Maltese Falcon Sells For Over $4 Million

The famed Maltese Falcon sold for over $4 million at auction yesterday.

As previously reported by The Inquisitr, the Maltese Falcon was expected to fetch a high price, but even estimates fell short.

The 45 pound, 12 inch bird statue from the 1941 detective flick The Maltese Falcon went for $4,085,000 according to Bonhams, the auction house handling the sale.. The Maltese Falcon went in a sale of classic movie items, and the winning bidder claimed their victory over the phone.

The statue is a lead cast piece made especially for the movie and was the actual prop used for the film. The famous figure was one of only two made for the production.

According to Bonhams, there is some wear and tear on the piece, not that the new owner seems to care. The statue has a bent right tail feather, which was damaged during filming. One could speculate the damage actually makes the piece more pricey as it provides some provenance. Bonhams verified that the damage occurred when actress Lee Patrick, who played Sam Spade’s secretary Effie, dropped it while handing it to Humphrey Bogart.

The unidentified previous owner had the Maltese Falcon since the 1980s, and the statue made the rounds. Over the years, the statue was on display at Warner Bros. Studio Museum, Pompidou Centre in Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York.

So what do you think of the Maltese Falcon statue selling for $4 million? I would say it’s probably in good hands, see.