The Mysterious Rosebud Sled from ‘Citizen Kane’ Shatters Records at $14.75 Million—What Secrets Does It Hold?
The Rosebud Sled Sells For Over $14 Million
Citizen Kane is one of the most legendary films of old Hollywood. Released in 1941 and directed by Orson Welles, the movie is considered a classic.
It follows the story of publishing tycoon Charles Foster Kane, who was based on the real-life publishing giant William Randolph Hearst. Kane’s dying last word at the start of the film is “Rosebud,” and nobody can figure out what it means.
Heritage AuctionsThe sled, which played an important narrative role in the 1941 film Citizen Kane, sold for a stunning $14.75 million at auction.
The end of the film reveals that Kane was referring to a sled that he was playing with as a child on the day his life changed forever.
The Rosebud sled went up for sale on July 16. It brought in a mind-boggling $14.75 million, making it the second most expensive piece of film memorabilia to be sold at auction, according to a statement from Heritage Auctions.
The film prop’s record-breaking price is made even more significant considering how much the other two remaining sleds from Citizen Kane have sold for. Steven Spielberg bought one in 1982 for $60,500, and the other remaining sled was sold for $233,000 to an anonymous buyer in 1996.
At least four identical sleds were used in the production, but one was burned during filming. This sled that just sold at auction was believed to be lost until it ended up in the hands of Joe Dante, best known as the director of the film Gremlins, in the 1980s.
The History Of The Iconic Sled
In 1984, Joe Dante was filming Explorers in a Paramount Studios lot when he came into possession of the Rosebud sled. The lot was formerly the filming location for RKO Pictures, which produced Citizen Kane.
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