DALLAS, TX.- An original copy of 1964's Meet the Beatles, signed by all the members of the Fab Four, is expected to bring $75,000+ when it comes to auction on Dec. 13 as the centerpiece of
Heritage Auctions' Music & Entertainment Signature(r) Auction.
"An original pressing of this classic album is cool enough in-and-of itself, given that it introduced so many millions to the timeless music of The Beatles," said Garry Shrum, Consignment Director of Music & Entertainment Auctions at Heritage. "Add the autographs of all four members of the band and you have one of the great Beatles collectibles of all time."
The album was given to Dr. Jules Gordon, the "house doctor" of New York's Plaza Hotel in February 1964 by none other than George Harrison himself. The quiet Beatle had been treated by Dr. Gordon and, in appreciation, George gave the good doctor this signed album. The doctor immediately gave his son, Jeffrey, this treasure, where it's remained until now.
In terms of the Hollywood hierarchy of greatness, there is no one that looms larger than Marilyn Monroe, and this auction boasts an incredible group of 1951-1955 legal documents signed six times by Monroe, expected to bring $30,000+.
"This is an incredible grouping of Monroe signatures, mostly relating to her employment at 20th Century Fox, the actress' professional home for her entire career," said Margaret Barrett, Director of Music & Entertainment at Heritage. "Also included is other legal paperwork relating to Monroe's radio appearances and two films she refused to appear in at all - Pink Tights and How to Be Very, Very Popular - resulting in her suspension from the studio and her move to New York City where she started her own production company."
Fast on the heels of Heritage Auctions' wildly successful auction of The Personal Property of John Wayne, a smart consignor brought forth a great relic in terms of Wayne memorabilia in the form of a Wayne screen-worn jacket from United Artists' 1960 "The Alamo," a film in which he played Colonel Davy Crockett, and which was a great labor of love for the beloved leading man. It is expected to bring $20,000+.
Elvis and Priscilla Presley Twice-Signed Property Settlement Documents from 1972, part of the sad end of what initially began as a fairy tale romance in the 1960s and ended in divorce in 1973 - after almost six-and-a-half years of marriage, the last 18 months of which were spent in separation - is expected to bring $15,000+.
Since her passing earlier in 2011, Elizabeth Taylor memorabilia has been at a premium, and a wig that Taylor wore in the title role of "Cleopatra" in 1963, made of authentic dark brown human hair by famed international wigmaker to the stars, Stanley Hall, is expected to further stir interest in the star. It carries a pre-auction estimate of $11,000+.
A Grateful Dead "Jerry Angel" Stanley Mouse original painting, done by the famous psychedelic artist in 1995 after he awoke from a dream the night after Jerry Garcia passed away, is estimated at $12,000+. Mouse produced several versions of this image, including this loving oil on canvas, estimated at $12,000+.
For lovers of classic television sit-coms, an intriguing and whimsical piece related to "The Munsters" is sure to stir nostalgia. A 1964 Schwinn Sting-Ray Chain-Link bicycle customized for Butch "Eddie Munster" Patrick by George Barris (famous "King of the Kustomizers" who created many well-known cars for campy TV series and movies), Skip Barrett and Von Dutch (infamous pinstriper, mechanic, and metal fabricator) is expected to bring $10,000+.
"Though it was never used on an episode of 'The Munsters,' Patrick did ride it in the Hollywood Santa Parade - now called the Hollywood Christmas Parade," said Barrett, "and the lot includes relevant paperwork and an image of Patrick, as an child in his full 'Munster' costume, sitting on this bike."
This bicycle was originally sold in the Rick Cole Auctions auction titled Pacific Auto Rental and Movieworld, Sale 4400, August 18, 1985, Lot P-E. Before this auction, the bike was on display throughout the 1970s at the now-defunct but beloved 'Movieworld: Cars of the Stars' museum in Buena Park, CA, where lowbrow artists like Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth and Von Dutch hung out and hand-painted funky signs for the museum's car displays.
More standouts in the auction include Stevie Ray Vaughan Handwritten Original Lyrics to an unpublished and unrecorded song (estimate: $8,000+), a Michael Jackson inscribed copy of My Autobiography by Charles Chaplin from 1980 (estimate: $8,000+) and a three-page Harry Houdini Handwritten Letter from 1923 (estimate: $6,000+).
Further highlights include, but are not limited to:
Elvis Presley Personally Owned Pink and Black Shirt (Lansky's, 1956): An incredibly stylish shirt, worn by "The King," with accompanying photos. Estimate: $10,000+.
Marilyn Monroe Signed Black and White School Photograph, 1941: Inscribed to the consignor, "To 'Georgie' / A super, swell fellow in fact really keen (I really mean it Geo.) / Norma Jeane Baker / S' 41." Estimate: $5,000+.
Marlon Brando Signed Playbill from "A Streetcar Named Desire," 1948: The current owner's mother obtained these autographs in person when she was taken to this play for her 16th birthday in July, 1948, where she saw the 24 year-old Brando electrifying the stage as Stanley Kowalski, a performance that propelled him to major stardom in Hollywood. Estimate: $1,000+.
William Holden script from "The Wild Bunch," 1968: Controversial, violent, and highly influential, Sam Peckinpah's 1969 western pushed the boundaries of filmmaking and became an instant cult classic. The movie featured one of Holden's most memorable performances, cast as an aging outlaw opposite Robert Ryan, Ben Johnson, Ernest Borgnine, and Warren Oates. This is Holden's personal copy of the script's 128-page final draft, dated February 7, 1968. Estimate: $800+.
William Holden Military ID Card and Signed Items, 1940s: Includes Holden's military ID card, dated Dec. 12, 1944, signed by him with his thumbprints on the reverse; a single-page War Department memo, dated Oct. 25, 1943, acknowledging the actor's legal change of his last name from "Beedle" to "Holden," signed by him in black ink; and a b&w 8" x 10" photo of a uniformed Holden with actor Jimmie Dundee and director George Marshall, signed by each in ink. Estimate: $600.