There are so many exciting auctions coming up this season, including the Collection Of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie’s on 13-16 December and Profiles In History’s ‘Icons Of Hollywood” auction on 15-17 December featuring a breathtaking array of important and iconic pieces of Film Memorabilia, such as a pair of Dorothy’s Ruby Slippers from the “The Wizard Of Oz”; Marilyn Monroe’s beautiful wedding ring from her marriage to Joe DiMaggio; Bela Lugosi’s cape from Dracula (which has come direct from the Lugosi family); and a DeLorean time machine car from “Back To The Future III”. As if that wasn’t enough, Profiles In History will also host Part II of the Debbie Reynolds Collection auction on 3 December, which includes more incredible Marilyn Monroe costumes, including the green leotard from “Bus Stop” and Christie’s have an amazing John Lennon placard from the Montreal Bed-In in their Rock Memorabilia auction on 15 November. But those pieces are the stuff of dreams and not quite within reach of most of us so I decided to compile a shopping list from this season’s offerings with a price limit of £20,000 per item. Not as easy as you might think!
5) Please Please Me LP signed by the Beatles, Cameo auctions, UK, 8 November, estimate £3,000-5,000. Cameo are a small auction house in the UK that hold regular auctions of Film and Music memorabilia. Although most of the music sales consist of small value records, there are usually a couple of gems hidden in the sale catalogue. Beatles signed LPs are getting harder and harder to find and this is a nice copy of Please Please Me with relatively clean signatures on the reverse.
- Please Please Me LP, signed by all four Beatles on the reverse
4) A U.S. cinema poster for “Cat On A Hot Tin Roof” signed for Richard Burton by Elizabeth Taylor “To Richard — the hottest cat on any roof! Happy Birthday - …5/18/85”, included in the Collection Of Elizabeth Taylor at Christie’s, estimate $2,000-3,000. Brilliant!
- Poster for Cat On A Hot Tin Roof inscribed to Richard Burton from Elizabeth Taylor
3) Hand-written letter from James Dean to then girlfriend Barbara Glenn, 1954, estimate £5,000-6,000, with unpublished snapshots of the couple on the beach. Wonderfully early letters written by James Dean during his time in Philadelphia whilst appearing in a theatrical production of The Immoralist. It seems Dean was deeply unimpressed with the play of which he writes “Probably a monster success; but to me it’s still a piece of shit…”. James Dean letters so rarely appear on the market and there are three of these letters to Barbara Glenn in the Christie’s sale of Film Memorabilia on 23 November.
- Rare unpublished image of James Dean with Barbara Glenn, 1954
2) A set of 15 Bag One lithographs by John Lennon, 1970, in original white vinyl portfolio, Rock and Pop Memorabilia auction, Christie’s, estimate £15,000-20,000. Created by Lennon as a wedding gift for Yoko Ono, these erotic lithographs caused quite a stir when they were first exhibited in London and were confiscated by Scotland Yard. It is pretty rare to find a complete set with original portfolio and, according to Christie’s specialists, this set is mint condition, having been put away in 1970 and pretty much forgotten about.
1) The Burton wedding bands, two diamond wedding bands given to Elizabeth Taylor upon her marriages to Richard Burton in 1964 and 1975, estimate $6,000-8,000. I could put money on these rings exceeding their pre-sale estimate in the Christie’s auction of the Elizabeth Taylor Collection but it’s nice to think I could buy these at this estimate. Wonderfully poignant considering the history of the Burton-Taylor relationship and beautiful rings too.
- The Burton-Taylor Wedding Bands
With the rise and rise of online auctions like Ebay and with more people turning to Memorabilia for investment, it pays to be aware of the pitfalls of buying memorabilia. Dig has come up with this Top 10 of rules for buying Memorabilia. Be careful, it’s a jungle out there!
1) Always do your research on the seller - Wherever you consider buying from, whether it be online, through a dealer or auction house, make sure you fully research the person selling it and if you are in any doubt about the item being sold, just don’t buy it.
2) Only buy from reputable sellers - There are many many dealers out there, not all of whom are trustworthy. Make sure you only buy from well-established and reputable dealers and auction houses.
3) Seek a second opinion – Ask around about the item you are considering buying. Get second opinions from other dealers and from auction house specialists.
4) Check condition carefully – If you are buying over the internet or from a catalogue and can’t see the item in person, make sure that the picture is a true representation of the item and if in doubt about the condition, ask for a condition report. All dealers and auction houses should be more than happy to oblige.
5) Research the provenance - Find out what you can about the provenance of the item. Where was it obtained? What date? The more provenance an item has, the easier it is to research the authenticity and the more interesting the item is.
6) Research the asking price – Check auction house databases and dealers’ websites for similar items to get a sense of the true value and ensure you are not paying over the true market value.
7) Beware of so-called forensic examinations - Although there are some reputable forensic document examiners practicing around the world, there are also some who have not undergone the proper training.
8) Beware of Certificates of Authenticity - Just because an item is accompanied by a certificate of authenticity, it doesn’t automatically guarantee authenticity – after all, anyone can print off a certificate. Make sure that any documentation comes from a reputable dealer and ideally, comes with a money back guarantee too.
9) Always buy what you love - Buying memorabilia should be an emotional journey rather than being primarily motivated by investment. That way, if the market does change, you will still own something that brings you pleasure for years to come.
10) If it’s too good to be true, it usually is - Trust your instincts!
Anarchy In The UK one-sided 7” acetate with “swirl” Abbey Road label. Obtained from E.M.I. rep in 1976 prior to release. Condition is Excellent.
God Save The Queen 10” acetate with Townhouse Studios label. Originally purchased at Phillips auction in 1988. Condition is very good.
These acetates hardly ever come up for sale. Provenance is excellent, letters of authenticity provided. For more information, contact me - helen@diggallery.com
UPDATE - God Save The Queen acetate sold on Ebay - Sold price was £14,600.
T-SHIRT NOW SOLD!
Attention all Sex Pistols Memorabilia Collectors - Sid Vicious’ red swastika t-shirt is being offered for sale.
Vicious wore the t-shirt in 1978, most famously creating outrage when he wore it to stroll around the streets of Paris in footage shot for the film The Great Rock N Roll Swindle. The t-shirt was designed by notorious manager of the Sex Pistols, Malcolm McLaren, who recently died of cancer.
This iconic piece of clothing has impeccable provenance and is perhaps one of the most memorable worn by Sid Vicious. It sums up everything that Punk and the Sex Pistols stood for – rebellion, controversy and provocation.
For enquiries and images, e-mail me at helen@helen-hall.com
The Who Collector, Brad Rogers, is selling part of his incredible collection at Christie’s, London on 24 June, 2010. Passionate and discerning, Brad has collected The Who memorabilia since 1988 and has built up arguably the best collection in the world. He is also kind enough to share it with the world at his online museum www.whocollection.com - a real treat for Who fans and a fabulous resource for researching The Who memorabilia. The portion of his collection being sold at Christie’s includes some rare early UK concert posters and my personal favourite, one of Pete Townshend’s cherry red Gibson SG guitars played on tour in the U.S. in 1971. For further details of the collection, follow this link to the Christie’s E-Catalogue http://tiny.cc/szbzq.
UPDATE I’m pleased to report that the Pete Townshend Gibson SG sold for £49,250.
Sotheby’s are selling John Lennon’s original hand-written lyrics for “A Day In The Life” in New York on 18 June, 2010. It looks like they are being included in a Books and Manuscripts auction and the estimate is $500,000-700,000. I would expect them to make within that estimate and no more, “A Day In The Life” is a great song, typical Lennon, but nowhere near as iconic as “Give Peace A Chance”, the lyrics sold at Christie’s in 2008 for $834,000.
However, the sale of these lyrics is a perfect illustration of what a great investment Memorabilia can be. These lyrics originally sold at auction in 1992 as part of the Mal Evans collection for $66,000 so if they make $700,000, that works out at a return of 14% over 18 years. Not bad!
UPDATE The lyrics for “A Day In The Life” made a record-breaking price of $1.2 Million at Sotheby’s in June. An incredible price which yet again underlines the strength of the market, great news.
