Rosebud,” the famed wooden sled at the heart of Orson Welles’ classic 1941 movie “Citizen Kane,” has sold at auction for US$14.75 million.

This was a “remarkable” price for the “iconic prop,” Dallas-based auction house Heritage Auctions said in a statement published Wednesday.

Prior to the sale, the sled underwent scientific testing to confirm its authenticity, the auction house said.

“It bears signs of production use, including original paint, wear, and removed rails likely sacrificed to wartime scrap drives,” the statement added.

“Citizen Kane” tells the story of media mogul Charles Foster Kane, played by Welles himself, and a reporter’s quest to uncover the significance of his dying word, “Rosebud.”

“With its red paint, stenciled lettering and unmistakable aura, this sled embodies the very symbol of Kane’s lost innocence and one of cinema’s most enduring mysteries,” Heritage Auctions said.

Of the handful of sleds used in the making of Welles’ masterpiece, only three were known to have survived.

Previous examples sold to Steven Spielberg for US$60,500 in 1982 and an anonymous buyer for US$233,000 in 1996, according to the auction house.

This particular example had been owned by movie director Joe Dante since 1984. It was thought to have been lost but Dante “stumbled upon” it while filming on the former RKO lot.

He quietly preserved it and even included it in some of his own movies.

“I’ve had the honor of protecting this piece of cinematic history for decades,” Dante, whose films include “Gremlins” and “Innerspace,” said in the statement.

“To see Rosebud find a new home — and make history in the process — is both surreal and deeply gratifying. It’s a testament to the enduring power of storytelling,” he said.

The sale was part of Heritage Auctions’ latest entertainment event, which executive vice president Joe Maddalena said was the “most important” the auction house had ever held. Also among the pieces of Hollywood history on offer were the granite stone tablets from Cecil B. DeMille’s Biblical epic “The Ten Commandments” and Indiana Jones’ bullwhip from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.”

“These aren’t just props. They’re mythic objects. They tell the story of Hollywood’s greatest moments, one piece at a time, each tied to a memory, a performance, a legend,” Maddalena said in the statement.

“We’re honored to bring them to the fans, collectors and institutions who will preserve them for the generations to come.”