Props from Only Fools and Horses ranging from flashy jewellery worn by Del Boy Trotter to a mocked-up cheque that made the wheeler-dealer and his hapless brother, Rodney, unlikely millionaires have been snapped up at auction by collectors and fans.
Some of the artefacts, which also included a script from the famous Batman and Robin episode, went for prices that would have amazed the characters played by David Jason and Nicholas Lyndhurst.
A lot that included Del Boy’s flat cap went for £3,000, while a gold-plated signet ring was bought for £1,000 and a bracelet for £2,200.
There was huge interest around a script for the 1996 Christmas special Heroes and Villains. The script was Jason’s personal version and his lines are highlighted throughout, including the section where Del Boy and Rodney foil a mugging while dressed as Batman and Robin. It sold for £4,100.
Another firm favourite was a medal for “road-sweeping services” that Del Boy’s friend Trigger showed off in the series. It was featured during one of the sitcom’s great moments, when Trigger, played by Roger Lloyd Pack, declares: “This old broom has had 17 new heads and 14 new handles.” It went for £4,900.
Bidders were also interested in a prop cheque for £6.2m that the Trotters picked up after selling a watch that they had initially tossed away as rubbish in the episode Time on Our Hands.
The cheque features typed text from the fictitious Allied Medway Bank and is dated 29 December 1996, the original broadcast date of the episode. The cheque bears a printed signature that reads C Sullivan – likely a nod to the show’s creator, John Sullivan. It was given an estimate of between £2,000 and £3,000 but sold for £9,100.
There was one slight disappointment: an ice bucket in the shape of a pineapple from Del Boy’s bar at his fictional Peckham flat had been expected to raise up to £2,500. It was described in the catalogue as a “genuine vintage plastic Britvic-style ice bucket” and came with a letter of authenticity from MGM Cars, which supplied props and vehicles to the series from 1992 onwards. It was not bought during the sale.
Bidders from all over the world took part in the auction at East Bristol Auctions, not far from the location where the Batman and Robin scene was filmed. The auctioneer Andrew Stowe said he had been inspired by the Trotters’ entrepreneurial spirit to follow them into the business of buying and selling.
“It’s a genuine honour to handle this auction,” he said. “I grew up with Only Fools and Horses. I have it to blame for my choice of career. It made me who I am today.”
