Movie props can command high dollars from collectors. One extremely hot item that just sold in auction was a screen-used shield used by Captain America (Chris Evens) in the Avenger: Endgame. While the estimate by Hake’s Auctions was open, this was the highest priced item within and comic books and it was even the highest auction price in every single category. This shield also sold for a significant premium over a prior recorded price.

The winning bid for the Chris Evans screen-used Captain America shield, after the 18% buyer’s premium, fetched $259,539.52 after 17 bids. This particular shield was gifted to youth empowerment nonprofit Sand Sisters Los Angeles Inc. by Marvel Studios’ Executive Vice President, Victoria Alonso back in February of 2020 in a raffle by Sand Sisters. That raffle for this shield in particular brought in $155,801.

Captain America was introduced in March 1941, shortly before the United States entered World War II. The character was released at nearly a perfect time for good old American patriotism. The 2019 films of Avengers: Endgame and prior appearances have helped to put Captain America back as one of the key Marvel Cinematic Universe superheroes.

According to Hake’s Auctions report, Chris Evans has since passed the mantle of Captain America to Anthony Mackie’s Sam Wilson but the iconic shield remains the same. The report said:

One of the most recognizable emblems in the pop culture landscape, Cap’s shield has secured its rightful place as a touchstone in the American story. An Evans screen-used shield from Captain America: The Winter Soldier even resides within the halls of the National Museum of American History.

The shield was constructed by Marvel Studios Senior Prop Master Russell Bobbitt. Its diameter is 24″ and it is approximately 3″ deep. Its composition is high density foam with a spun aluminum exterior and hand-crafted leather arm and hand straps in the interior. Hake’s also noted that there were 30 to 40 shields produced for the Endgame film. What makes this particular example stand out, according to Hake’s, is that this particular example of the shield was used for close-up screen shots in actor Chris Evans’ hand — “as it shows the most detail and its spun aluminum surface exhibits a mesmerizing metallic sheen.”

An additional note to show the premium here is that the other prop shields used in Endgame’s long shots and action sequences generally sustained damage from stunt work in just one or two scenes. Hake’s further noted:

This shield was handled with care on set so it could be utilized in multiple scenes, making this shield’s near pristine condition an even rarer feat.

While this was the best example, it does still have “seasoning” to it. The shield was said to shows just trace wear with a 1/8″ surface paint flake to the outer red ring and some very minor edge wear. And for provenance, on top of the prior raffle giving a DNA of the example, this shield is authenticated by Marvel Studios Senior Prop Master Russell Bobbitt himself. It also comes with custom crafted plaque and a Letter of Authenticity that are both signed by Russell Bobbitt.

Collectors Dashboard evaluates collectibles as an alternative asset class. It is undeniable that a sale price of over $250,000 was the same capital that could have been invested in stocks, bonds, land… or crypto. We wanted to take a look to see what other high-priced items have sold recently around the Captain America theme, and Hake’s did run a YouTube video in its description.

On October 13, 2021, a AVENGERS #4 Marvel Comics (1964) graded CGC 8.0, which is the Captain’s first Silver Age appearance, sold on eBay for $6,700.00 after 28 bids.

According to Quality Comix, a perfectly graded Captain America #1 would sell for at least $2,000,000 if it ever came up for sale. The group has also shown that copy graded as CGC NM 9.4 recently sold for $915,000 (Heritage, 2019) and that it was the highest public sale for this issue. It was even shown that Captain America #1 even graded as FN 6.0 would still sell for $175,000.