‘The Walking Dead’ comes alive in auction for 15-year anniversary

‘The Walking Dead’ comes alive in auction for 15-year anniversary
Associated PressFILE. -Melissa McBride, left, and Greg Nicotero attend a panel for "The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon" during Comic-Con International in San Diego on July 25, 2025. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

By ITZEL LUNA Associated Press
LOS ANGELES (AP) — The eerie zombies from “The Walking Dead” first stepped into viewers’ living rooms on Halloween nearly 15 years ago, unknowingly ushering in a new era for the horror genre. Fans are getting a chance to own some of the franchise’s most coveted items.
AMC Networks, in partnership with Heritage Auctions, will be auctioning over 1,000 prop items that span the entire franchise. Online bidding runs until Nov. 1.
Greg Nicotero, the show’s special makeup effects supervisor, executive producer and director, has been part of the show since it first went into production. He played a large role in curating the auction, which takes people “on a journey” through the timeline of the franchise, he said, from the first season through the original show’s 2022 finale to the various spinoffs that followed.
“It’s going to remind people of what a powerhouse the show was,” he said. “I’m proud of the fact that we changed the way people make television with this show, and I was part of that.”
“The Walking Dead” comes to life
The auction has made countless memories bubble to the surface for Nicotero.
“I think I’m gonna have to buy some stuff,” Nicotero said as he browsed the catalog. The special effects master has his eyes on Glenn Rhee’s guitar, starting at $1,000. The fan-favorite character, played by Steven Yeun, attempts to play the instrument in an episode in season two.
“It takes those iconic moments, and it grounds them in a reality,” Nicotero said. “You’re not just seeing it on television, but it’s something tangible that you can hold. So that kind of blows me away.”
One auction item offers five masks used for the zombies that filled the background of various shots. A pickaxe that Carol Peletier, played by Melissa McBride, used to kill her abusive husband in season one to stop him from turning into a zombie, is another one of Nicotero’s favorites.
The highest-priced item starts at $25,000 for the original 1971 Pontiac Tempest, a car featured in the opening minutes of the series premiere. Other items are as low as $500.
More than just a zombie show
Nicotero had been in the zombie business for decades before joining “The Walking Dead” team in 2009. The show, he said, felt revolutionary, but he was initially unsure how viewers would receive it.
The show proved to be like “lightning in a bottle,” he said. It “did something that most zombie material to that date had never done,” he said. “It made you feel something.”
The zombies come alive in the show, largely due to award-winning makeup and prosthetics, props which are included in the auction.
Nearly 15 years after its premiere and two years since the original series ended, the zombie universe shows no signs of stopping. “The Walking Dead: Daryl Dixon,” a spinoff that Nicotero also executive produces and has directed episodes for, is currently airing its third season on AMC. “The Walking Dead: The Ones Who Live,” a limited series reuniting characters Rick Grimes and Michonne, aired last year.

News

1 hour ago in Entertainment

A character wouldn’t leave Reese Witherspoon alone. It led to her first novel

Fresh

Reese Witherspoon's first novel for adults began with the kind of inspiration veteran fiction writers know well — a character who wouldn't leave her alone.

1 day ago in Entertainment

D’Angelo, Grammy-winning R&B singer who became an icon with ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ dies

D'Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" music video, has died. He was 51.

1 day ago in Entertainment

‘Tron: Ares’ tops box office but falls short of expectations with $33.5 million debut

"Tron: Ares" powered up the box office grid in the top spot this weekend, but Disney's third entry in the sci-fi franchise fell short of expectations.

1 day ago in Entertainment

Oprah Winfrey picks Megha Majumdar’s ‘A Guardian and a Thief’ for book club

Megha Majumdar's " A Guardian and a Thief," already a finalist for the National Book Award and Kirkus Prize, is now Oprah Winfrey's book club pick.

2 days ago in Entertainment

Steve Martin, Bette Midler and Goldie Hawn are among stars paying tribute to Diane Keaton

Oscar winning actor Diane Keaton, who died at 79, was known for her performances and style that helped shaped some of the most indelible films of all time, including "The Godfather," "Annie Hall," "Father of the Bride" and "Something's Gotta Give."

5 days ago in Entertainment, Music

No Doubt reunites for Sphere residency. Gwen Stefani will be first woman to headline the Vegas venue

Don't speak — scream, because No Doubt has announced the band's first run of shows in 14 years. After surprising fans with a brief reunion at the 2024 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the ska-punks have set their sights on Las Vegas.

News

1 hour ago in Entertainment

A character wouldn’t leave Reese Witherspoon alone. It led to her first novel

Fresh

Reese Witherspoon's first novel for adults began with the kind of inspiration veteran fiction writers know well — a character who wouldn't leave her alone.

1 day ago in Entertainment

D’Angelo, Grammy-winning R&B singer who became an icon with ‘Untitled (How Does It Feel),’ dies

D'Angelo, the Grammy-winning R&B singer recognized by his raspy yet smooth voice and for garnering mainstream attention with the shirtless "Untitled (How Does It Feel)" music video, has died. He was 51.

1 day ago in Entertainment

‘Tron: Ares’ tops box office but falls short of expectations with $33.5 million debut

"Tron: Ares" powered up the box office grid in the top spot this weekend, but Disney's third entry in the sci-fi franchise fell short of expectations.

News

1 hour ago in National

County judge in Chicago area bars ICE from arresting people at court

Fresh

Cook County's top judge signed an order barring ICE from arresting people at court. Cook County includes Chicago, which has seen a federal immigration crackdown in recent months.

8 hours ago in National

Supreme Court takes up GOP-led challenge to Voting Rights Act that could affect control of Congress

The Supreme Court is taking up a major Republican-led challenge to the Voting Rights Act, the centerpiece legislation of the Civil Rights Movement, that could gut a key provision of the law that prohibits racial discrimination in redistricting.

1 day ago in National

Trump honoring Charlie Kirk with Presidential Medal of Freedom on what would be his 32nd birthday

President Donald Trump on Tuesday is posthumously awarding America's highest civilian honor to Charlie Kirk, the assassinated activist who inspired a generation of young conservatives and helped push the nation's politics further to the right.

1 day ago in National

Rare October storm brings heavy rain and possible mudslides to Southern California

A rare October storm arrived in California on Tuesday and threatened to pummel wildfire-scarred Los Angeles neighborhoods with heavy rain, high winds and possible mudslides. Some homes were ordered to evacuate.