Auction Preview from Colin Tait
Star Wars Extravaganza Unleashed: Heritage Auctions Hosts Spectacular Memorabilia Sale!
Prepare for a blockbuster Star Wars Signature auction at Heritage Auctions on May 31st, featuring an epic collection of memorabilia guaranteed to thrill any Star Wars fan! Experience the saga with Rey’s and Kylo Ren’s lightsabers from The Last Jedi, and step into the dark side with an Empire Strikes Back studio-sanctioned touring Darth Vader helmet, shoulder armor, and chest box. Mandalorian fans are in for a treat with not only a helmet and pistol from Season 2 but also rare items like helmets from the Death Watch and Covert clans, plus amusing artifacts like items that adorable Grogu tried to eat. This auction also boasts production scripts signed by George Lucas, and a plethora of rare movie posters, all the cards you owned or wanted to own as a kid, and one-of-a-kind Kenner toys. This event promises to be a treasure trove of collectibles, celebrating the breadth of the Star Wars galaxy for fans and collectors alike!
Hollywood History Rewritten: Heritage Auctions’ $15.68M “Treasures of Planet Hollywood” Sale Sets New Memorabilia Record!
For five days in March, Planet Hollywood was on center stage at Heritage Auctions. The Entertainment/Hollywood division set records yet again for a single memorabilia sale – realizing $15.68 million – by offering the iconic restaurant’s peerless collection of Tinseltown’s iconic props, costumes, and one-of-a-kind items. That total makes it the second highest-grossing Hollywood sale of all time. The most famous wooden plank in the world – where Rose and Jack floated after the Titanic sank – sold for $718,750.
Harrison Ford’s handcrafted bullwhip, screen-matched to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, sold for $525,000. The infamous Barbasol can that held stolen dinosaur embryos sold for $250,000. Princess Leia’s Return of the Jedi blaster sold for $150,000, and the hero axe that Jack Nicholson famously chopped through the bathroom door to get to Shelley Duvall in The Shining sold for $125,000.
It came as no surprise that longtime fans of the famous restaurant franchise bid in droves to own a part of this historic collection of Hollywood memorabilia. Aside from the success of the more obvious franchise offerings – with Batman, Spider-Man, Terminator, and others predictably creating bidding wars, the most surprising sale of the auction was probably Kingpin. In fact, Bill Murray’s red rose bowling ball from the film became the most valuable bowling ball in the world at $350,000.
We are thankful to all the fans who participated in the auction, the team that organized it, and Robert Earl, the visionary behind Planet Hollywood, for creating a legacy that continues to captivate and engage.
Auction Results by Pete Howard
Record-Shattering $1.8M Heritage Auction Rocks the Music World: Elvis, Beatles & Stones Posters Smash Expectations!
From April 11-13, Heritage enjoyed a $1.8 million concert poster auction, the biggest in history that needed to be spread over two days. The shooting star highlight was a 1955 Elvis Presley concert poster that called the fifth-billed C&W singer “New RCA Victor Recording Artist.” The one-of-a-kind window card sold for a staggering $187,500. With three well-heeled bidders all intent on winning the poster, the photo finish was the most exciting moment I’ve had in my five years at Heritage.
Also knocking them dead was the Rolling Stones 1969 Altamont concert poster, the first Heritage has ever hammered, and it came in at a breathtaking $93,750, at least double the pre-auction estimate. The other biggest highlights were the Beatles 1966 Shea Stadium poster at $137,500 and the Grateful Dead 1966 “Skeleton & Roses” poster graded 9.8 which scored a highly respectable $81,250.
All in all, a banner day for Concert Posters and Heritage!
Auction Preview from Eric Grubbs
The “Real” Fleetwood Mac
Fleetwood Mac had a storied career before Lindsey Buckingham and Stevie Nicks joined the group. Before “The Chain,” “Rhiannon,” and “Go Your Own Way,” they had so many line-up shifts, including a stint when they were billed as “The Real” Fleetwood Mac.
In our upcoming Music Showcase auction on May 4-5, we have a concert poster from a Kansas City poster billed as this.
Why did they have to use “The Real” clarifier? It was to re-establish the band after manager Clifford Davis assembled a new group of members touring as Fleetwood Mac to fulfill show dates scheduled after the break-up of the Mick Fleetwood, John McVie, Christine McVie, and Bob Welch version of the band. Eventually, the McVies, Fleetwood, and Welch regrouped (and released a strong new album called Heroes Are Hard to Find), and using this billing made perfect sense.
Davis didn’t want to get sued or lose money when he didn’t have a band to fulfill scheduled dates, so he did something common in the pre-Internet days. The group name could get the heads in the door – and if who played what wasn’t well established, you might get away with nobody noticing.
This stretch of the band’s lengthy career is a footnote, but it’s a fascinating one.
Auction Preview by Bradley Harding
Heritage Auctions’ Hollywood Showcase Sale on May 16th Features Rare Halloween and Friday the 13th Memorabilia! Dive into the depths of horror history with unique production artifacts from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers and Friday the 13th Part VII – The New Blood.
Halloween Franchise, Script, and Production Materials from Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (Miramax, 1995) and Unproduced Michael Myers: Lord of the Dead Treatment.
This lot of extremely rare artifacts from the complicated (and storied) production history of Halloween: The Curse of Michael Myers (1995) is a unique treat for the true franchise fan. One of the unfortunate results of 90s-era Dimension Films and their propensity for second-guessing their genre productions, the sixth film in the Halloween franchise was severely compromised by reshoots that impacted several plot points and the overall quality of the final cut. Written by Dan Farrands, a Halloween fan who would subsequently go on to make his own genre films, the original draft attempted to fill in some of the previous entry’s eccentric story threads. The original rough cut of director Joe Chappelle’s film was deemed not commercial enough and reshoots were demanded – resulting in an incoherent theatrical cut.
This incredible lot, from special effects guru John Carl Buechler’s personal collection, is a trove of information regarding the reshoot. Buechler contributed the special makeup effects for the new footage – and his storyboards for the new sequences provide a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes. In addition to the storyboards and revised script, the icing on the cake here is screenwriter Dan Farrand’s long-form treatment of Michael Myers: Lord of the Dead – his proposed follow-up. There are lots of rumors regarding the storyline for what was essentially Halloween 7. Some fortunate bidder will find out exactly where the innovative screenwriter wanted to take the series before Halloween: H20 (1998) redirected the timeline.
Friday the 13th Part VII – The New Blood (Paramount, 1988), John Carl Buechler Personal Production Files and Photos (120+)
Friday the 13th franchise fans are a fiercely dedicated community – with factions obsessed with celebrating/defending their favorite entries. Special effects guru John Carl Buechler was handed the directing duties for the seventh chapter, The New Blood, which introduced a Carrie-like protagonist with telekinetic powers. While not as beloved as some of the other films in the series, this particular release is lauded for Buechler’s makeup and effects work; aspects that are essential to the gruesome nature of the franchise. This was Paramount’s penultimate Friday the 13th production before the property would go to New Line Cinema – and the last entry to feature Jason Vorhees wreaking havoc in a camp setting. This impressive lot features rare production information and advertising materials from Buechler’s personal collection. Fans of The New Blood and Buechler’s incredible effects work will want to call upon their inner “final girl” and find the courage to outrun the competition.