The great Commonwealth Games sell-off - props and kit from Glasgow 2026 go under the hammer

By SCOTTISH DAILY MAIL REPORTER Published: 20:12, 13 August 2026 | Updated: 20:12, 13 August 2026 It famously saw the King and Queen travel on board the Time Lord’s Tardis for the ‘surreal’ opening of the Commonwealth Games. And now memorabilia from the night – and the sporting event – is up for grabs. Dozens of lots have been listed for auction varying from lane markers to boxing gloves. Among the ones with priciest estimates is the famous giant, one-ton teacake from the opening ceremony which is expected to fetch up to £2,000. An equally enormous Loch Ness Monster, which came on stage alongside Outlander star Sam Heughan humming Flower of Scotland, is also available with an estimate between £1,000 and £2,000. The auctioneer says the prop is ‘stored off site’ with ‘the purchaser required to make independent arrangements for her uplift’. A lectern used by the King for his speech during the opening night is also for sale and expected to make between £150 and £250 while various basketballs and netballs, some signed, are going from £40. The giant teacake used at the end of the Opening Ceremony Dancers performing during the opening ceremony wearing unicorn headware King Charles III reads his speech and declares the Games open Nessie is revealed as Sam Heughan performs during the opening ceremony Colourful relay batons, boxing gloves, medal presentation boxes with the Games mascot, Finnie, and even a medal podium have also been listed. A sparkling traffic cone, bedazzled unicorn and star costumes and dancers outfits are all up for grabs. More than 800,000 people tuned in to watch the opening ceremony of the Games in Glasgow last month after the city stepped in to save the sporting extravaganza after the state of Victoria, in Australia, pulled out amid financial concerns. Although a trimmed-down version from the last time the city hosted the event in 2014, it still featured 3,000 athletes from 74 different nations and territories competing across ten core sports and para-sports programme. Some 1,168 medals were handed out in 215 medal events while more than 630,000 people attended the various Games venues, live sites and the Glasgow 2026 Festival. More than 4,000 volunteers were drafted in, including TV host Lorraine Kelly who gave up her time for a day, while social media channels drew nearly half-a-billion viewers. The opening ceremony also featured unicorns dancing to Yes Sir, I Can Boogie amid a kaleidoscopic light show. Louisa Mahon, the Games’ chief marketing and ceremonies officer, said: ‘We were genuinely racking our brains when someone in the room mentioned the Tardis.’ The blue box was designed by a Scot in 1929, and Scots who have played the Doctor include David Tennant and Sylvester McCoy, who also made a cameo appearance at the opening event. The auction is held by Glasgow-based Great Western Auctions, owned by antiques expert Anita Manning and her daughter. A total of 173 lots will go under the hammer on August 20 from 1pm.