Mosquito Prop from Jurassic Park Sells for More Than $400,000 at U.S. Auction

The amber mosquito prop that provides Jurassic Park’s first clue to resurrecting dinosaurs sold for $403,200 at a Los Angeles auction, far above its expected price. Propstore sold the piece on Aug. 26 during its summer entertainment memorabilia auction. It had been estimated at $100,000 to $200,000.

The prop appears at the beginning of Steven Spielberg’s 1993 film. Workers in an amber mine in the Dominican Republic discover a prehistoric mosquito trapped inside the amber. In the movie’s story, scientists extract dinosaur DNA from blood the mosquito had consumed and use it to bring extinct dinosaurs back to life.

The auctioned object is not an actual fossil. It is a model made for filming, with texture and coloring designed to resemble amber and rock. A prehistoric mosquito shape sits inside. The piece measures about 10 centimeters wide, 15 centimeters tall and 6.25 centimeters deep, and retains filming marks, resin cracks and areas where paint has worn away.

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Few objects capture a film’s premise and enduring cultural impact so immediately.

The same auction featured a range of other film and television memorabilia. John Travolta’s white suit from Saturday Night Fever sold for $277,200, while a Starfleet phaser from the original Star Trek series reached $315,000. Christopher Reeve’s Superman costume sold for $233,100.

An Iron Man suit worn by Robert Downey Jr. in Captain America: Civil War and Keanu Reeves’ Neo costume from The Matrix Reloaded each sold for $138,600. Johnny Depp’s Jack Sparrow hat from Pirates of the Caribbean fetched $100,800, and Val Kilmer’s whiskey cup from Tombstone sold for $119,700. Propstore Chief Operating Officer Brandon Alinger said few objects capture a film’s premise and lasting cultural impact so directly.

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The collectors’ response shows exactly what this remarkable piece means.