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“If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones.” So said the tagline for the second film, Temple of Doom, and it perfectly captures the legacy of the franchise. Whether he’s exploring ancient ruins, fighting off Nazis, or cheating death with daredevil stunts, Indiana Jones has been delighting fans for four decades now.
With an all-new adventure set to release this December in the form of the hotly-anticipated video game Indiana Jones and the Great Circle, the character remains a pop cultural icon.
The Films
Collectibles associated directly with the films are among the most sought-after by collectors. Naturally, genuine props that saw use in any of the films will fetch extraordinary prices in auctions. A prop machete wielded by Harrison Ford during the climactic rope bridge battle in Temple of Doom sold for $65,000.
The original screenplay for Temple of Doom went for an incredible $7,700. Items like these are a visceral connection to the legendary movies and are highly prized by any fan or collector.
Models
Due to the franchise’s popularity, there have been a vast number of models, toys, and action figures released over the years. Among the most notable is Hasbro’s line from 2008, which features characters from across the film series. A complete collection can be worth a surprising amount, especially if the items are in their original packaging.
Collectors with more cash may want to search for models from earlier decades. Kenner Products’ range of action figures from 1982 is among the earliest and has that iconic 80s action figure feel. The Indy model sells for over $7,000 on today’s market. The same range even contains an “Arabian Horse,” its box boasting of “galloping action.” This sells for a similar price.
Sideshow figurines are known for producing sculptures of incredibly high quality. Their 1:10 scale Indy statue goes for $250, while their superb 1:4 scale model (complete with monkey skull) sells at $1500.
LEGO has produced several Indiana Jones sets. Any discontinued set will fetch a high price on the market. The 2009 Temple of Doom set, discontinued in 2010, can go for $600. The Shanghai Case set, also based on the Temple of Doom film, is also valuable.
Autographs
As with any popular film series, the autograph market for Indiana Jones is rich.
At the most expensive end of the market are signed theatrical release posters. One for Raiders of the Lost Ark, bearing the autographs of Harrison Ford and director Steven Spielberg among many other members of the cast, sold for $12,500 this year.
There are many signed photographs out there, and any verified as authentic will be of high value. A photograph taken during the production of The Last Crusade, bearing the autographs of Ford, Spielberg, and George Lucas, sold for $4500 in 2023. A photograph from Temple of Doom signed by Ford and Kate Capshaw (who plays the permanently-petrified Willie) went for $3000 that same year. Collectors should keep an eye out for such photographs and always ensure that the autographs are verified.
For Indiana Jones’ return to the big screen in 2008 with his fourth film, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Topps Heritage released a line of collectible autograph cards. Ford’s autograph is, of course, the most valuable, being worth up to $5000.
The film featured Shia Lebouf and the return of Karen Allen, both well-known actors, and their autographs are also valuable. In the collection is a dual-autograph card bearing both their signatures, which sells for $2000.
Video Games
The Indiana Jones franchise proved a natural fit for the world of video games.
Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis was a hugely popular graphic adventure from LucasArts, made in the same style as their famous Monkey Island games and featuring the same light-hearted sense of humor. Like many games of the era, it came in a “big box” containing documentation and other items. One of these boxes with the contents intact can sell for over $100.
The first fully 3D game to feature Indy was The Infernal Machine, released in 1999. Taking many cues from the extraordinary success of Tomb Raider, the game takes place in the 1950s. It features the return of Sophia, Indy’s partner from Fate of Atlantis, in a plot focused around the two brushing up against Soviet forces. The game was released on the PC and Nintendo 64, and a sealed N64 copy can fetch hundreds of dollars.
Other games include Indiana Jones and the Emperor’s Tomb, a 2003 action game in which Indy races against a sinister cult to discover the tomb of an ancient Chinese emperor. Later came LEGO Indiana Jones, which recreates the movies in the LEGO universe.
Collectors with more cash to splash may want to look into even more unusual items, such as the 1993 Indiana Jones Pinball Adventure game. This superb electronic pinball machine features characters from the first three films. One sold in 2023 for an incredible $16,900.
Books and Comics
Comics and books have long proved to be a perfect medium for Indy to have endless new adventures in. Marvel Comics produced The Further Adventures of Indiana Jones in the early 1980s, with Dark Horse Comics later taking up the mantle. The first Marvel issue, published in 1982, sells for an unbelievably cheap $15 and is a slick-looking and well-illustrated piece to add to an Indy collection. One of the rarer comics out there is the full-size graphic novel Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis, which regularly fetches over $50. There have also been many spin-off novels written in the Indiana Jones universe. Most can be picked up cheaply in bundles.
Though Ford has conclusively ruled out playing the character again, Indy is sure to live on in other mediums and through the enduring legacy of the films. With Indiana Jones and the Great Circle set to release this December, there are plenty more adventures in store for the globe-trotting archaeologist.
Matthew Doherty is a writer, editor, and teacher specializing in all things history-related. His work has been published in the UK Defence Journal, the Small Wars Journal, and The Collector. He holds an MSc from the University of Edinburgh and a BA from the University of Leeds. In his spare time, he also writes science fiction stories.
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