The year 2015 came and went, and although Back to the Future II promised us hoverboards, we’re all still waiting. Well, Mattel might not be mass-producing hoverboards the way we wanted. Despite some promising attempts. But one lucky (and wealthy) fan did manage to get their hands on the original prop from the film. Which is kind of better, really. Via Smithsonian, we’ve learned that the original Back to the Future II hoverboard screen-used prop recently sold at auction for a cool $501,200.
So why did this one prop go for such an astronomical price? Especially compared to some other high-profile props sold at the same auction? Not only is it the same hoverboard used in the movie, but it’s signed by Marty McFly himself, Michael J. Fox. Not only Fox, but it also has a signature from the perpetual thorn in Marty’s side, Biff Tannen. Or rather, the signature of actor Thomas F. Wilson. Ok, that right there is worth half a million dollars if you ask us.
An unidentified buyer purchased the Back to the Future II hoverboard from the Prop Store‘s big auction. This world-famous entertainment memorabilia vendor has locations in London and Los Angeles, and frequently hosts auctions containing pieces of some of our favorite movies, from Star Wars to Spider-Man to Lord of the Rings. The hoverboard ended up going for a lot more than the auction house originally estimated. Their calculations had it going for $80,000 to $100,000. But it seems they underestimated just how serious fans of Hill Valley time travel shenanigans really are.
Among the other iconic film props sold at this most recent auction were Wilson, Tom Hanks’ volleyball buddy from Cast Away, Russell Crowe’s helmet from Gladiator; and a miniature model of an X-Wing fighter from Return of the Jedi. And although all of these went for more than $300,000, clearly Marty’s pink hoverboard was the belle of the ball.
