Auction News Network

Star Trek Gun Commands $231,000

For Trekkies, the provenance was hard to beat. Even so, the price was unexpected. At a Los Angeles auction this weekend, a prop gun created for William Shatner to use in the second episode of the 1960s series “Star Trek” sold for a whopping $231,000. That was over four times its $50,000 estimate.

Jokes & Memorabilia From Milton Berle At Bonhams

Comedy great Milton Berle spent some 85 of his 94 years on earth in show business, and most of them are documented in the archive that Bonhams will be offering this spring in Los Angeles. Included is his collection of working scripts, covering his years in vaudeville, radio, television and film (est. $80,000-$100,000), as well as his voluminous private joke file (est. $10,000-$15,000), and working script from “Let’s Make Love,” the film in which he appeared with Marilyn Monroe (est. $800-$1200).

“Lincoln” Memorabilia At Charity Auction

Daniel Day-Lewis isn’t the only one feeling the glow from his Golden Globe win. The Oscar favorite has arranged for memorabilia from the movie “Lincoln” to be auctioned to benefit a hospice foundation in Wicklow, Ireland. At his request, director Steven Spielberg has donated a variety of “Lincoln”-related items to the sale, including a script signed by members of the cast, Lincoln’s white gloves, and a handmade knife, among other props. The auction will take place at the film’s European premiere in Dublin next week.

‘Out Of Africa’ Airplane To Be Sold

Soaring above the Kenyan savannah, it was featured in some of the most beautiful and romantic aerial footage ever filmed. Now the 1929 De Havilland Gypsy Moth biplane that Robert Redford’s character Denys Finch Hatton piloted in the 1985 Oscar-winning blockbuster,  ‘Out of Africa,’ will star again, this time at Bonhams’ Retromobile auction in Paris, when its price is expected to climb beyond $180,000.

Orlando’s Bow & Titanic Dress Score Big Prices

There were a number of solid bulls-eyes at Profiles in History’s Hollywood auction this week, led by the bow Orlando used in “The Lord of the Rings,” which shot past its estimate to $372,000.  Only slightly less valuable was a dress Kate Winslett wore during her attempt to jump overboard in “Titanic.” It, too, flew past its estimate to S330,000.

Bond Gun Sells For $196,000

As a gun, this Walther PPK has certain drawbacks. It doesn’t, for example, shoot bullets. All the same, the air pistol is the most famous Walther PPK in the world, having been used in the publicity stills for “From Russia With Love” as well as other Bond films. Yesterday it sold at Sotheby’s in London for $196,000.

“Casablanca” Piano At Sotheby’s

It’s the most famous prop from the one of the most celebrated films of all time. The upright piano from the 1942 classic “Casablanca”—the one on which Sam plays “As Time Goes By” for Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart—will be sold at a Sotheby’s auction in New York on December 14th, when it’s expected to sell for as much as $1.2m.

Update: the “Casablanca” piano sold for about half its high estimate,  or $602,500.

Dorothy Dress Sells For $480,000

The price might qualify as being over the rainbow. This weekend an anonymous buyer paid $480,000 at a Beverly Hills auction for the dress worn by Dorothy in the 1939 classic “Wizard of Oz.” The dress was just one of numerous pieces of Hollywood history at the two-day sale at Julien’s, which also posted high prices for examples related to Marilyn Monroe and Steve McQueen.

Archive Of Russian Great, Director Andrei Tarkovsky

During his career, Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky (1932-1986) completed just seven films, all but two of them produced under difficult circumstances in the Soviet Union, with little official support. Notwithstanding his state-assured obscurity within his own country, however, the often banned director of “Solaris,” “The Mirror,” and “Stalker” is now considered a giant of world cinema. On November 28^th in London, Sotheby’s will offer his personal archive, which covers the years 1967-1986 and includes several thousand manuscripts, recordings, photographs and private papers. It’s expected to sell for $128,000-$160,000.

Steve McQueen’s “Le Mans” Watch Sells For Nearly $800,000

After Steve McQueen chose the Tag Heuer Monaco to wear in the racing film “Le Mans,” it became an instant favorite.  With its square shape, blue face, and black alligator band, it carried with it both the allure of motor racing and the star’s distinctive style. Yesterday at an auction in Los Angeles, McQueen’s iconic watch sold for nearly $800,000, which was more than twice its $300,000 high estimate.

Weird Looking Astor Oscar For Sale

It’s a weird looking Oscar award given to Mary Astor in 1942 for supporting actress in, “The Great Lie.” Back then, the traditional statue was given only to leading roles. Astor’s bronze, tablet style trophy is up for online bidding at NateDSanders.com. She also starred with Humphrey Bogart in “The Maltese Falcon” but never won another Oscar.

“Casablanca” Oscar May Fetch $3m

The last time that the Academy Award Michael Curtiz won in 1943 for directing “Casablanca” came up for auction, it sold for $231,000. That was in 2003, and in the years since the market for Academy Awards has soared. This time around, it may take a record $2.5m-$3.5m to win the Oscar, which Los Angeles based Nate D. Sanders is offering in an online sale ending June 28.

Jimi Hendrix’s Only Watercolor To Sell

Rock legend Jimi Hendrix is believed to have painted just one watercolor, aptly titled “Flower Demon.” Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Donovan remembers Hendrix telling him “he used to paint like this as a kid.” Whatever its antecedents, the painting has a gilded past, having been exhibited at the Tate Museum, Liverpool, the Kunsthalle museum in Frankfort, and the Whitney Museum in New York. When it comes up for sale at Bonhams’ Entertainment Memorabilia auction on June 26^th in Los Angeles, it’s expected to realize $60,000-$80,000.

Elizabeth Taylor’s ‘Cleopatra’ Cape At Heritage

When 20^th Century Fox was planning the 1963 production of “Cleopatra,” the studio allotted what was then the staggering sum of $194,800 to Elizabeth Taylor’s wardrobe. An example of where all that money went can be seen in the intricate leather and gold cape that Taylor wore in two scenes of the movie.  When it goes on sale at Heritage on May 30^th, bidding for the cape will start at $10,000, but the final tally is expected to be many times higher, perhaps even more than Taylor’s entire wardrobe budget for the notorious film.

Update: the cape sold for $59,375.

The Contract That Created Disneyland

Hard as it may be to believe now, when Walt Disney was planning Disneyland back in 1954, he had trouble raising money. So he entered into a contract with the third-place network ABC, which needed programming. According to it, ABC would invest in the theme park in exchange for a weekly television show that Disney would provide for a fee of $50,000 per episode.  Online auctioneer RR is currently offering that contract with Disney’s signature in a sale that scheduled to end on March 14.  Bidding stands at $8784, plus 20% buyer’s premium.