Kirk’s Goofy Phaser Rifle Just Sold At Auction For $231,000
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While I’ve always been pretty responsible when it comes to money — mainly because I’ve never had a ton available to blow on frivolous things — I know there is one area where I could blow through a lot of cash fast if I ever become independently wealthy. I’m talking about movie/TV props. They inherently carry a story with them, they bring you a little closer to the shows and movies you love, and they look great up on a mantle or in a display case. But if I am ever going to dive into the prop world head first, I’m gonna have to negotiate one hell of a raise. A phaser rifle Kirk uses in “Where No Man Has Gone Before” just sold at auction for a whopping $231,000.
Die-hard Trekkers will recall that William Shatner as Kirk used the phaser rifle (later referred to as a “Type 3 phaser”) to create a rockslide, killing the nigh-omnipotent Gary Mitchell in the series’ second pilot episode. It’s not nearly as iconic as the smaller hand phasers used throughout the show, but I imagine its uniqueness was a selling point for the bidders. In fact, the prop was expected to net only $50,000, so clearly it’s a seller’s market for phaser rifles. Time for me to bring mine out of that secret storage facility I keep underneath the local Moose Lodge.
The two-day Hollywood Legends auction had several other notable bits of cinematic sci-fi history up for grabs as well. One of the Nostromo’s “alien survey buggies” from Ridley Scott’s Alien nabbed around ten grand, while an Anubis costume from the original Stargate movie tripled estimates and sold for $16,250.
Clearly there’s money to be made in this field. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get to work on Giant Freakin’ Robot: The Movie.
