The founder of an auction house says it is "hard to fully articulate what it means" after his film and TV memorabilia company picked up a coveted award.

Prop Store, based in Little Chafont, near Chorleywood, has been awarded the Queen's Award for Enterprise - which is widely recognised as one of the highest accolades for business success in the UK.

Established in 1998 by Stephen Lane, Prop Store sells original movie props and costumes and related memorabilia, regularly hosting live and online prop and costume auctions - including auctioning off the world's largest collection of James Bond posters at the end of 2019.

The 007 memorabilia sold for almost £250,000.

Watford Observer:

A poster for Goldfinger from 1964

Other highlights include the annual entertainment memorabilia live auction, held at the BFI IMAX cinema in Waterloo.

The auction has seen thousands of movie artefacts go under the hammer, with highlights including Indiana Jones’ (Harrison Ford) Signature Fedora from Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981) which sold for a record-breaking £393,600 in 2018, and a Hero Batpod Vehicle from Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight Rises (2012) which sold for £312,000 in 2016.

Specifically, Prop Store has been awarded the Queen's Award for International Trade for Outstanding Short-Term Growth in overseas sales over the last three years.

Mr Lane, chief executive and founder of Prop Store, said: "It’s hard to fully articulate what it means to see Prop Store awarded with such a coveted and prestigious prize as the Queen’s Award for Enterprise.

"Just over 20 years ago, this was a hobby I turned into a small business, initially run from my home office.

"Now we’ve been officially recognised as an outstanding player on the world stage, and that hobby – collecting movie props and memorabilia – feels ultimately validated as a truly valuable commercial and cultural enterprise."

Watford Observer:

Mr Lane with a T-Rex skull