It was time to bid adieu as the farewell auction of props, costumes, and set pieces from Downton Abbey at Bonhams London, New Bond Street, came to a close September 16. The sale surpassed expectations to bring in a whopping £1,372,300 (roughly $1,850,000) with the entire 267-lot sold.
The sale ran August 18 through September 16 and grossed six times the presale estimate, with more than 15,000 visitors in attendance and 4,000 registering to bid online.
The top sale was the Downton Abbey Bell Wall, which fetched £216,300 ($291,000). Additional highlights included late actress Maggie Smith’s (Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham) white metal mounted ebonised walking cane, which sold for £28,180 ($37,900); a late Victorian oak and brass dinner gong from the late 19th or early 20th century, which took in £28,160 ($37,900); and an autographed script of Downton Abbey’s Season 1, Episode 1, which brought in £24,320 ($32,700), among others.
“This was a phenomenal auction, and the incredible response from fans, with participants from across 44 countries, shows the clear appetite for auctions of this nature and, with a likewise amazing result for The Crown Auction last year, Bonhams is the go-to auction house for popular culture memorabilia,” Harvey Cammell, Bonhams global director of valuations and private collections, said in a statement.
The acclaimed television series ran for six seasons with more than 120 million viewers tuning in worldwide. Proceeds from the auction will benefit Together for Short Lives, a leading charity that provides care and support for children with life-limiting conditions and their families in the United Kingdom.
“I am delighted that not only will the props and costumes from the series be preserved – and hopefully cherished – by their new owners, but also that they have raised so much money for our chosen good cause Together for Short Lives,” added Gareth Neame, executive producer and CEO of Carnival Films, which produced the series.
