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How to buy a piece of film history

You do not need to have bid at an auction before. This page walks through the whole thing — what it costs, how bidding actually works, and what arrives at your door.

Start to finish

Five steps, and only two of them need you

Registering takes a few minutes. After that you can watch lots, leave a maximum bid, and get on with your day — we will tell you what happens.

01

Create an account

2 minutes

Email and a password. That is enough to browse, save lots to a watchlist and buy anything on Buy Now. You do not need an account to look around.

02

Register to bid

Approved same day

Bidding is a separate step from having an account, because a bid is a commitment to buy. We ask for your legal name, address, phone number and a card on file, and you agree to the auction terms. The card is not charged — it tells us a winning bid can be honoured. Approval is free and usually granted the same day.

03

Place your bid

The important bit

Enter the most you would be happy to pay. We bid on your behalf, in set increments, only as high as necessary to keep you in front — so you often win for less than your maximum. Nobody ever sees that number, including us in any way that could affect the sale.

04

Win the lot

We email you

When the lot closes you will hear from us either way. Winners get an invoice in their account showing the hammer price, the buyer's premium, tax and shipping.

05

Pay, and we pack

Ships from our facility

Pay within 7 days — PayPal, card, wire, cheque or money order, or a four-month payment plan. We pack the piece ourselves and hand it to FedEx or USPS. You get a tracking number the day it leaves.

The part everyone asks about

Leaving a maximum bid

This is the single most misunderstood thing in an auction, so here it is with real numbers. Move the slider and watch what would actually happen.

$4,200

Current bid $3,400 · increment $150
Another bidder's maximum is $4,000 — which neither of you can see.

Outcome

You win at $4,200

You pay $200 less than your maximum, because we only bid as high as needed.

Bids rise in fixed increments that grow with the price — $2 under $100, $150 between $1,000 and $5,000, $1,000 between $10,000 and $50,000. The full schedule is in the FAQ. A bid placed in the final two minutes extends the lot by two minutes, so a sale never ends on a single last-second bid.

No surprises

What a lot actually costs

The hammer price is not the final figure — that is true at every auction house, and it is better to know before you bid than after.

$3,400

Drag to see how the total moves. Shipping shown is a mid-range domestic estimate for a costume-sized parcel; the real figure is quoted from your address before you pay.

Hammer price$3,400
Buyer's premium · 28%$952
Shipping · estimated$85
Sales taxCalculated at checkout
Total, before tax$4,437

Tax is worked out from your delivery address, Florida residents pay Florida sales tax. We do not add handling charges or a card fee.

Two ways to buy

Not everything is an auction

Auction

You set a maximum and wait

Lots run for a fixed period and go to the highest bidder. Best for pieces where you are willing to compete, and where the price could land below the estimate.

  • Requires bidder registration
  • No reserves — the highest bidder wins
  • 28% buyer's premium on the hammer price
  • Invoiced within 48 hours, payable in 7 days
Buy Now

Fixed price, straight to checkout

A piece with a price on it, available immediately. No bidding, no waiting, no premium — the price you see is the price you pay, plus shipping and tax.

  • An ordinary account is enough
  • No buyer's premium
  • One of a kind — first to check out gets it
Questions we get

Before you bid

Does it come with paperwork?

Yes. Every piece ships with an Icons Certificate of Authenticity carrying a unique serial number. That serial stays on our records permanently — if you sell the piece years from now, the next owner can write to us and we will confirm it.

What does “acquired from the production” mean?

It means exactly what it says: the piece came to us from the production of that title. It does not claim the piece appeared on screen.

Where we can prove screen use — a frame match, a still, production paperwork — we say so explicitly and record the evidence against the lot. We would rather under-describe a piece than overstate it, and you should be wary of anyone who does the opposite.

Can I see it in person first?

Our facilities are working warehouses rather than showrooms, so we do not run public viewings. Ask us for more photographs or detail on any lot and we will take them — that is a normal request, not an imposition.

What if I win and change my mind?

A bid is a commitment to buy, and winning bids are binding. All sales are final — we do not accept returns, and every lot is sold as is, where is.

That is exactly why we encourage questions and condition reports before you bid. Ask for more photographs, ask about condition, ask anything. We would far rather answer early than disappoint you afterwards.

Do you ship internationally?

Yes. For international shipments the buyer is responsible for all customs, duties, taxes and fees charged by the destination country.

How big is it, and can you ship something enormous?

Dimensions are listed on every lot. Some pieces — furniture, standing sets, large signage — are marked “special shipping required”, which means we cannot ship them ourselves. You arrange a third-party shipper to collect, and we can recommend one.

Is my card safe?

We never see your card number. Card details go straight to our payment processor, which is certified to handle them; we hold only a reference and the payment status.

Ready when you are

Register once. Bid on anything.

Approval is free and usually same-day. You can browse the whole catalog without it.

TEST SITE · This page is still a clickable prototype — nothing on it is saved. Real so far: sign in, accounts, register to bid, current auctions, auction and lot pages.