Heritage Auctions

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Anne Revere's 1945 National Velvet Oscar, Miles Davis signed trumpet, Garbo's DMV application, rarest Bob Dylan LPs, all part of Heritage Auctions' Nov. 6-7 auction

DALLAS, TX -- One of the very last Oscar Awards available for purchase on the open market - due to a requirement from the Academy that all awards post-1950 be sold back to them - will anchor the spectacular offerings of Heritage Auctions' Nov. 6-7 20^th Century Icons Auction in Dallas. Anne Revere's 1945 Best Supporting Actress Oscar is estimated to bring $150,000+.

Revere's rare award is just one of the lots in this auction that, as the event name suggests, features items and memorabilia relating to the biggest names from the worlds of music, entertainment, politics and sports that will be crossing the auction block in early November at Heritage Auctions.

"Every sale we present at Heritage Auctions takes on a life of its own," said Doug Norwine, Director of Music & Entertainment at Heritage Auctions. "This 20^th Century Icons auction just naturally took shape of its own volition with a simply astounding number of amazing relics coming to us that are related to the people that, more than almost any others, helped shape history and define society in the 20^th Century. Collectors of all shapes and sizes are going to go crazy over this stuff."

The lot bound to generate the most excitement at the Heritage Auctions' sale, according to Norwine, is an astounding John F. Kennedy-signed morning edition of The Dallas Morning News from Nov. 22, 1963, possibly the very last autograph he ever gave, possibly his last signature period. On a photograph of the President and Jackie, under the headline Storm of Controversy Swirls Around Kennedy on Visit, JFK signs prominently across Jackie's skirt. The autograph was given to a maid at the Texas Hotel in Ft. Worth, where Kennedy stayed the night, who asked the President to sign the paper as he waited in the lobby for Mrs. Kennedy. The signature has been authenticated by the three top Kennedy experts in the world. It is estimated at $20,000+.

"We've never seen an item quite as extraordinary as this one," said Norwine. "Not only is it the paper from the morning JFK was assassinated, it has the original motorcade route at the bottom, a very controversial move by the Dallas Morning News, which was a frequent critic of JFK."

In support of the JFK-signed paper, and certainly equally spectacular in its own right, Heritage Auctions is offering the fedora that Jack Ruby wore when he fatally shot Lee Harvey Oswald at 11:21 a.m. on Nov. 24, 1963, in the basement of the Dallas Police Department headquarters, all before a live national television audience. The stylish 7-1/4 sized gray Cavanagh fedora, embossed with Ruby's name, is certainly the most iconic symbol of this historic moment, as the phrase "follow the hat" was heard countless thousands of times when it happened, and many millions more in the decades since, when reviewing the tape of the shooting. This is indeed the very "hat" that has been "followed" by generations of Americans, and its grip on the national psyche is no less compelling than the day it was made famous.

Few, if any, movie stars of 20^th Century American cinema are more famous than Marilyn Monroe and few baseball players can lay claim to greater fame than Joe DiMaggio. The blond bombshell superstar and the renowned slugger are represented together in the Heritage Auctions' Nov. 6-7 event in the form of a children's menu from the Big Top Restaurant at the Tides Hotel and Bath Club in San Diego, signed by both Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio, at some time during their brief and very public relationship. The couple were wed in 1954 and stayed married for only nine months, making this one of the very few items known to feature a signature from both. It's easy to imagine that a simple "dinner out" for this superstar couple would have been nearly impossible to get through without having to answer requests for autographs and endure the unending stares of adoring fans. The menu is estimated at $6,000+.

The world of music icons is amply covered in the auction, with a wide array of material that relates to most every significant music act of the last 50 years, including a very special lot relating to the most recently departed 20^th Century icon of music, the King of Pop himself. The lot at Heritage Auctions is a Michael Jackson Thriller in-house Gold and Platinum Album Aware presented by Jackson himself to Fred Astaire with the inscription "Presented to Fred Astaire, My Hero/Love, Michael Jackson." This is a rare chance to own a piece of memorabilia constructed by Jackson himself, a man so admired and beloved by millions, and presented in the spirit of friendship to a man that he personally and professionally venerated. Estimated at $4,000+.

A rocking chair used by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., bought for his use by his editor in the last years of his life, Hermine I. Popper, so that the legendary Civil Rights leader could work in comfort at Popper's upstate New York cabin while the two worked on King's writings, has already been the subject of some advance media buzz, but certainly deserves another mention here. It is estimated at $12,000+.

"Occasionally an item will come to Heritage Auctions that is not only an honor to present, but which virtually sends chills up the spine with its provenance, significance and inspirational association," said Norwine. "Such a piece is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s Lincoln rocking chair, a relic that is representative of American history and brotherhood. We're thrilled to be offering the chair Dr. King enjoyed extensively, particularly while writing his seminal 1967 book, Where Do We Go From Here: Chaos or Community?"

Further highlights include, but certainly are not limited to:

Eric Clapton Signed Limited Edition "Blackie" Tribute Guitar: In 1970, Eric Clapton bought six vintage 1950s-era Fender Stratocasters for $100 each from the Sho-Bud guitar shop in Memphis. After giving one each to George Harrison, Pete Townshend, and Steve Winwood, he took the best parts of the remaining three and assembled his now-legendary axe "Blackie", so named for its black finish. The guitar made its stage debut at the Rainbow Concert on January 13, 1973, and Clapton played Blackie on stage and in the studio until 1985. It was retired due to issues with the neck (it made one last public appearance during the 1991 Royal Albert Hall shows, where it was brought out for one number). In 2004 the original Blackie was sold at auction to benefit Clapton's Crossroads Centre. Music equipment dealers Guitar Center purchased the one-of-a-kind guitar for a (then) record-breaking $959,500, had it examined and measured by a team of master builders at the Fender Custom Shop in 2006 and released a limited edition series of 275 reproductions, of which this is one, serial #GF515, a dead-ringer for the original Blackie that not only includes the dents and dings to the body and the worn fretboard, but even the cigarette burns to the headstock and the neck that was ever-so-slightly reshaped by Clapton's relentless hands. This one, however, is signed by Clapton on the pickguard. Estimated at $22,000+.

Stevie Ray Vaughan Signed and Played Acoustic Guitar: This humble cherry sunburst "Hummingbird" style guitar was owned by the production manager of a Brisbane, Australia radio station, purchased used in 1982. In February 1987, Stevie Ray Vaughan came through Brisbane as part of a tour package which included his brother Jimmie's band, the Fabulous Thunderbirds. Stevie Ray dropped by the station to promote the show, and the manager made sure the guitar just "happened" to be there nearby. Naturally, Stevie Ray picked it up, played a few riffs from "Scuttle Buttin'", and signed the body of the guitar, "Always Play Her With a Feeling!!! Soul to Soul! Stevie Ray Vaughan." Estimated at $30,000+.

Boris Karloff's costume from The Black Cat (1934): "The black cat is deathless, deathless as Evil!" purred Boris Karloff in The Black Cat, the darkest and most sinister of all Universal horror classics. Released in 1934, director Edgar G. Ulmer's gruesome, art-deco masterpiece was the first of eight films to feature the two most iconic figures of the genre, Karloff and Bela Lugosi. The actors were pitted against each other as age-old nemeses who face off for an epic final battle with its roots in atrocities committed during the Great War. This is a wonderful relic from one of the most hallowed of horror classics , and from one of Boris Karloff's most brilliantly frightening performances. Estimated at $20,000+.

Raymond Burr's 1959 Emmy Award for Perry Mason: This Emmy Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role (Continuing Character) in a Dramatic Series was presented to Burr in 1959 for his work on the long-running courtroom drama. His portrayal of the stalwart defense attorney remains one of his signature performances, and this award was the first of two he would win for the role, claiming another in 1961 after an unsuccessful nomination in 1960. Estimated at $6,000+.

Beatles 1st State Butcher Cover Yesterday and Today Mono LP (Capitol 2553, 1966): The original cover for the Beatles' US release Yesterday and Today was a conceptual art piece entitled "Somnambulant Adventure." Capitol Records ordered all copies of the cover to be destroyed and replaced with the more acceptable "Trunk Cover." Not all the original offensive covers were destroyed, however, and here's an outstanding one-owner example. Estimated at $5,000+.

Bob Dylan Freewheelin' Rare LP (Columbia 1986/8786, 1963): The rare version of Freewheelin' that has vinyl cuts other than the ones listed on the front cover and on the label itself, an extremely rare album variation cited by the Goldmine Album Guide at the top of its "100 Most Valuable U. S. Albums" chart. Just before the first version of the album was to be shipped, the decision was made to replace four of the songs. Somehow a number of the original discs got out, although the covers and the record labels showed the revised songlist. Estimated at $4,500+.

Greta Garbo Signed Driver's License Application with Permit: This State of California driver's license application, dated February 17, 1958, was filled and signed by the elusive starlet in black ink. Garbo wrote her name twice on the document, both in her distinctive handwriting. The form is accompanied by Garbo's temporary driving permit, which features a heavily faded signature by her in ink. Garbo didn't grant many autographs, and her signature is a difficult one to find. Estimated at $4,000+.

Mil es Davis Autographed Trumpet: One of the most influential jazz musicians who ever lived, Miles Davis was on the forefront of numerous musical developments and movements during his roughly 50-year career, including hard bop, cool jazz, modal music, fusion, and free jazz. This Bundy trumpet was signed by the jazz legend in black felt tip on the right side of the bell - a rare item, considering how rare Davis' signature is, especially on an instrument such as this. The autograph was obtained by jazz trumpeter Martin Hicks at an April 15, 1988, Office for the Arts at Harvard and Radcliffe salute to Benny Carter, a function that was also attended by Davis. Estimated at $4,000+.

Heritage Auctions, founded by Steve Ivy and Jim Halperin, is the world’s third largest auction house, and by far the largest auctioneer of rare collectibles, with annual sales more than $700 million, and 470,000+ registered online bidder members. For more information about Heritage Auctions, and to join and gain access to a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HA.com.

Want to get the up-to-the-minute updates and breaking news stories about Heritage Auctions? Get them as they happen at: www.Twitter.com/HeritagePress; www.Twitter.com/JimHalperin; Facebook: Heritage Auction Galleries. To view a compete archive of Heritage press releases go to: www.HA.com/PR. To link to this press release on your blog or Website: www.HA.com/PR-1742.

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