Will Ferrell’s Elf costume fetches more than £200,000 at auction

Will Ferrell’s festive costume from the Christmas film Elf has fetched more than £200,000 at auction.

The film, about a man raised as one of Father Christmas’s elves who travels to New York to find his real father, was released in 2003 to widespread critical acclaim, and is considered to be one of the top Christmas films of all time.

The outfit originates from the film’s producer Jon Berg and is screen matched to the lift scene where Buddy pushes all the buttons to see them light up like a Christmas tree.

The green and yellow Elf costume, featuring a black buckle and a white collar and cuffs, sold for £239,400, including, as with all lots, buyer’s premium, during day one of Propstore’s Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, which includes items from films including Superman (1978), Spider-Man 3 (2007) and Beetlejuice (1988).

The top lot was Boba Fett’s EE-3 carbine blaster from the Star Wars film The Empire Strikes Back (1980), which sold for £459,900 and had carried a pre-sale estimate of £350,000 to £700,000.

Exceeding its highest pre-sale estimate by more than £60,000 was the fedora worn by Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones And The Temple Of Doom (1984), which sold for £365,400.

Another highlight was the lightsaber used by Ewan McGregor’s character Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) which sold for £289,800 and included a letter of authenticity signed by filmmaker George Lucas.

Also included were props from sci-fi film The Fifth Element (1997), including the screen-matched light-up multi pass used by Milla Jovovich’s character Leeloo, which sold for £195,300.

Elsewhere, the hoverboard used by Michael J Fox’s character Marty McFly in Back To The Future Part II (1989) and III (1990), fetched £233,100, exceeding its highest pre-sale estimate by more than 100,000.

Among the other props sold was a “cursed” Aztec medallion necklace used by Orlando Bloom’s character Will Turner in Pirates Of The Caribbean: The Curse Of The Black Pearl (2003), and the complete ecclesiastical ensemble of Keanu Reeves’ character Neo in The Matrix Reloaded (2003).

A number of horror props also went under the hammer including a Ghostface mask from Scream (1996) and the stunt axe of Jack Nicholson’s character Jack Torrance in The Shining (1980), which fetched £176,400.

Stephen Lane, Propstore’s founder and chief executive, said: “The opening days of our live auctions are always full of friendly spirited bidding competition – and day one of our Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction certainly did not disappoint.

“Boba Fett’s blaster drew significant attention from the moment it was unveiled, and its superb performance has set a strong pace for the weekend.

“Star Wars has always been a cornerstone of Propstore’s history, and seeing a piece of this calibre excite collectors is especially meaningful to us.

“This auction brings together some of the most iconic creations in film, and we’re looking forward to seeing how the rest of the event unfolds.”

The final day of bidding, Sunday December 7, will be dedicated to animation, and show more than 300 lots celebrating the artistry of animation in film and television.