A villainous Sydney Greenstreet told Humphrey Bogart that the Maltese Falcon was priceless, but Christie's auction house says it probably won't bring in more than $50,000 when it is sold on Dec. 6.
In the classic 1941 movie of the same name, Greenstreet tells Bogey, who is a private eye, that there is no limit, in blood or money, to the value of the jewel-encrusted falcon.But Christie's estimates that the foot-high, leaden movie prop of the falcon - one of two made for the film - will fetch between $30,000 and $50,000.
The falcon comes from the estate of William Conrad, the actor, producer and director, who received it as a token of appreciation from Warner Bros.
The prop, which weighs nearly 50 pounds, bears slash marks on the head and shoulder, inflicted in the scene in which a nearly apoplectic Greenstreet discovers that it's a fake.
Christie's put a similar falcon up for sale in May 1993, but took it off the block when its authenticity was challenged. That Maltese Falcon weighed only 5 pounds and experts believed it may have been a lightweight replica made for Bogart to hold in publicity stills.
The only other full-weight authentic Maltese Falcon is owned by a Beverly Hills, Calif., physician and has been exhibited at museums by Warner Bros., Christie's said.