John Wick Continental Currency Coins Set to Be Auctioned

Prop Store, one of the world’s leading movie and television memorabilia auction houses, is reversing excommunicado on John Wick. From Sept. 6 through Sept. 20, their upcoming exclusive online auction will feature a selection of props and costumes from John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 2. The movie franchise stars Keanu Reeves as the title character, a retired hitman. He runs with a crowd of thieves with a code of honor who do their dealings, but never do their business at The Continental. A hotel so exclusive it has its own currency.

The Prop Store auction will be the first time fans of the John Wick universe will get the chance to own original gold coins used by the underground society. Prop Store will be offing a total of 74 coins spread across 32 lots, ranging from 1 to 5 coins per set.

To fans of the franchise, “these coins are everything,” according to press statement. They are a “signal token to the underworld all around us that the barer is in the know, and a part of the same life.” Each coin is stamped with a lion emblem on one side and figure with a shield on the other. The coins feature the Latin phrases “ENS CAUSA SUI,” which means “You are your own causes,” and “EX UNITAE VIRES,” which means “Out of unity comes strength.” They are also imprinted with “MMI,” inferring the coins were “minted” in 2001. The auction features metallic versions of the coins, as well as a limited number of stunt and scratched versions.

The online auction will feature over 400 authentic lots from the production of Summit Entertainment’s John Wick film franchise. Besides the coins, these include John Wick’s Distressed Running Through Times Square Costume (with faux bloodstained shirt); John Wick’s Stunt New York Return Costume (style used throughout the final act of Chapter 3 – Parabellum); Verrazano Bridge Chase SFX Insert-Shot Yamaha MT-09 Motorcycle Rig; Glass House Samurai Display Costume;  Distressed Blood Oath Medallion; and the Sofia Berrada Kasbah Fight Costume.

read more – John Wick: Chapter 3 and the Dawn of an Unlikely Trilogy

“The John Wick universe is built around amazing story ideas, which has led to some really fantastic props and costumes that have featured in every film,” Prop Store’s COO Brandon Alinger said in a statement. “As fans, we are excited to be bringing that world to fans for the first time and give people a chance to win their own seat at the High Table.”

Many of these lots are expected to reach hammer prices in the range of several thousand dollars. All items in the auction are originals used in the production of the film and include a Prop Store Certificate of Authenticity.

We spoke with Matt Truex, marketing manager at the auction house, about rare coins and blood-stains.

DEN OF GEEK: Who were you asked to kill to get these coins?

MATT TRUEX: (Laughs) No one, yet. We’ve had an awesome relationship with the crew at Lionsgate and Summit for years now, having done auctions for Power Rangers, The Twilight Saga, the Divergent series, Now You See Me, and now John Wick. They keep a great archive of key pieces from all their films but we were very excited when we got the word that we could include a good amount of coins in the auction.

We don’t know how much the actual Continental currency translates into American money, but would you say, the price each of these could fetch would be comparable?

We’re selling them in lots ranging from one to five coins each, so we’ll see how the bigger lots do at auction, but I could see some of the single coin lots going for anywhere from $1,000 to $1,500 at auction. Should cover a night’s stay at The Continental.

The “Distressed Running Through Times Square Costume” has fake bloodstains on it.  Were the costumes cleaned or do they still contain John Wick DNA?

We never know exactly, but in general costumes aren’t cleaned after a production, in case they need that exact one, with that exact damage or distress on it, for reshoots at some point. Considering that, and the fact that stage blood runs when you wash it, I think it’s fair to assume these costumes came straight off the Baba Yaga.

How do you come across the items?

We’ve been fortunate to work with Lionsgate and Summit on producing auctions for a few years now. All of the assets sold in the auction are coming straight from the production, and each lot includes a Prop Store Certificate of Authenticity – which is widely recognized as a gold standard within the industry.

Besides the costumes and currency, tell me a little about the Blood Oath Medallion?

The Medallion is a personal favorite for this sale. It’s really the lynchpin of John Wick: Chapter 2, and ultimately what leads him back to the life, and then on the run in Chapter 3 when [spoiler alert] he shoots Santino on Continental grounds. On top of that, it’s a pretty gorgeous piece. The one in the auction is the distressed version made of metal and opens like the film version to show the two pads for the eventual thumbprints.  This version does not feature blood prints though, so whoever wins it at auction will be starting off with a “clean record,” so to speak.

Prop Store’s John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 2 online auction runs from Sept. 6 to Sept. 20th.

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Culture Editor Tony Sokol cut his teeth on the wire services and also wrote and produced New York City’s Vampyr Theatre and the rock opera AssassiNation: We Killed JFK. Read more of his work here or find him on Twitter @tsokol.