James Gandolfini's Tony Soprano Costumes Lead Christie's Pop Culture Auction, June 25, New York Christie’s Pop Culture auction on June 25 in New York will include a range of
collectibles celebrating the diverse nature of American popular culture.
are offered including Mickey,
Pluto, and Goofy, and characters from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Pinocchio, as well as a
celluloid applied to a watercolor background of Pinocchio (estimate: $15,000-20,000).
COMICS & ANIMATION
The sale will feature a rare group of popular animation drawings and comic book art. Six lots from
the estate of one of the original creators of the comic book
medium, Harold Moore, include eight bound volumes of Famous
Funnies, 1934-1941 (estimate: $3,000-5,000) and a collection of
nine original daily comic strips such as Felix the Cat, Blondie, and
Betty Boop (estimate: $2,500-3,500). Ten comics of Dick Tracy are
a highlight in the group from the estate of Chester Gould, the creator of Dick Tracy (estimates start
at $2,000).
ROCK AND ROLL MEMORABILIA
A grouping of rock and roll memorabilia is led with the ‘Holy Grail’ of record
collecting, a 1952 record of Stormy Weather by The Five Sharps (estimate:
$20,000-30,000). This record by a relatively unknown teenage quintet from
Jamaica, Queens, attained its legendary rarity when a popular radio show in
1961 held a contest with a lucrative reward to anyone that could find an
additional copy of this record.
A concert poster featuring The Who and Led Zeppelin at the
Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on May 25, 1969, is one
of a handful made and is an early rare example of for both bands (estimate:
$15,000-20,000). A leather motorcycle jacket by Harley Davidson owned by
Elvis Presley, initially ‘EP’ with a diamond encrusted badge reads, Elvis
Preslely, Chief Deputy, Shelby County, Tennessee, was gifted by Presley to his
employee Mike McGregor (estimate: $15,000-20,000).
AMERICAN HISTORY MEMORABILIA
Not only are Hollywood stars honored in the sale, but memorabilia
from the stars of NASA are available with eight lots of photos
autographed by astronauts. Coming from the estate of Lewis
Hartzell, the former head chef at NASA during the Saturn, Gemini,
and Apollo space programs, a highlight includes an official NASA
photograph of the crew of the Apollo 11, singed and inscribed by
all three astronauts, Neil Armstrong, Michael Collins and Buzz
Aldrin (estimate: $3,000-5,000).
A collection from the estate of Harvey Milk, the supervisor of San Francisco in 1978 and
figurehead of the gay-rights movement includes photographs, a watch, and camera owned by Milk,
with estimates starting at $300. Harvey Milk was the first openly gay elected official of any large
American city and he was assassinated in 1978. In 1999 Time magazine honored Milk in the issue
‘Time 100: The Most Important People of the Century.’
A signed and typewritten letter on White House stationary dated May 26, 1962, from President
John F. Kennedy to entertainer Bobby Darin thanking him for his birthday salute at Madison
Square Garden, rounds out the section (estimate: $10,000-15,000).
Auction: Pop Culture Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Viewing: Christie’s 20 Rockefeller Galleries Friday - Tuesday, June 20 - 24
About Christie’s
Christie’s is the world's leading art business with global auction sales in 2007 that totaled £3.1
