Indiana Jones Hat Fetches Record Price at Auction

News Today: Indiana Jones hat from Temple of Doom auctioned for half a million pounds

The iconic hat worn by Harrison Ford in the second installment of the Indiana Jones film franchise, Temple of Doom, has sold for nearly half a million pounds at an auction. The brown felt fedora, specifically crafted for the movie, which was partially filmed in Sri Lanka, fetched an impressive $630,000 (£487,000) during the auction in Los Angeles on Thursday. This sale has set a new benchmark for movie memorabilia, particularly for fans of the Indiana Jones series.

The hat was worn by Ford throughout various pivotal scenes, including the famous sequence where Jones, along with nightclub singer Willie Scott (played by Kate Capshaw) and his young sidekick Short Round (played by Ke Huy Quan), escapes a sabotaged plane using an inflatable raft. This iconic scene remains etched in the memories of fans, further elevating the hat’s value.

According to Propstore, the auction house responsible for the sale, the fedora was an updated version from the one used in the first film, Raiders of the Lost Ark, featuring a more tapered crown. The hat was created by the Herbert Johnson Hat Company in London, and its inside lining bears the gold monogrammed initials “IJ”.

Interestingly, the hat also has a history beyond Ford’s performance. It was used by Ford’s stunt double, Dean Ferrandini, during additional photography at George Lucas’s visual effects facilities. The hat was sold along with previously unpublished photos of Ferrandini wearing the costume on location. Ferrandini, who passed away last year, had kept the hat as part of his personal collection.

This particular fedora sold for more than double the price of another Temple of Doom hat auctioned in 2021, which fetched £232,000. Other notable items at the auction included memorabilia from Star Wars, Harry Potter, and James Bond films.