‘Door’ prop that kept Rose alive in Titanic movie sold for $718,750

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The ornate detailing on the prop was inspired by debris salvaged from the real Titanic Credit: Heritage Auctions
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The floating piece of wood that kept Titanic’s Rose alive has been sold for $718,750 (£569,739) at auction.

The auction ended on Sunday night and was organised by auctioneers, Heritage Auctions, the third largest auction house in the world.

The BBC reports that the sale was made during an auction of props and costumes owned by restaurant and resort chain, Planet Hollywood.

The report said Heritage Auctions have claimed that the prop, which is usually regarded as a door was obtained from a complete piece of debris salvaged from the real Titanic.

During the auctions, the listing stated that the “prop measures approx. 8′ long (2.4m) and 41″ (1m) wide.”

The ornate detailing on the prop was inspired by debris salvaged from the real Titanic Credit: Heritage Auctions

Since the release of the Titanic film in 1997 to portray the 1912 tragedy, lovers of the movie have debated why the prop was not large enough to occupy both Rose and her lover, Jack to save him from the icy death.

In the Blockbuster, Leonardo Di Caprio was fictionalized as Jack who insisted that his lover Rose played by Kate Winslet should only occupy the door frame prop which was their only survival means.

His reason, was the prop could only contain Rose. Jack later died in the freezing Atlantic with his body drowning deep in the ocean.

According to the BBC, the director for the Titanic movie, James Cameron in a 2012 episode of Mythbusters disclosed that there have been several emails a day calling Rose “selfish” and Jack an “idiot” over the last scene of the movie where Jack sacrificed himself for Rose.

The famous scene has prompted debate among fans over the size of the floating wood panel Credit: Alamy

In his defense, Cameron said Jack had to die per the movie script, ending the debate around the captivating scene.

“Maybe we screwed up and the board should have been a tiny bit smaller, but the dude’s going down,” James Cameron said.

The whip from Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was one of the other props up for auction; it brought in $525,000.

An axe used by Jack Nicholson to break through a bathroom door while proclaiming, “Here’s Johnny!” in The Shining was sold for $125,000, the same amount of money at which Spiderman’s suit worn by Toby Maguire went for.

The BBC report further said per Heritage Auctions, the auction raised $15.68 million, making it one of the most successful sales of a prop and costume collection.

“There were countless bidding wars… so many we lost track,” Joseph Maddalena, of Heritage, said.