Heritage Auctions

E-mail this page to a friend

Rare '37 Oscar, Elvis jewelry, Double Indemnity archive, Buddy's last signature and The Glenn Ford Estate lead $1.274M Music & Entertainment Signature® Auction

Dallas, TX - While Wall Street and world financial markets reeled in early October, Heritage Auction Galleries rocked with Elvis, Buddy and The Beatles and rolled with an A-List of Hollywood legends. When all was said and done, and the party had been cleaned up, prices realized for the three-day auction topped $1.274 million.

"It's obvious that Pop Culture memorabilia is a fast-growing, tangible investment in these uncertain economic times," said Doug Norwine, Director of Music and Entertainment Memorabilia at Heritage. "More than that, though, is that the fact that this auction simply had incredible stuff."

With several lots garnering national attention before the auction, it was difficult to tell what was going to emerge as the standard bearer - would it be Buddy Holly's last autograph ($31,070)? The Cleopatra costume from the wardrobe archive of 1930s screen siren Theda Bara ($19,120)? Would it be an original Sinatra oil painting ($26,290)? The unopened first stateside copy of The Beatles Yesterday and Today Butcher Cover ($21,510)? Perhaps the contract in which Elvis Presley agreed to purchase Graceland ($21,510), or the couch where Glenn Ford documented a tryst with Marilyn Monroe ($4,780) from Ford's estate?

To experienced collectors, one lot in particular kept coming up: Alice Brady's 1937 Best Supporting Actress Academy Award for In Old Chicago. While Brady may not be a household name, the amazing story behind the actress and the award, the impeccable provenance and the rarity of such an early example of an Oscar created a great deal of buzz at the top levels of the hobby. In the end, Brady again delivered the goods as her rare Oscar soared to a gavel price of $59,750.

The early October auction featured a host of excellent Elvis material, including The King's clothing and, importantly, his jewelry. Elvis never disappointed his fans, and his accoutrements showed that fans were still eager for pieces of his life and still willing to pay for the association. Of all the significant Elvis lots, it was a Star Sapphire Ring, directly from the estate of Elvis' legendary back-up singer and Gospel icon J.D. Sumner. The large men's 14k yellow gold nugget ring, appointed with one oval black star sapphire and one diamond, owned and worn by Elvis, came with an 8 x 10 photo showing it on the King's finger, and with a letter of authenticity from the jeweler who sold him the ring. The price was worthy of Presley's stature in the Rock pantheon, bringing $44,812.50 from a bidder via the Web.

One of the most interesting and rare pieces of rock memorabilia to ever surface, a .45 RPM record signed by Buddy Holly, Ritchie Valens and The Big Bopper, just moments before they took off from Mason City, IA on that fateful Feb. 3 early morning in 1959. It was the last autograph any of the three would ever give, and certainly one of the very last tangible links to one of Rock and Roll's first widely-recognized geniuses. Fans responded to this incredible piece of memorabilia, as did national media outlets. As one of the most important pieces of music memorabilia to come across the auction block in a decade, it didn't disappoint as heated bidding pushed the price of the signed .45 to $31,070.

"Not only are items from Holly's last performance rare," said Norwine, "they're practically non-existent. A piece this critical will likely never come on the market again, and the price paid for it shows its significance to collectors."

As one of Hollywood's greatest directors, Billy Wilder worked with everyone in the business, from Marilyn Monroe to Humphrey Bogart, and anything directly associated with the director is highly coveted and valued today. That was as evident as ever at the sale, as several lots specifically relating to Wilder drew hundreds of bids and superb prices.

Two of particular note are a Double Indemnity production archive including an original dialogue continuity script with the infamous original "gas chamber" ending ($13,145) and a very early signed letter from a young, hungry actor named Clint Eastwood to Wilder, expressing interest in the role of Charles Lindbergh in The Spirit of St. Louis. Jimmy Stewart eventually got the part, Eastwood obviously recovered and the letter went on to fetch one of the highest prices ever paid at auction for the autograph of a living actor ($7,767.50).

This is just a sampling of the superb offerings from Heritage's Music & Entertainment Auction. To see more results from the sale, including more Elvis, rare Beatles, Sinatra and more from the Theda Bara costume archive, click here to be taken to the auction archive.

"Despite the troubles that the economy is facing right now, this was the best auction this category has seen in the last year-and-a-half," said Norwine. "We're already hard at work on our February Signature® Music & Entertainment Auction, which we anticipate will even outshine October's fantastic results. Rest assured, there will be many great surprises. Stay tuned." Heritage is the world's third largest auction house, and by far the largest auctioneer of rare collectibles, with annual sales more than $600 million, and 400,000+ registered online bidder-members. For more information on Heritage, and to gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, visit www.HA.com.

Media contact
Kelley Norwine
Heritage Auction Galleries
www.HA.com
3500 Maple Avenue, 17th Floor
Dallas, TX 75219
(800) 872-6467 x 1583
KelleyN@HA.com

Please direct photography requests to:
Cindy Brenner
CindyB@HA.com
(214) 409-1289

E-mail this page to a friend