What This Prop Is

David Read of Dial the Gate confirmed it on June 17, 2026: this is the travel Stargate, the lightweight portable version built to be moved on location and used for all the wormhole activation sequences that weren't shot on the permanent standing set. It first appeared in Children of the Gods, the SG-1 pilot, and was used all the way through Stargate Universe. Three series, seventeen years of production.

David Read's Story: The 2010 Prop Works Auction

David Read was working at Prop Works at the time of the first live auction, held September 26, 2010, at what was then called the EMP SFM Museum (now MoPOP) in Seattle. The travel gate was the centerpiece of the entire event. Fans were able to get photos in front of it before it went under the hammer.

What most people don't know: just days before the auction, set decorator Mark Davidson called and said they needed to take an 18-wheeler down to Santa Ana to retrieve the gate, because it was still being used for filming. They were shooting the Langara episode of SGU at Bridge Studios at that very moment. The pedestal seen in the auction photographs is the Langara pedestal, included with the prop.

The gate sold for $70,000 at hammer, $77,000 all-in with the 10% buyer's premium. In 2026 dollars, David Read estimates that's over $100,000.

The provenance listed on the Heritage Auctions page reads: "Prop Store Stargate Artifacts official auction, September 26th, 2010." The prop has not moved much since then; it has likely been in the possession of whoever bought it at MoPOP that day.

Daedalus Props Are Also Included

Per the Dial the Gate discussion, the lot includes additional pieces connected to the broader production. Daedalus-related props are part of what is being offered alongside the gate itself.

The Current Sale

The travel Stargate is being sold by a private fan through Heritage Auctions. As of June 17, 2026 (when Dial the Gate covered it), the page had been viewed 8,000 times and bidding was around $20,000, still well below where it is likely to land.

Heritage Auctions: 2026 July 13-17 Hollywood and Entertainment Signature Auction, Sale 7332.

The auction runs July 13 to 17, 2026. Search Heritage Auctions for the lot:

https://entertainment.ha.com

For the full breakdown, watch the Dial the Gate video from June 17, 2026:

Note: I was not able to pull the direct lot URL from Heritage Auctions (their site requires login to browse live lots), so link directly to ha.com and search "travel Stargate" or filter to Sale 7332 for the listing. If anyone has the direct lot link, drop it below.

Final Thought

There's something poetic about the gate that opened every episode for seventeen years going back to a fan. Whoever wins this auction isn't just buying a prop. They're buying the object that thousands of people stood in front of in Seattle in 2010 and said "that's it, that's the real one."

Has anyone in The Gate Room seen this in person, at the original auction or anywhere since? And who would actually go for it at today's prices?