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Cinematic treasures

"I'll never let go. I promise," uttered Rose DeWitt Bukater, played by Kate Winslet in the 1997 blockbuster Titanic, while floating on an ornate wood panel.

The very panel on which the actress lay was recently auctioned for a total of $718,750 in Dallas, United States.

According to a news release from Heritage Auctions, the five-day event brought in $15.7 million across almost 1,600 lots. The wood panel, pivotal in the farewell scene of Jack and Rose, claimed the highest bid.

Many of the most coveted lots were props from Titanic, including the ship's helm wheel (sold for $200,000), Rose's waterlogged chiffon dress ($118,750), and the ship's brass engine order telegraph ($81,250).

Other notable expensive movie props in history include Darth Vader's mask and helmet from The Empire Strikes Back (1980), which fetched over $1 million including the premium in 2019, and Audrey Hepburn's dress from My Fair Lady (1964), sold for $3.7 million in 2011.

Joe Maddalena, executive vice president of Heritage Auctions, highlighted the growing interest among collectors in films from the 1980s and 1990s. "Collectors are finally rewarding these artifacts as what they are: cultural artifacts akin to the fine art of old," he said in a statement, according to NPR.