The Shawshank Redemption has become one of the most beloved movies in history. Now, fans have a chance to own an actual piece of it. If you're willing to fork out the dough. Several years ago the famous tree that was used at the end of the film was damaged by a storm and a couple of months ago additional damage required the tree to be cut down. Now, it's being turned into Shawshank Redemption memorabilia, but it's not cheap.
This weekend will see the running of the Shawshank Hustle, a 7k race that will take participants past five of the film's locations. As reported by TMZ, participants will also have the ability to purchase some swag made from the famous tree. Items available include key chains and magnets for $40, mini rock hammers for $85, bottle openers for $130, and shadow boxes with an inscription of the "Hope is a good thing" note from the film for $500. Initially these items will only be available for those that are in the race, but apparently, anything that goes unsold will be for sale online afterward, which means that the rest of us may have our shot, though quantities will be limited.
When a $40 magnet is your entry level price point you know you're dealing with some fairly high demand stuff. It's not cheap, but then again it is a fairly unique item. Only so many items can be created from the finite resource of one particular tree. It may be the most expensive bottle opener you ever buy, but as a one time purchase to get something this special, sure, why not? It's also nice that movie fans will have access to the items at all. The tree was privately owned, and initially, it sounded like fans would never get a chance to get a piece of it.
When it was first reported that the owner of the field was cutting down the tree, he said he would likely turn it into some furniture. Apparently, he changed his mind or had enough material left over that he needed something else to do with it. Why would you bother to turn the tree into a table when you could turn it into thousands of dollars in income?
While The Shawshank Redemption was a box office failure, the film was nominated for numerous awards upon release, and the film was eventually rediscovered on home video. It's now one of the most popular and universally loved films of all time. It currently sits at the top of IMDB's top rated movies, above The Godfather and The Godfather Part II.
Assuming that every item doesn't get snatched up during the race on Saturday, you can go here to purchase anything that is left.
