Darren Julien is the auctioneer to the stars, and he has built his reputation with a business plan that includes careful planning, outstanding marketing, and a dedicated and talented auction team.
“Unless we know its history, we can’t sell it.” — Darren Julien
The trust precipitated by this statement—for buyers and sellers alike—is what sets Julien’s Auctions apart from so many of today’s auction houses. Of course, trust alone won’t get the job done. Becoming the world’s premier celebrity memorabilia auction house also requires careful planning, outstanding marketing, and a dedicated and talented auction team.
But it all starts with trust: the kind of trust that enables celebrities like Barbara Streisand, Larry Hagman and Ringo Starr to pass Darren Julien’s private cell phone number to their friends.
I spoke with Julien this past week. For a guy who regularly rubs elbows with the rich and famous, he’s remarkably well grounded. His humility is genuine; he feels privileged to work with his Julien’s team and the clients they serve. His enthusiasm is contagious, as it is clear that he loves his work and is having a lot of fun doing it.
Julien grew up on a farm in Indiana, where cattle auctions are a part of life. His fascination with auctions led him to complete the course of study at the Reppert School of Auctioneering and become a licensed auctioneer.
While working for Kruse International in the 1990s, selling classic cars and memorabilia, Julien was invited to country music legend Johnny Cash’s home to offer his opinion on the Cash/Carter estate’s items. Cash encouraged Julien to pursue his love for auctioning memorabilia. As it turned out, that was good advice.
Sometime later, Kruse International was sold to eBay, and Julien accepted a job producing memorabilia auctions for Sotheby’s in Los Angeles. The Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash auction in September 2004 was one of Sotheby’s first successful celebrity memorabilia auctions.
Julien put together the Johnny Cash/June Carter Cash auction in September 2004 for Sotheby’s, the firm’s first successful celebrity memorabilia auction.
When Sotheby’s decided that celebrity memorabilia was not “their cup of tea,” Julien jumped in to fill the void. In October 2004, Julien’s Auctions initiated its first high-profile celebrity memorabilia auction to benefit Barbra Streisand’s philanthropic foundation. In the months before the auction, public exhibitions of the Streisand collection were held in New York, London and Los Angeles. Live and online bidding began on June 5, 2004.
The production details of the Streisand auction—the public exhibitions, the 238-page high-gloss catalog, the press releases, the VIP preview receptions—were not lost on Streisand or her celebrity attendees. It was clear that a Julien’s auction was more than just an auction; it was a well-orchestrated event. Darren Julien’s reputation quickly grew among Hollywood celebrities. He’s produced auctions for Ringo Starr, Jane Fonda, Bette Midler, Pele, Michael Jackson, Burt Reynolds, Barbra Streisand, Larry Hagman, Joan Collins, and the estates of John Lennon, Marilyn Monroe, Bob Hope, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Jimi Hendrix and a host of notables.
Public exhibitions, a 238-page high-gloss catalog, press releases and VIP preview receptions for a Julien-run benefit auction for Barbra Streisand’s philanthropic foundation were not lost on the star singer or her celebrity attendees.
For the celebrities, insists Julien, memorabilia auctions aren’t just about the money. “More than anything else, our auctions are about preserving an artist’s legacy.”
The time taken to photograph, describe and promote each auction item serves to protect those legacies.
Julien’s approach consistently brings high prices for clients’ memorabilia. In November 2016, the Guinness Book of World Records entered Julien’s record for the sale of the world’s most expensive dress: Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress, which sold for $4.81 million. The Monroe dress isn’t Julien’s only record-setter, though. Other world records include:
• Most Expensive Glove: Michael Jackson’s white glove worn when he performed the moonwalk the very first time at Motown 25. Sold for $420,000;
• Most Expensive Stage-Played Guitar: John Lennon’s Gibson J-160E Beatles guitar. Sold for $2,410,000;
• Most Expensive Drum Kit: Ringo Starr’s #1 Beatles Ludwig Drum kit. Sold for $2,110,000
• Most Expensive Drum Head: Ringo Starr’s 1964 Drum Head from “The Ed Sullivan Show.” Sold for $2,050,000;
• Most Expensive Jacket: Michael Jackson’s jacket worn in the “Thriller” video. Sold for $1,810,000;
• Most Expensive Record Album: Ringo Starr’s Number 1 copy of The Beatles White Album. Sold for $790,000;
• Most Expensive World Cup Medal: Pele’s 1970 FIFA World Cup Football/Soccer Medal. Sold for $498,000;
• Most Expensive Elvis Presley Guitar: Elvis Presley’s 1969 Gibson Dove acoustic guitar. Sold for $334,000;
• Most Expensive Basketball: Michael Jordan and Michael Jackson signed basketball from “Jams” video. Sold for $304,000.
Ringo Starr’s auction held at Julien’s, recently brought three world-record sales: Most Expensive Drum Kit, Ringo Starr’s #1 Beatles Ludwig Drum kit, which sold for $2.11 million; Most Expensive Drum Head, Starr’s 1964 drum head from “The Ed Sullivan Show,” which sold for $2.05 million; and the Most Expensive Record Album, Starr’s Number 1 copy of The Beatles “White Album,” which sold for $790,000.
What’s driving these high prices?
“The world is obsessed with American Pop culture” says Julien. “The key to maximizing prices is to tell the story behind every item.” And, ‘tell the story’ they do, not just in the United States but around the world. Julien’s is the only American auction house given permission to hold auctions in mainland China.
What can we expect from Julien’s in 2017? At the moment, that’s a well-kept secret. When asked, Julien insisted: “You’re only as good as your next auction.” Given the spectacular past performance of Julien’s Auctions, I can hardly wait to see what the next one will do… and then the one after that… and the one after that.
Wayne Jordan is a Virginia-licensed auctioneer, Certified Personal Property Appraiser and Accredited Business Broker. He has held the professional designations of Certified Estate Specialist; Accredited Auctioneer of Real Estate; Certified Auction Specialist, Residential Real Estate and Accredited Business Broker. He also has held state licenses in Real Estate and Insurance. Wayne is a regular columnist for Antique Trader Magazine, a WorthPoint Worthologist (appraiser) and the author of two books. For more info, visit Wayne Jordan Auctions or Resale Retailing with Wayne Jordan.
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