A complete set of original scripts from the Danish television series Matador sold for 200,000 kroner at a Bruun Rasmussen online auction on Monday evening. The price was double the pre-sale estimate.
DR reports that a range of objects from the series went under the hammer on August 24. The highlight was the complete script set, which had been estimated at 80,000 to 100,000 kroner. The auction house announced the result in a press release.
Peter Broe, Bruun Rasmussen’s specialist in memorabilia and collectibles, told DR that such complete sets rarely reach the market. Actors were typically handed scripts only for the scenes in which they appeared, he explained. According to Broe, uncertainty over when a comparable item might surface again helped drive the price.
The auction house’s lot listing describes the item as 24 genuine manuscripts from the series, produced by Nordisk Film between 1978 and 1981. The listing records the lot as sold for 200,000 kroner in the August 24 sale of paintings, furniture and varia. In its press release, Bruun Rasmussen states that the set was consigned by a private collector.
Costumes and props from the series were also included in the online sale. One lot contained a copy of the fictional Korsbæk Tidende, a copy of Nationaltidende and a German leaflet. It sold for 22,000 kroner, well above the estimate of 6,000 to 8,000 kroner, DR reports.
Four further newspapers from the series also sold above their estimates. Broe said demand for original objects connected to Matador appears to be continuing, and described the evening’s auction as clear evidence of that.
The sale drew attention outside Denmark. Norwegian outlet ABC Nyheter reported that the hammer price corresponds to roughly 290,000 Norwegian kroner. The outlet also noted that several props and costumes from the series changed hands in the same auction.
How the sale was set up
The timing followed the scheduled closing date of the online auction. In a pre-sale article published on August 17, DR reported that the manuscripts, costumes and props were on offer until August 24. The broadcaster described the script set as the highlight of the sale.
Tidende.dk reported on August 18 that bidding was already underway. That coverage listed the same estimate of up to 100,000 kroner for the manuscripts. Neither outlet linked the sale to an anniversary or other external event.
Bruun Rasmussen’s auction overview lists the manuscript lot under collector’s items and memorabilia and marks it as sold. Matador was produced by Nordisk Film and broadcast between 1978 and 1981.
