Movie memorabilia comes in many shapes and sizes. While many people instantly think of costumes, weapons or instantly recognizable props from the biggest franchises, it is sometimes the smallest and seemingly insignificant items that can attract the most attention just because of the person who used them. That is the case in Prop Store’s Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction as a simple whiskey cup used by Val Kilmer in his role as Doc Holliday in 1993’s classic western Tombstone is going up for sale fo the first time and it has already been gaining momentum from absentee bids. The item is currently bidding at $13,000, which has already passed its low-end estimate of $10,000 and is well on the way to meeting and exceeding the $20,000 upper target. Among several Tombstone replicas, the screen-used cup is able to command such amounts for the simple reason that it was used by Kilmer in one of his most beloved roles.
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During one of Tombstone‘s standout scenes, Kilmer’s Doc Holliday taunts villainous Johnny Ringo using the cup. He twirls it around his fingers mimicking Ringo’s gun-spinning from earlier in the movie. The moment puts everything about Holliday’s humor, love of making danger for himself, and his impeccably cool persona right there to see, which is why it became one of his most quoted and loved performances of the decade. This kind of iconic role is one that passes through time and builds up a reputation that makes the idea of owning just a small piece of the production an irresistible prospect for serious collectors. That is exactly why bidding is already ramping up, and why there is a strong chance that this cup will outsell many larger and seemingly more prominent items by the time the auction closes.
This Simple Item Goes Up Against Several Other Kilmer Items
There are several other Kilmer related items in this particular auction, including two from Tombstone as well as his full Batsuit from his appearance in Batman Forever. When comparing anything to a Batman-linked item, there is only going to be one winner, which is why two different suits worn by Kilmer are among top items with the highest estimates. Other Tombstone items include two signed replica pistols, both estimated at around $1,000, a replica of Holliday’s hat and Kilmer’s own revised script pages, looking for a sale of around $3,000, and then as the pinnacle of the collection, Holliday’s Inverness coat which comes with a $20,000-$40,000 target. It is hard to imaging that any of these items will fail to make their highest estimates considering the legacy of Kilmer.
The timing of the auction certainly plays into a poignant moment, coming just over a year since Kilmer passed away from pneumonia. The actor had a long history of medical issues in his final years, diagnosed with throat cancer in 2015 after losing his voice and noticing bleeding and swelling. Kilmer documented his battle with cancer and respiratory struggles over the next decade, including in the 2021 documentary, Val. His final role was a brief and emotional return as Iceman in Tom Cruise’s Top Gun: Maverick, although he has recently been seen in the independent movie As Deep as the Grave through the use of AI. Following his passing, many of Kilmer’s movies surged on streaming, and Tombstone has often appeared in Top 10 charts despite being released over 30 years ago. Now, part of Kilmer’s legacy is is about to change hands. How much someone is willing to pay for their huckleberry is something we will find out on August 26 when the auction goes live.
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