This is not the first time that Pickford’s possessions have been up for sale. The December 2006 sale by Julien’s offered more than 200 items from the legendary actress’ collection, which featured a collection of personal correspondence from Douglas Fairbanks to Pickford that sold for more than $28,000.

Saturday and Sunday’s auction, too, had some standouts. The auction sales, under the expert auctioneering skills of Kathleen Guzman, started slow with a great portion of the continental furniture going way below estimates, and the trend continued throughout the first and second sessions. However, Lot 268, the 103-piece dinner service by Capo di Monte exceeded its estimate of $8,000 to $10,000, selling for $13,000.

The silver for the most part made a poor showing with the exception of the Victorian-era Elkington Epergne centerpiece, Lot 272, which sold within its $1,500 to $2,500 estimate for $2,000.

Session three, which included expected heavy hitters, saw more activity and higher bidding. Lot 411, the Mercier portrait of three children in a landscape, did not meet its estimate of $25,000 to $35,000, instead selling for $15,000. Next up were the Paul de Longpre oil-on-canvas botanicals, Lots 412 and 413, that sold, again below or just touching their estimates at $17,000 and $20,000, respectively.

The collection of Rodin-style watercolors, discovered to be the works of the infamous forger Ernst Durig with an estimate of $8,000 to $10,000, crashed at $1,000. The landscape attributed to Asher Durand with an estimate of $25,000 to $35,000 made a poor showing at $5,000. This was one of my picks, but upon personal close examination of the painting, it was clear that this was not a Durand. The painting lacked the luminosity and depth of detail attributed to his works.

Haseltine horse is a winner

There was no surprise that Lot 423, the Herbert Haseltine sculpture of a Percheron horse exceeded its estimate of $20,000 to $30,000. A New York dealer purchased it for $34,000. Haseltine’s works, which consisted largely of equestrian statues and were commissioned throughout his career by the rich and famous, hold their value, and it’s possible that this piece was purchased for immediate sale to a client.

The show wrapped up with the excitement of session four’s sale of the autograph book, Lot 749, which had an estimate of $6,000 to $8,000. This impressive collection of personalized autographs from 1926 through 1981 included the luminaries of the century such as Albert Einstein, Amelia Earhart, Pearl Buck, Lillian Gish, Mussolini, George Bernard Shaw, Jonas Salk, FDR, Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and hundreds more. To a serious collector of autographs, this collection would be at the center and a jewel to own. It went for $19,000.

– By Christopher Kent, a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

WorthPoint—Get the Most from Your Antiques & Collectibles

Hope, who was born in England as Leslie Townes Hope, moved to the US when he was only five. His performance career began at the tender age of twelve, when he began to dance and do comedy routines to make some extra money. His comedy routines turned out to be much more successful than his later brief foray into boxing.

He began steady performance work at 22, and made his first film in 1934 at the age of 31. Though his stint with the first company that hired him to do film work, Educational Pictures, was extremely brief, he soon became a very popular movie star. In spite of his popularity and his hosting the Academy Awards a whopping eighteen times between 1939 and 1977, Hope never received an Academy Award of his own.

Bob Hope did receive four honorary awards from the Academy, however, not just because of his prolific work but also because of his commitment to the United Service Organization (USO). He performed for the troops starting in 1941 and continuing through World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and even the Persian Gulf War. His Christmas specials, performed in Vietnam in 1970 and 1971, were each seen by more than 60 percent of U.S. households watching television when they aired.

Aside from these travels, he also performed on Broadway, for radio and television, and as already mentioned, in films. Amidst all of this, he also nurtured a great love for golf; the Bob Hope Chrysler Classic was created in his name in 1960, and he even made history playing golf in a foursome that included presidents Gerald R. Ford, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. That was the only time in history that a golf foursome included three U.S. presidents.

The comedian lived so long that he saw not one but two premature obituaries written for him. In 1998 the Associated Press accidentally released a pre-written obituary, and his death was announced in the House of Representatives. Then in 2003 a lapse in password protection caused his and several other obituaries that had been pre-written to be inadvertently released on CNN’s website.

On May 29th, 2003 – Bob Hope’s 100th birthday- more than thirty states declared the day Bob Hope Day; he celebrated his centennial privately in his home. He died on July 27th, 2003, a result of his steadily declining health. (When his daughter asked the seriously-ill star where he wanted to be buried, he reportedly told her, “Surprise me.”) He was interred in the Bob Hope Memorial Garden at San Fernando Mission Cemetery.

Dancer, singer, golfer and actor—but most famously, an iconic comedian known as the “master of the one-liner”—Bob Hope was one of the most recognizable stars of the 20th century. Living a full 100 years, from the tail end of the vaudeville era to the rise of the Internet, Hope’s career spanned radio, television, movies and the comic stage.

During Hope’s life, his self-deprecating humor won legions of fans, from U.S. presidents to ordinary citizens across the U.S., but especially among soldiers, for whom he performed 150 times during World War II. Though he would eventually be feted by presidents and earn more than many captains of industry, Hope remained one of the leading voices of the Greatest Generation’s average Joes throughout his career.

Now, working with the Auction Network, WorthPoint partner Julien’s Auctions is giving collectors a chance to own their piece of Bob Hope’s unique legacy. Julien’s, the leader in online celebrity auctions, is presenting hundreds of items from the long life and career of the legendary entertainer, with something for just about anyone.

Both pre-auction and live bidding will be available over the Internet at AuctionNetwork.com,so anyone can enjoy just watching the fun or even better, winning something special for themselves.

The auction, which will take place on October 18 and 19, includes a huge range of one-of-a-kind personal items, including Hope’s movie costumes, military uniforms from his USO days, signed presidential photographs and other memorabilia addressed to Hope, and hundreds of other small personal items such as tie pins and cufflinks and a man’s diamond ring.

Given his long and stellar entertainment career, it’s no surprise that Hope left a long list of colorful entertainment collectibles, including the contract for “Bob Hope & the Antics of 1932,” the script for the 38th and 50th Academy Awards, a “Dumbo” animation cel from Disney and a 1943 letter written to Hope by Bette Davis thanking him for his service to soldiers.

The auction, which will take place on October 18 and 19, includes a huge range of one-of-a-kind personal items,including Hope’s movie costumes, military uniforms from his USO days, signed presidential photographs and other memorabilia.

You’ll also find a range of sporting items going back 50 years or more. These include vintage boxing gloves—Hope flirted with being a boxer in his youth—decades of football collectibles, including one from Roger Staubach and a pair of “Coach of the Year” 1965 signed footballs, a Los Angeles Rams World Champions stadium blanket, Rose Bowl ribbons and a 1951 L.A. Rams signed football.

And of course, Julien’s is offering a wealth of golf items for sale, including a Bob Hope caricature golf club with his face on the head and dozens of traditional clubs, tees, caps, outfits, ball markers and dozens of putters. (Could it be a Bob Hope auction without them?) Anyone who’s old enough to remember Hope in his heyday will feel like a part of American history with one of these babies in their hands.

Good luck with the auction, and we look forward to hearing about your winning bids. We’d also love to hear any Bob Hope stories you’d care to share.

To look at the Bob Hope items available for bidding, visit The Bob Hope Estate Auction.

I will have the good fortune to be a part of this sale working with Auction Network on site. Some of the items that I found of special interest are Lot 452, an original photograph of Bob Hope, photographer unknown, with an estimate, low in my opinion, of $100 to $150. The photo is a three-quarter pose showing Hope in a reflective mood. Has great collector appeal.

Lot 345, the Gruen Curvex Precision wristwatch engraved “Bob Hope, Hollywood Press Photographers” and an accompanying Movado rectangular wristwatch engraved “Bob Hope, The Cleveland Press Christmas Show 1944” are estimated together at $600 to $800. I feel that items such as these will have great appeal as they are of a personal nature.

Bob Hope ran for president?

Lot 447 has Bob Hope-for-president buttons. The pins, with Hope’s photograph, read “Hope for President NBC October 28 1980.” Estimate of $200 to $300 for a collection of 17 buttons.

An oil-on-canvas, half-length Hope portrait by American artist Louis Saphier carries an estimate of $1,000 to $1,500, which I predict will be blown out of the water.

Presidential Worthologist expert Tom Carrier thinks the Lot 98 photograph has merit because President Richard Nixon personally signed the photo of Hope and himself as opposed to most other presidential photos that were more than likely autopen signed. Carrier also feels this particular photo has significance due to the personal nature of the inscription, which reads “To Bob Hope, Like me the Nose is all, from Dick Nixon,” and the fact that Richard Nixon rarely signed his name on a dedication as “Dick.” To a collector, this piece is significant and will exceed its $400-to-$600 estimate.

Nixon cufflinks

Tom is also interested in Lot 101, a pair of presidential-seal cufflinks with an estimate of $1,000 to $1,500. The cufflinks were presented to Bob Hope by President Nixon and are designed in a polychrome-enamel over gold. They are accompanied by a personal letter from Nixon typed on White House stationery, dated September 8, 1972. What will give these cufflinks more value, according to Tom, is if there is an engraved signature of the president, as was usually the case, on the back. The catalog makes no mention of this, so I will be sure to flip them over when I’m there.

Chris Hughes, WorthPoint’s militaria specialist, is intrigued by Lot 10, army boots, probably worn by Hope on a USO tour. Hughes feels the boots will be interesting to a collector because they were a private purchase as opposed to standard issue. This sets them apart from the norm. He thinks the estimate of $75 to $100 is very good.

Chris also feels that Lot 28, a theater-made cap with hand-embroidered “Vietnam” on the front, part of the Special Services Entertainment of 1966, is different and collectible. The estimate of $40 to $60 is low. He believes Lots 59 and 64 to be significant. Lot 59, a Vietnam jungle jacket with USO and name tapes, embroidered with “Bob Hope #1 Citizen,” is very conservatively estimated at $200 to $300.

Personalized army boots

Chris sees Lot 64, army boots made by Genesco, as unique and underestimated at $100 to $150. These are not army issue but instead personalized with colorful side panels and would have even more potential value attached if connected with a specific USO show.

Chris and I both agree that Lot 177, a sterling-silver golf club made by Tiffany for Hope’s 95th birthday, is a highlight pick from the large collection of sporting memorabilia. The estimate of $2,000 to $3,000 is good going in and because of its uniqueness, will probably top much higher.

I think Lot 408 will be one of the favorites of the show—Bob Hope’s Native-American headdress. This headdress with red-and-white feathers on a beaded band was worn on the 1971 Fourth of July “Stars and Stripes Show” special and was also featured on the May 11, 1962, cover of Life magazine.

– Christopher Kent is a member of the WorthPoint board of advisers and director of evaluations for WorthPoint. He is also an antiques and collectibles generalist, fine-arts broker and president of CTK Design.

WorthPoint—the premier Web site for art, antiques and collectibles

1903 – Born Leslie Townes Hope in Eltham, London, England

1908 – Family moves to Cleveland, Ohio

1915 – Begins busking at a local boardwalk

1920 – Bob Hope becomes a U.S. citizen

1925 – Thanks to silent film star Fatty Arbuckle, is invited to join Hurley’s Jolly Follies

1938 _ Hits the big time hosting “The Big Broadcast of 1938,” a radio show sponsored by Pepsodent

1939 – First USO show aboard the Queen Mary

1944 – Logs over 30,000 miles and performs in more than 150 shows in the South Pacific

1963 – Receives Congressional Gold Medal

1970 – Christmas Special from aired from Vietnam is one of the most popular ever

1985 – Bob Hope USO Center is opened in Washington, D.C.

1995 – Tees up with three U.S. Presidents

2003 – Dies in Toluca Lake, CA and is buried in Bob Hope
Memorial Garden, San Fernando Mission Cemetary, Los Angeles

In a recent issue of a monthly newspaper dedicated to movie poster collecting, five of seven dealers used the one-sheet from 1957′s “Forbidden Planet” showing Robbie the Robot cradling sexy Anne Francis in his metallic arms as a prominent part of their ad.

The 1957 MGM film is often cited as a precursor to “Star Trek,” and featured, among other wonders, a Disney animated monster from the “ID.” It had all the MGM trimmings, stars, a big special effects budget, and a plot derived from Shakespeare’s “Tempest” set on the planet Altair IV.

About 25 years ago, I bought a “Forbidden Planet” 1-sheet at a science fiction convention for $30. It was perfect and I had it framed in my home for years.

Then during a time of financial need, I sold it at another science fiction convention. We were on the steps leading to the convention dealer’s room, which had not yet opened.

I should have known something was fishy when the dealer who bought it made sure it was original, then almost broke his hand reaching for his wallet.

He peeled off four bills and said, “I’ll give you $350 for it right now.”

At the time, I thought, great profit, took the money and handed over the poster.

Recently, I saw one offered at a fixed price from a dealer for $30,000.

That seems excessive to me, but it has regularly sold for $3,500 or more in recent years. All the movie paper from “Forbidden Planet” sells at high prices. Even single lobby cards can sell for hundreds of dollars.

But that one-sheet of Robbie the Robot holding Anne Francis (which he never does in the movie), has been described as the single most desired science fiction film movie poster.

It was a better investment than stocks and bonds, even with the profit I made then, let alone what it would bring now.

I say to myself, who knew?

But that’s part of the value of a site such as Worthpoint, I think.

You’ll know.

Some Tolkien fans never forgave Ralph Bakshi for his animated version of “The Lord of the Rings,” at least until Peter Jackson did the trilogy right in live action (and plenty of computer generated imagery).

Bakshi also directed the melancholy animated story based loosely on the doomed lives of all too many pop musicians in his “American Pop,” in 1981, which I can still watch with a mixture of pleasure and pain.

He did the posters for his version of “Lord of the Rings,” and “American Pop,” and while I’m not crazy about his version of LTR, I do really like his poster for “Cool World,” a film similar to “Who Killed Roger Rabbit” in its combination of live action and animation worlds.

Bakshi’s work still sells at reasonable prices. You could buy a one-sheet from “American Pop” last year for $14.00. A British Quad of “Fritz The Cat,” sold for $104.00 this year. Oddly enough, that is also exactly the high price for a 1-sheet from his 1978 version of “The Lord of the Rings.” Nothing from any of his films sold for much more than that.

I collect in a number of specific areas. Rather than randomly collecting movie art, I enjoy building wider collections that include toys, trading cards, ties, comix, magazines and books and so on.

I’ll collect anything from a movie or TV show in which aliens play a prominent role.
I’ll collect anything to do with any of the four films based on “The Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” for instance, or “Earth vs. the Flying Saucers,” or either version of “The Thing.”

Then little sub-collections develop. Somewhere along the line, I realized that I could probably collect everything to do with Saturday Night Live’s “The Coneheads,” for instance. Meep, meep…

At least five different posters advertised the film and I bought them all at reasonable prices ($20 or so). A poster from the TV show recently showed up on eBay and I bought that. I have the comic book version of the film, 50 35mm film cells (see the photos), all the trading cards based on the film, a Beldar tie, all the action figure toys, a TV guide with Beldar and Star Trek’s Captain Picard, a coffee mug showing the original threesome (Dan Akroyd, Jane Curtin, and in the Saturday Night Live sketches), a publicity book issued at the film’s release). There are a few more items, although none extremely rare and I’m sure I’ll eventually have anything ever connected with the Coneheads.

Do you think they somehow used their wily alien technology to make me CONSUME MASS QUANTITIES?

Pam Grier told an audience at Winston Salem’s 2008 Riverrun International Film Festival that when she went to meet director Quentin Tarantino, he told her he had written a movie with her in mind.

She also discovered that he “has the posters from all my movies,” she said. “I don’t even have them. They’re worth thousands of dollars.”

We don’t know how many Tarantino actually owns, but he would need a few for them to add up to thousands of dollars worth, not that the director of “Pulp Fiction,” would have a hard time coming up with the money. Tarantino is known to collect movies in just about every format and movie memorabilia such as posters as well (more about that in a coming post).

Grier starred in 1970s action films such as “Coffy,” (1973), in which she played nurse battling
drug dealers. She also played tough roles in black action films such as Foxy Brown (1974), Sheba, Baby (1975), Friday Foster (1975) and Greased Lightning (1975), among others. She appeared in many other genre films, from westerns to the Blackula sequel.

Since 2004, she has been a regular on Showtime’s “The L Word.”

Tarantino starred her in “Jackie Brown,” (1997), which he wrote because of his fondness for Grier’s work in those action films. Those, she said she did primarily for the money.

Her movie memorabilia does attract buyers.

One-sheets from “Coffy” in very good to fine condition sold at from $192 to $229 in 2006, according to one auction house listing of poster sales results, and from $227 to $36 in a variety of conditions more recently. Oddly enough, one lesser condition “Coffy” sold for $224, while one described as “good” sold for $36–which just goes to prove, you can find bargains or pay way too much in auctions.

A pressbook—the advertising book movie PR folks used to send to theaters with every film—went for $36 and an 8 by 10 gloss still for a bit over $30.

By comparison, a one-sheet from “Jackie Brown” (advance, showing Grier), sold for about $20 recently.

Years ago, in 1954, when I was 7 or 8, I saw a little film called “The Rocket Man,” at the Columbia Theatre in the small town where I grew up. I was about the same age as the young boy, played by George “Foghorn” Winslow, known for his gravelly voice.

Winslow’s most famous film is probably “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” in 1953. He made “The Rocket Man” a year later.

In “The Rocket Man,” Winslow, wearing a space suit and helmet I very much coveted, discovers a weapon accidentally left behind by a real spaceman. When pointed at someone, it makes them tell the truth.

Now if that existed, it really would be a weapon. Think about how much politicians would pay to keep it out of our hands. In the movie, Winslow uses it to defeat the wiles of local politicians and bad guys.

Although TCM has shown “The Rocket Man” on very rare occasions, I have yet to see a commercially released version in any format. Posters or other movie paper from the film shows up in auctions now and then. I paid a mere $20 for the Insert shown above.

The Lenny Bruce connection

“The Rocket Man” is the only movie scripted by the so-called “sick comic” of the 1960s, Lenny Bruce, who mentions it briefly in his autobiography. Bruce was a tragic figure, brilliant, but addicted to heroin and hounded by local law enforcement coast to coast for his act, which many thought obscene. Compared to what can be heard in many nightclubs or on cable TV today, his act would be considered relatively mild.

Later, Dustin Hoffman would play Bruce in “Lenny,” directed by Bob Fosse. I collect lobby cards and posters from Fosse’s movies, which include “Cabaret” and “All That Jazz.”

Cliff Gorman, who did Bruce in a play about Lenny on Broadway in the 1970s, portrays Hoffman playing Lenny in Fosse’s autobiographical “All That Jazz,” which is enough to make you dizzy if you think about it.

Prices are still reasonable on many Fosse items. I recently bought a set of 8 lobby cards from “All That Jazz” for under $50.

One of the most amazing American collections of movie memorabilia known has sold to an as-yet unnamed foreign buyer.

Leonard Schrader, screenwriter and older brother of director Paul Schrader, died in November 2006. Nine months later, his friend and collaborator David Weisman discovered that Schrader had kept a secret from his friends, his brother and even his wife. He had amassed a collection of 8,642 vintage lobby cards and 5,000 additional movie stills, fan magazines, and heralds.

He kept the collection preserved in large photographer’s binders in his home in the Hollywood hills, although many were well hidden, says Weisman.

Quite possibly the largest and most important collection of lobby cards in existence, rivaling or surpassing those in museum hands, it includes such treasures as 189 Buster Keaton cards in pristine condition.

It also includes seven binders dedicated to John Ford films, six with Fritz Lang items, and many others dedicated to directors, stars and more.

No one knows exactly why Schrader kept the extent of his hobby hidden.

Two national magazines, “Moving Pictures,” and the literary magazine “The Believer” dedicated pages to the Schrader collection in recent months.

In an email to us, Weisman says:

“The collection has been sold, as a whole, and will be soon shipped abroad. The transaction is in final stages of conclusion and the buyer intends to make his own announcement soon, so that is all I can say right now.

“Suffice to say no one in this country had the vision or resources to compete. But the Schrader collection appears to have found the home it deserves – one that’s very much in keeping with the current zeitgeist.”

We’ll let you know when the buyer is revealed.

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that a movie memorbilia collection some say is second only to that of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will be auctioned off in mid-December of this year.

At that time, The Collector’s Book Store on Hollywood Blvd. will sell its stock, which includes a million film studio publicity stills, 50,000 original movie posters and 20,000 vintage fan magazines, 150,000 original negatives, 50,000 color slides, scripts and contracts signed by stars such as Boris Karloff, Vincent Price, Frank Sinatra, Elizabeth Taylor (and her parents).

Retired collectibles dealer Malcolm Willits assembled the massive collection during a 43-year-period. When he opened the store in 1965, the studio system disintegrated and many were just throwing away publicity materials such as stills, posters, and press kits. The store acquired much of that material.

Also, stars would sell the store their entire personal collections of material. Some, such as Mae West, would come into the store, yank unflattering pix from the bins and offer to replace them with better shots, which she did.

Certain rare, high value items in the collection such as stills shot by well-known glamor photographers will sell apart from the bulk of the collection.

The rest will go in large lots, folders of publicity stills sold by the filing cabinet letter, each drawer containing 5,000 photos, for instance. Out of my league, but we may all end up buying material from the collection second hand from other auctions and dealers, I’m guesing.

Profiles in History will hold the auction in Calabasas, CA.

Quite a few movies about invading aliens scared us during the collision of the Atomic Era with the Space Age in the 1950s.

Only one, however, transforms like some space creature to fit the zeitgeist of each new generation. Several of those original 50s films about aliens have been remade once.

The original 1956 “Invasion of the Body Snatchers,” directed by Don Seigel, who would later do the first Dirty Harry film with Clint Eastwood, demonstrated a certain plastic ability to fit the viewers perceptions right away. Some saw the unfeeling pod people as commentary on the regimented thinking expected of communists, while others saw it as commentary on the regimented thinking of McCarthyism.

Many film buffs still think this is the best of the films. Its collectibles certainly bring the highest prices, with lobby cards in good condition selling for $150 and more each and one-sheets going for more than $1,000. I bought one 20 years ago for $30 and a couple of lobby cards I still have in absolutely perfect condition for about $5 each then.

Phil Kauffman’s “Body Snatchers”

In 1978, Phil Kauffman, who also directed “The Right Stuff,” another film I like quite a lot, helmed the second version of “Invasion of the Body Snatchers.” It parodied the psycho-babble of the era, San Francisco acceptance of wonkiness, and political paranoia left over from the Nixon years .

Personally, I think this version is the best (so far). Its collectibles sell for decent if not excessive prices. I recently bought a French set of lobby cards from this version for under $30. I buy almost anything from this version and have American color stills, a German lobby card set, a pressbook and the one-sheet. Altogether they did not cost more than about $100.

”Body Snatchers” for the 90s and beyond

The 1993 version takes on the Army and paranoia about environmental pollution. It’s well directed by Abel Ferrara and delivers more than a few chills. I picked up the one-sheet from this version for $20 plus postage.

The latest version, starring the Queen of the Remakes, Nicole Kidman (who is often the best thing about them), is, Roger Ebert correctly opines, least of the lot. It focuses on paranoia about an out-of-control epidemic. The one-sheet, a nice shot of Kidman, remains inexpensive.

Tbe going rate for most recent posters such as this one still hover in the $20 to $25 range for really desirable items.You won’t get a poster from the most recent version of “Blade Runner” at that price, though.

A 1500-year-old antique Chinese sculpture and a home movie of two of Hollywood’s true luminaries – these, plus Old Master look-alikes and a haunting photograph of an Indian chief, make for an eclectic week of auctions at WorthPoint partner auction houses. Antique collectors and art lovers who can make these auctions – in person, or by linking through WorthPoint – will not be disappointed.

Tuesday, June 17: Auctions Neapolitan “Spring Fling”
Auctions Neapolitan

With more than 350 lots up for auction and everything from rare art glass to Dutch literary works, fine art and snuff bottles, Worthologist Christopher Kent predicts this auction will be “incredibly diverse and, frankly, fun.” Two paintings, Lots #808, “Nude with Satyr and Putti,” and #809, “Early 19th Century Old Master Painting,” depict a style in the 15th to 16th century of the Italian school. Says Kent, “They are what is considered in the art world to be second or third string paintings, that will steadily and incrementally increase in value over a long period of time.” Estimated values, $2,500-4,000.

Wednesday, June 18: Antiques and Decorative Arts emphasizing Asian Art
Dallas Auction Gallery

This auction may emphasize Asian Art, but there are plenty of items from other areas of the world. The first three lots include a miniature Austrian cold-painted bronze dog band, Republic of Texas banknotes, and an 18th century Spanish colonial wood and gesso crucifix.

Among the Asian art pieces to be sold at Dallas Auction Gallery, Kent points out Lot #173. The age alone of this sculpture of three Buddhist subjects makes it fascinating, and it’s journey, even more intriguing. Calligraphy on the limestone stele says it was probably carved around 613 A.D. during the Chinese Sui Dynasty. It was traced to the Longmen Caves, Henan Province. A Chinese professor picked it up from it from a curio dealer in 1932, and wrote in his curatorial notes that the carved figures of the bodhisattvas represent “firmness of attitude and strength of character befitting who, having attained the highest degree of virtue, prefer to descend to the lowest level in order to save the rest of humanity.” Dallas Auction Gallery estimates the market value of this ancient piece between $50,000 and $75,000.

Friday, June 20: Cottone Auction’s Photographic and Native American Collection Sale
Cottone Auction

Cotton’s upcoming auction also features military items, scientific and collectible items, even a 1958 Packard 4 Door Sedan, with an estimated high value of $6,000.

Note the photograph of a Seneca tribe chief named Sose-Na-Wah, which has an estimated auction value of $10,000-$15,000. Photographed in 1849, the chief, although not in native garb, has a haunting look around his eyes. Worthologist Kent says the photo is exceptionally clear and without legal constraints, while the image “depicts an uncommon amount of depth and insight into the sitter and will meet the estimate with ease and most likely surpass it.” Also up for bid, a Kachina Doll representing a Canadian tribe, made in 1890 by the Maidein Company. Estimated value, $2,000-$3,000.

Saturday, June 21-22: Julien’s Planet Hollywood Summer Entertainment Sale
Julien’s Auctions

Straight from Hollywood’s Golden Age, collectors can bid on a 47-minute, never-seen home movie of Clark Gable and Marilyn Monroe shot on the set of the movie, “The Misfits,” in 1960. The footage was filmed by an extra in the movie, whose family decided it was time to make it public. An unguarded Monroe and Gable are shown preparing for scenes in what would be each one’s final film. Auctioneer Darren Julien told NBC’s “Today” show that the footage has been copyrighted, which greatly adds to its value. Julien says the copyright allows whoever buys the film the right to reproduce and sell it. This copyright is not accounted for in the pre-auction appraised value of $40,000 to $60,000. Julien’s, which is based in Hollywood, is holding this auction in Las Vegas at the Planet Hollywood Hotel and Casino.

With more than 400 lots of rare one of a kind memorabilia from Hollywood’s Golden and contemporary eras, this should be a memorable auction.

Press release Julien’s Auctions joins WorthPoint

Please send your antiques, art and collectibles WorthPoint Partner Auction House information to mary [dot] breneman [at] worthpoint [dot] com. Please put Partner Auction House in the subject line.

Just learned after reading the ‘Personality Parade’ in Parade magazine for December 16, 2007 that Emily Procter, the blonde on ‘CSI: Miami’ collects exotic bugs. That certainly fits her role as a crime scene investigator, very sciency.

I’ve always known that Larry Hagman, J.R. for us older folks and Major Healy, well, still for us older folks, on ‘I Dream of Jeannie’ is a vexillologist or flag collector, too. We’ve never been able to get him to tell us quite what he collects, though.

Dolly Parton has collected everything involved in her life, including items she owned as a child. She has her father’s doctor’s bag and a coat sewn together by her mother from pieces of old rags. This coat became one of her early songs and a children’s book, “The Coat of Many Colors.” Today, Dolly’s entire collection is housed in her theme park, Dollywood.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt collected stamps, but not many know that he also collected Christmas cards. In fact, he introduced the first White House Christmas card in 1933. Prior to that, Herbert Hoover sent out photographs for Christmas and Calvin Coolidge created the first Christmas message, but FDR provided the first Christmas card.

Comedian and Actor John Laroquette, famously known as Dan Fielding on Night court, collects rare books, according to his Wikipedia biography.

Rowland Atkinson of the Mr. Bean series on TV and movies collects vintage automobiles as does Jay Leno, the talk show host. He also collects vintage motorcycles and once a year auctions off a vintage motorcycle on Ebay that his guests have autographed for a special charity.

What other celebrity collections are there out there?