20th Century Props Auction Off 40 Years of Entertainment History

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From the club chairs in Mad Men to the helicopters in Independence Day, Hollywood set designers have long turned to 20th Century Props in NoHo to spice up their soundstages. Sadly, the prop emporium is shutting its doors, and to clear out over 90,000 pieces of ephemera filling their warehouse, they've decided to hold a five-day auction. The bidding starts today at 9:30am and goes through Saturday, August 1, with more pieces being added to the catalogs each day.

And it's not just cryogenic chambers and life-sized brontosaurus models that are up for grabs (although there are plenty of those to be had)—the majority of each catalog is made up of furniture that could actually be used in a real house, like floor lamps from Entourage, end tables from Will and Grace, and dining chairs from Gilmore Girls, plus pieces from the likes of Charles Eames, Herman Miller and Mies van der Rohe. The auction will be happening both at the warehouse and online simultaneously, with an "eBay-style auction" taking place this weekend with the leftovers, but we recommend going down in person if you get a chance—after all, this will most likely be your only chance to sit in the Golden Girls' rattan furniture before it ends up at some house in the Valley.
· Great American Group [Online Auction Site]
· 20th Century Props [Official Site]