Dozens of props from the Glasgow 2026 Commonwealth Games opening ceremony, including a giant flying teacake and a large Loch Ness monster figure, are set to go under the hammer next week. The items, which also include relay batons, unused basketballs and bedazzled unicorn costumes, are expected to draw strong interest from collectors, with the teacake and Nessie prop likely to be among the most valuable lots.
The teacake, which was launched into the air during the ceremony at the OVO Hydro, is expected to sell for between £1,000 and £2,000. Anyone hoping to buy it will need to view it off-site by appointment and arrange their own transport, as the auction listing makes clear it cannot be collected directly from the venue.
What was the significance of the teacake prop?
The oversized teacake served as a deliberate nod to Glasgow's first turn hosting the Games in 2014, when dancers dressed as teacakes featured prominently in that year's opening ceremony. According to the SBS, organisers of the 2026 show explicitly built the moment as a callback to that earlier tradition. The creative team behind this year's ceremony has said the 2014 teacakes were a direct source of inspiration for the design, according to a national broadcaster's report.
The original 2014 ceremony, held at Celtic Park, featured 30 large teacake props created as part of a wider set of dozens of oversized items built for the show, according to the production company that built them, with the specific teacake count later confirmed by Tunnock's operations director Fergus Loudon in comments to Inside the Games. That 2014 event also drew a peak television audience of more than 9 million viewers on BBC1, according to a media industry report.
What other ceremony props are being sold?
King Charles and Queen Camilla stepped out of a Tardis at the start of the opening ceremony last month, in one of several striking staged moments. A large Loch Ness Monster prop, which appeared alongside Outlander actor Sam Heughan during a dedicated segment, is also going up for sale. As with the teacake, auction notes state that the Nessie prop is being stored off-site, with viewing available strictly by appointment, and buyers will need to arrange their own collection.
According to the Scottish Event Campus, the ceremony's audience saw the Tardis, Sam Heughan, the Nessie figure and the suspended teacake accompanied by fireworks as part of the spectacle.
What sporting memorabilia is included in the sale?
A spare ball set aside for the gold medal netball match is expected to fetch between £40 and £60. The score sheets from that final, which New Zealand won, along with the sheet from the bronze medal match, are each estimated to sell in the same range.
Medal presentation trays, which include a plush soft toy of Finnie, the Games mascot, carry an estimate of £50 to £80. Other lots include framed artwork, flags carried during the opening and closing ceremonies, and elaborately decorated unicorn costumes, among them a silver
