The harpoon gun used to attack the killer shark in the legendary Steven Spielberg movie Jaws will be auctioned in Los Angeles in the spring.
Jaws, released in 1975, has been described as the archetypal summer blockbuster movie and set box office records that were only toppled by Star Wars in 1977.
It established Steven Spielberg as a master of popular cinema.
In it, the residents of a small resort town are horrified by shark attacks that trigger conflict between local officials. Some want to avoid a panic that will kill their tourist industry, others fear more deaths at the teeth of a rogue, killer shark.
Actor Robert Shaw played grizzled, cynical shark hunter Quint, who uses the Greener brand harpoon gun to attack the shark from his his boat, Orca.
Alongside him in one of the pivotal scenes of the movie were Richard Dreyfuss as scientist Matt Hooper, and police chief Martin Brody, played by Roy Scheider.
In the scene, the three men have their first close encounter with the giant great white shark terrorising Amity. Quint uses the harpoon gun to spear the monstrous fish, using a line tied to his harpoons to attach flotation barrels that he hopes will exhaust the beast.
The gun, complete with its case and ammunition, will be sold in PropStore Auction’s Entertainment Memorabilia live sale on March 25 to 27.
It carries a $250,000 to $500,000 estimate.
Screenshots help to match tiny details from movie scenes to items for sale, here it is the wood grain in the British-made gun. Image courtesy of PropStore Auctions.
Also for sale is a fishing rod from the film. Also used by the character Quint, the Fenwick rod is expected to make between $75,000 and $150,000.
Both items are photomatched to stills from the movie to prove their authenticity. The harpoon gun was previously sold at a 1990 auction of Universal Studios items.
PropStore say: “As the weapon Quint uses to fire the harpoons that attach the iconic yellow barrels to the shark, this rifle plays a central role in one of cinema’s most memorable sequences. Screen-matched hero props from Jaws – widely regarded as the first summer blockbuster and one of the most influential films ever made – are exceptionally rare. Quint’s harpoon gun stands among the most significant Jaws artifacts ever to reach public auction.”
Movie memorabilia has had a standout couple of years. The record setting auction of a pair of Wizard of Oz Ruby Slippers brought in $28 million in 2024. Last year’s $14.75 million sale of a Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane made that prop the second most valuable in history.
PropStore themselves sold a Darth Vader light saber for $3.65 million to set a Star Wars-prop record last September.
With more items yet to be added for this March sale, buyers will be circling like hungry sharks.
