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Axe used by Jack Nicholson in The Shining to go on sale

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O'Grady, S. (2026, October 6). Axe used by Jack Nicholson in The Shining to go on sale. Evening Standard. https://www.standard.co.uk/news/uk/jack-nicholson-stanley-kubrick-bonhams-press-association-london-b1299725.html

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Evening Standard · collected 2026-10-06 · by Sean O'Grady

Quick Summary

Stanley Kubrick's personal archive items are set to go on sale at an upcoming auction next year. Among these items is the infamous axe used by Jack Nicholson in "The Shining," which could sell for between £30,000 and £50,000. The collection also includes other notable pieces such as a prop from "2001: A Space Odyssey" estimated to fetch up to £800,000, blue dresses worn by the Grady sisters expected to sell for between £40,000 and £60,000, and various annotated scripts of Kubrick's films.
Written by AI on 2026-10-06, from this article's own text only (the story summary below draws on all the coverage).

AI analysis

Story summary

Bonhams in London will auction the axe used by Jack Nicholson's character, Jack Torrance, in Stanley Kubrick's 1980 horror film The Shining. The axe, which appears prominently when Torrance tries to murder his wife Wendy with it, is estimated to sell for between £30,000 and £50,000. Other items from the auction include two blue dresses worn by the Grady twins and a clapperboard used during filming. The sale will also feature the Star Child prop from Kubrick's 1968 science fiction film 2001: A Space Odyssey, expected to fetch between £600,000 and £800,000. The auction will start with exhibitions in New York and Los Angeles before moving on to Paris and concluding in London from February 3rd onwards. Kubrick’s stepdaughter Katharina said the auction offers insight into his creative journey and influences on future filmmakers.

Written for “Shining Prop Auction” on 2026-11-03, grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.

Story

📰 Shining Prop Auction
Entertainment · 2 article(s) covering the same event. See how they differ ↓

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The Guardian
Hedges 0 of 24 claims Outlet record 66/100
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Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
5%
1 of 19 hedged ("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Evening Standard's corrections and hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
2
Entertainment
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
Analyzed 2026-10-06 · how these are computed

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Source leaning vs. consistency

Publisher

Evening Standard · 8310 article(s) · 73 correction(s) detected
Running correction rate · 73 correction(s)

Who wrote this

Sean O'Grady
97 article(s) here · 1 carrying a prediction
🔮 Long may it last.”
🔮 She said: “After I got offered the part, I would not look at the movie because the last thing I want to do is try to repeat anything that she did.
🔮 The 2027 festival will take place from June 18-20.
🔮 He will be so much missed.
🔮 He will be so much missed.”
🔮 “I couldn’t just go ‘guys it’s me, vote for me’, but that’s all I can do really’.
🔮 He will be so much missed.”
🔮 Ms Bailey’s brother Gerard told the BBC the archive has been offered to auction by her widower, Ian Belcher, adding his sister “would be horrified at the prospect of the auction being held in her name and that her personal, cherished possessions are being sold off to the highest bidder”.
🔮 “So that was the most difficult thing, and not being able to tell them exactly when I would be going because I didn’t know – I could be back in 48 hours, I could be gone in three weeks, which turned out I was.”
🔮 Maestro Italian tenor Bocelli will make an appearance to celebrate 30 years since he first became an international star.
Also by Sean O'Grady
Nothing else under this byline is closely related to this article, so these are simply their most recent.
All 97 articles by Sean O'Grady →

Topics

Bonhams Kubrick The Star Child the Overlook Hotel

Subjects

Kubrick PERSON · 6× Bonhams ORG · 2× Jack PERSON · 1× Jack Torrance PERSON · 1× Nicholson PERSON · 1× Shelley Duvall PERSON · 1× Stanley Kubrick PERSON · 1× Star Child PERSON · 1× Wendy ORG · 1× the Overlook Hotel ORG · 1×

Narrative

His stepdaughter Katharina Kubrick said: “I believe Stanley is one of the few film directors whose life and movies continue to be extensively studied and revered, influencing, encouraging and inspiring current and new generations of movie-makers.
framing: assertive · carried by 1 article(s) · first seen 2026-10-06
🔮 Other items for sale include the Star Child prop from 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is expected to fetch between £600,000 and £800,000.
2026-10-06 · Evening Standard
Axe used by Jack Nicholson in The Shining to go on sale · assertive framing

Claims (19 extracted, 1 hedged)

Items from director Stanley Kubrick’s personal archive are to go to auction for the first time next year. asserted
Items → go → time
Kubrick, considered one of the greatest film-makers of all time, is known for works including 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), A Clockwork Orange (1971) and Eyes Wide Shut (1999). asserted
Kubrick → consider → 2001
The axe used by The Shining’s Jack Torrance (Nicholson) is estimated to sell for £30,000 to £50,000, asserted
axe → use → 50,000
In the film, Jack slammed the axe through a bathroom door as he attempted to murder his wife Wendy (Shelley Duvall) after losing his mind while staying at the Overlook Hotel. asserted
he → slam → Hotel
Other items for sale include the Star Child prop from 2001: A Space Odyssey, which is expected to fetch between £600,000 and £800,000. asserted
which → include → 600,000
The Star Child appears as a glowing foetus in the final scene of the 1968 science fiction epic. asserted
Child → appear → epic
Among the other memorabilia are the blue dresses worn by the Grady sisters from The Shining, which are expected to fetch between £40,000 and £60,000. asserted
which → wear → 40,000
Kubrick’s annotated copy of the film story treatment of Journey Beyond The Stars, the original working title of 2001: A Space Odyssey, is estimated to sell for between £30,000 and £50,000. asserted
copy → annotate → 30,000
The director’s annotated script for Lolita (1962) is expected to fetch between £40,000 and £60,000, while the annotated script for Spartacus (1960) is expected to sell for £20,000 to £40,000. asserted
script → annotate → 40,000
Other items include a clapperboard used on the set of The Shining, estimated to sell for £10,000 to £15,000, and the “Born To Kill” helmet from Full Metal Jacket (1987), estimated at the same price. asserted
items → include → price
Kubrick’s Taylor-Hobson Cooke Speed Panchro Director’s viewfinder, an optical tool used by cinematographers and bearing his initials “SK”, is also expected to sell for between £10,000 and £15,000. asserted
viewfinder → use → 10,000
Kubrick’s director’s chair could fetch between £8,000 and £12,000, and a cloak used in Eyes Wide Shut could fetch between £3,000 and £5,000. uncertain
cloak → fetch → 3,000
His stepdaughter Katharina Kubrick said: “I believe Stanley is one of the few film directors whose life and movies continue to be extensively studied and revered, influencing, encouraging and inspiring current and new generations of movie-makers. asserted
life → say → makers
“Like all great artists he wasn’t afraid to ‘push the envelope’ to achieve his uncompromising vision in his quest to make beautiful, thought-provoking films. asserted
he → push → films
“His movies have stood the test of time and will continue to be relevant to our shared humanity as long as people love the art of great cinema. asserted
people → stand → cinema
“We are proud to be able to share with you some of the items from this unique collection, which we hope will find new homes and be cherished until it is time to pass them on to the next generation of film lovers.” asserted
it → share → lovers
Claire Tole-Moir, head of popular culture at auction house Bonhams, said: “A true visionary, Kubrick’s incredible influence cannot be overstated, and Bonhams is delighted to be able to bring his collection to auction. asserted
Bonhams → say → auction
“This is a landmark moment to get closer to some of the most iconic films ever made, explore Kubrick’s creative process and get to know more of the man behind the camera.” asserted
This → get → camera
The auction will take place on February 3, with an online auction ending on February 4 at 12pm. asserted
auction → take → pm
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