Here’s what bargain hunters snagged from the massive Atlanta film studio prop sale

The company overseeing the sale, Peachtree Battle Estate Sales, signed a nondisclosure agreement and won’t disclose who is selling the props. But stickers on the bottom of small items and signs tacked to clothing racks indicate at least some of the inventory is from Marvel, which has made Atlanta the home of several of its productions in recent years.

The reasons for the prop selloff are unknown. But a few things are true. One, prop liquidation sales are a regular practice in the industry; two, major studios, including Marvel, have pulled back on their content spending in recent years; and three, warehouse leases can get expensive during a slow period in the industry.

Marvel did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The sale comes less than a month after a major Atlanta prop rental house, Studio Service Group, liquidated its inventory in Jonesboro. The company had to close its doors because of the continued uncertainty of the industry, it wrote on Facebook.

Last year, Peachtree Battle held a large prop sale for multiple CW shows after the network decided to stop shooting scripted TV series in metro Atlanta after more than a decade.

“When someone’s like, we’re gonna get rid of all our stuff, you never want to hear that, because it means someone’s leaving or they need to make space,” said Justin DeMartino, a set dresser who was shopping for his home with his partner. “Or it could be a positive.”

Credit: Savannah Sicurella

Credit: Savannah Sicurella

One studio’s loss can be another’s gain. Prop liquidation sales are a convenient way for industry professionals to acquire furniture, filming equipment and building materials at a fraction of the market value. Some of this stuff can get recirculated back into movies produced by other studios.

And for bargain hunters, the longer the sale runs, the larger the discount.

The co-owners of Netherworld Haunted House, Laura and Ben Armstrong, wheeled out two massive wooden octopuses, boxes of faux seaweed and several black ants the size of a Bernese mountain dog, and loaded it into their SUV. The couple often finds props to use in future exhibits at sales like this one.

Local actor Josh Mikel also grabbed an octopus, which he intends to display in his house. At $300, he couldn’t resist.

Though the wackiest of props get the most attention, much of what is being sold is useful household items, like kitchenware, linens, Christmas decorations, lamps and regular old furniture. There are boxes filled with plastic restaurant cups, soy sauce containers, VHS tapes, mannequin parts and books both new and old. Leather camera bags, dollhouses and old hats clutter shelves, and couches and tables alone account for at least a quarter of the warehouse space.

Noah Rask, a local gaffer, picked up equipment he needs for his job setting up lighting on sets, including about 200-300 feet of rope, white plastic sheeting and an 8-by-8-foot ultrabounce, which is a type of fabric used to control light.

Heather Haskins was there to furnish her home after it was destroyed in a fire this summer. This is the second prop liquidation sale she’s attended in recent weeks. At the last one, she spent $200 on a car full of furniture.

“Most of the stuff that I got was new. If it was any kind of linen, it was on the hanger from the dry cleaners or it had tags on it,” Haskins said. “It’s props. You know that it’s nice stuff and that it’s taken care of.”

The sale runs for five days from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Sunday, Nov. 3.