Ever dream of trying on the Duke’s cowboy hat, drawing his gun or riding off into the sunset on his – uh – saddle? Now’s your chance! A selection of movie memorabilia and personal items belonging to legendary actor John Wayne will be auctioned off Oct. 6-7 at the Hyatt Regency in Los Angeles.
John’s son, Ethan Wayne, of John Wayne Enterprises, thinks his father would approve of the auction. “My father’s fans were very important to him. He was open and accessible to them, and making these items accessible to the public is something that feels right.” Ethan Wayne discusses the collection in a prologue on Heritage Auction’s web site.
Featured items include: Wayne’s Golden Globe Award for the movie “True Grit,” (opening bid $50,000), a western saddle and stand ($40,000), an Andy Warhol limited edition signed print of the Duke ($20,000), and a humidor with “John Wayne” engraved in the lid ($4,000).
The auction includes 131 wardrobe items, perhaps the most unusual of which is the eye patch Wayne wore in “True Grit” (current bid $4,250). There are shirts, jackets, vests, boots and, of course, hats. Fans can score cowboy hats, worn in the movies “Rooster Cogburn” and “Big Jake” or a cavalry hat from “The Horse Soldiers.” There’s even a beret from “The Green Berets.”
In total 745 items will be auctioned off, including guns, posters, 50 movie scripts, letters, furniture, even a signed receipt from a famous gun shop in Costa Mesa, Grant’s for Guns (current bid $750). While the featured items are a bit pricy, there are a few smaller collectibles such as buttons, bumper stickers and figurines in the under $100 category, so most fans can afford to participate in the bidding.
Can’t make it to L.A. for the auction? Don’t worry. Heritage Auctions has made it easy for fans around the world to shop the collection. Bids are already being accepted online . The Internet listings include pictures of the items, a brief description and the opening bid amount. Internet bidding will continue until a few hours before the floor auction, and those bids will become proxy bids in the live auction. Heritage has also scheduled viewings in Los Angeles (Oct. 3-5), Dallas (Sept. 16-18) and New York (Sept. 23-25).
All items come with a certificate of authenticity from the family and the auction house. Even if you don’t plan to bid, a browse through the online catalog is a must for fans and history buffs alike.