Most expensive hand prop

The most expensive hand prop sold at auction is the namesake statuette from 1941 film noir The Maltese Falcon. The statuette, one of several made for the movie, was sold by Bonhams in New York for $4,085,000 (£2,517,054) on 25 November 2013.

The 12-inch-high (30-cm) "Maltese Falcon" statuette was sculpted by artist Fred Sexton from clay, and then several castings were made for use in the film. Most of the falcons used in the production and related publicity shoots were cast from lightweight resin, but the hero prop versions, intended to be handled by the actors and shown in close up, were cast from lead. This was so that the object looked right when picked up and moved, though its weight – 45 lb (20 kg) – did cause problems when actress Lee Patrick dropped it on her co-star Humphrey Bogart's foot.