Steven Spielberg’s original amber mosquito prop from Jurassic Park (1993) fetched $403,200 (£302,400) on Wednesday, 26 August 2026, leading Day 1 of Propstore’s Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction in Los Angeles. The piece appeared in the Mano de Dios amber mine sequence, where the mine proprietor, Juanito Rostagno (Miguel Sandoval), inspects the newly unearthed specimen alongside InGen lawyer Donald Gennaro (Martin Ferrero).
The Los Angeles live auction cleared $7.2 million (£5.4 million) across 296 film and television lots during its opening session, with three additional days running through 29 August.
What Does ‘Screen-Matched’ Mean?
In film memorabilia collecting, a “screen-matched” prop is an artefact confirmed to have appeared in a specific, visible cut of the final release. Unlike general production-made backups, background dressings, or stunt doubles, screen-matching relies on forensic visual proof.
Specialists compare high-resolution film frame grabs directly against the physical item. They look for unique, irreproducible flaws:
- Surface irregularities: Specific resin bubble formations, cracks, and paint splatter.
- Physical distressing: Scratches, nicks, or chips picked up during handling on set.
- Craft variations: Precise placement of embedded elements, stitch lines on garments, or rough stone tooling.
In the case of the Jurassic Park lot, the positioning of the embedded crane fly, the internal resin bubbling, and the specific stone matrix along the border match the extreme close-up shot under the mine lantern in the film’s first act.
Notable Day 1 Sales
Several other high-profile genre lots went under the hammer during Wednesday’s session:
| Production | Lot Description | Realised Price (USD) | Realised Price (GBP) |
| Jurassic Park (1993) | Screen-matched amber mosquito fossil | $403,200 | £302,400 |
| Star Trek: The Original Series (1966–1969) | “Midgrade” Starfleet Type-2 Phaser | $315,000 | £236,250 |
| Saturday Night Fever (1977) | Tony Manero’s (John Travolta) white suit | $277,200 | £207,900 |
| Superman III (1983) / Superman IV (1987) | Superman costume (Christopher Reeve) | $233,100 | £174,825 |
| Captain America: Civil War (2016) | Iron Man Mark 46 light-up armour (Robert Downey Jr.) | $138,600 | £103,950 |
| The Matrix Reloaded (2003) | Neo’s complete costume (Keanu Reeves) | $138,600 | £103,950 |
| Donnie Darko (2001) | Frank the Rabbit costume (James Duval) | $126,000 | £94,500 |
| Tombstone (1993) | Doc Holliday whiskey cup (Val Kilmer) | $119,700 | £89,775 |
| Freddy vs. Jason (2003) | Jason Voorhees battle-damaged hockey mask | $107,100 | £80,325 |
| Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) | Jack Sparrow tricorn hat (Johnny Depp) | $100,800 | £75,600 |
Brandon Alinger, COO at Propstore, said in a statement:
We are thrilled with the results from the opening day of Propstore’s Summer Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction, led by the screen-matched mosquito in amber from Jurassic Park. Few objects capture the premise and enduring cultural impact of a film so immediately, and the response from collectors reflects the significance of this remarkable piece.
The auction runs until 29 August 2026, ending with autographed items and sports memorabilia.
Quick Links
- Bidding is open online via Propstore.
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