MOVIES - May 4, 1993

Falcon Found for $8: One of two Maltese Falcons created for the Warner Bros. 1941 film classic “The Maltese Falcon” will be up for grabs June 19 during Christie’s auction of entertainment memorabilia and collectibles in New York. The statuette, made from cast resin and weighing about five pounds, was missing for more than 50 years until Ara Chekmayan, an Emmy Award-winnning filmmaker recognized the work and bought it for $8 while browsing at an outdoor flea market in Pennsylvania. He then took it to Christie’s during a free appraisal day and the auction house authenticated it. Christie’s estimates the falcon will bring $30,000 to $50,000, which Chekmayan says he will use to make an independent film project.