Heritages Hollywood Auction Filled With Golden Tickets, Holy Grails And A Centurys Worth Of Movie Magic
“Wizard Of Oz’s” Hourglass Sells For $495,000, And Moses’ Robe From “The Ten Commandments,” $447,000
January 27, 2023
Heritage Auctions Hollywood and Entertainment Signature Auction, held Dec. 17, was a thrilling, rollicking affair defined by its numerous bidding wars over some of filmdoms most recognizable props, costumes and vehicles. And by the time end credits rolled on the blockbuster event, it had realized more than $7.9 million. More than 1,700 bidders followed the yellow brick road to the century-spanning auction, whose top lot was among its most fabled offerings, the Wicked Witch of the Wests hourglass from The Wizard of Oz, which sold for $495,000. The auctions final item was the meticulously constructed piece made of wood, papier-mch and handblown glass filled with red glitter and decorated with gargoyles. The hourglass sold just before time ran out on bidders for whom this auction wasnt a dream but a place quite literally filled with golden tickets and Holy Grails. From the moment this auction was announced last month, there was extraordinary interest in and affection for every single thing being offered, said executive Vice President Joe Maddalena. I knew it would do well, but from first lot to last, it exceeded every expectation. Whats most rewarding is that these pieces are going to new caretakers as dazzled as I am by the memories and magic they carry with them. Two more Oz icons also sold in this auction. A test dress that comes closest to matching the blue-and-white gingham pinafore Dorothy wore during her trip to see the Wizard realized $125,000. And an Emerald City townsmans jacket sold for $37,500. Both classic garments will now reside in The Wizard of Oz Museum in Cape Canaveral, Fla. Bidders sought to do more than just touch the hem of beloved garments; the calf-length red and black-and-white-striped robe Charlton Heston wore as Moses in the 1956 Cecil B. DeMille epic The Ten Commandments realized $447,000. The white ivory cotton bikini worn by Ursula Andress Honey Ryder in 1962s Dr. No sold for $300,000, twice what it brought when first offered in 2001. The candy-colored jacket Dick Van Dyke sported in the Jolly Holiday sequence from Mary Poppins danced to a $200,000 finish. The dress worn by Julie Andrews in The Sound of Music while the Von Trapp children performed So Long, Farewell realized $100,000. Thats the same amount for which Marilyn Monroes pearl-encrusted mermaid gown from The Prince and the Showgirl sold. Speaking of Andrews, the acoustic Goya guitar she used during The Sound of Music sold for $93,750. Ferris Bueller might have taken a day off, but bidders didnt as they clamored for two pieces from John Hughes film; the patterned sweater vest Matthew Broderick wore while twisting and shouting through Chicago sold for $143,750. But the big-ticket item from Ferris Buellers Day Off was the precious convertible that belonged to Camerons dad; the prop Ferrari 250 GT California replica last seen diving out of the garage sold for $337,500. Bidders likewise went bananas for cinemas most famous Volkswagen, a modified 1961 Beetle from Herbie Goes Bananas drove off the lot for $212,500. And all but one lucky bidder had to bid hasta la vista, baby, to the 1991 Harley-Davidson FLSTF Fat Boy that Arnold Schwarzenegger rode in James Camerons Terminator 2: Judgment Day, which also realized $212,500. Far smaller but no less sharp and lethal was Freddy Kruegers razor glove used by Robert Englund in A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, which realized $112,500. A golden ticket from 1971s Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory, a gold-foil, screen-used ticket gaining its lucky recipient admittance to Wonkas candy factory, sold for $137,500. And then, there was the Holy Grail itself, the cup of a carpenter from 1989s Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which realized $50,000. No guarantees of eternal life were included with the sale. For complete results, visit www.HA.com.
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