For Beatles memorabilia, it doesn’t get much better than George Harrison’s personal fur coat.
LYNBROOK, N.Y. – A record album signed by Lou Reed and Andy Warhol, a fur coat owned and worn by George Harrison, an 1812 British presentation sword with scabbard, the original Groucho Marx secret-word duck from the TV show “You Bet Your Life,” and an amazing array of dinosaur fossils will be part of Philip Weiss Auctions’ next big sale slated for Feb. 26.
The Wednesday event—offering an eclectic mix of specialty collections comprising 600 mostly fresh to the market lots—will begin promptly at 1 p.m. (EST), at Philip Weiss Auctions’ gallery, located at 74 Merrick Road in Lynbrook, N.Y. Offered will be rock ‘n’ roll items, Hollywood movie and TV collectibles, vintage posters, Natural History lots, ocean liner material and more.
The Harrison fur coat is but one of several outstanding Beatles-related lots. Also sold will be an archive of typed letters, hand-signed by John Lennon’s assassin Mark David Chapman and written to the police officer who arrested Chapman in New York (with Lennon content), a photo signed by all four of the Beatles (circa 1962), and a 6-foot by 6-foot Beatles Fan Fest display.
The dazzling selection of dinosaur fossils will feature a giant Irish Elk skull, mastodon jaws, a prehistoric cave bear skull, a fossilized stingray, a woolly mammoth tusk, a fossil wolf skull, a Pterosaur, a dinosaur egg nest, dinosaur bones and fossil plates. Antiquities will also come up for bid, such as a carved wooden Egyptian gilded mask, crafted circa 1100-800 B.C.
The record album signed by the late cultural icons Lou Reed and Andy Warhol is by the Velvet Underground, Reed’s seminal rock band. Other top lots from the category will include a Decca Records early publicity card signed by the Rolling Stones, an Elton John-autographed gold record and a Fender Telecaster guitar signed by the American Pop Artist Charles Fazzino.
Included in the many Beatles-related items will be this 6-foot by 6-foot Beatles Fan Fest display.
Imagine owning a record album signed by two major cultural icons: Lou Reed and Andy Warhol.
Important historical items from America’s past will feature charred remains from the doomed airship the Hindenburg (with a Hindenburg press pass), a special edition copy of LIFE Magazine from 1961 for John F. Kennedy’s inauguration signed on the cover by Kennedy, and a 1964 New York World’s Fair presentation piece featuring several architectural pavilion models.
Important theatrical pieces will include an original commemorative cup from the 200th stage performance of “The Wizard of Oz,” dated July 11, 1903, with the original box. The Groucho Marx duck was a classic prop from early television, on Groucho’s “You Bet Your Life” show, with the comic’s standard tag line: “Say the secret word and the duck comes down to give you $100.”
Fans of ocean liner and merchant ship memorabilia won’t be disappointed. Lots will include a blanket from the captain’s quarters (or bridge) from the downed ship the Edmund Fitzgerald (about 45 inches by 70 inches), a pair of carved wooden dolphin panels from the smoking saloon of the British ocean liner the Mauretania, and two furnishings from the Britannica (sister ship of the Titanic).
This cave bear skull is just one of many dinosaur fossils and bones that will come up for bid.
Exceptionally rare blanket from the captain’s quarters (or bridge) from the Edmund Fitzgerald.
Additional ocean liner offerings will include shipboard decorative arts, carved wood panels, figural cherubs, souvenirs, posters, prints, furniture, objects and furnishings and more.
Returning to rock ‘n’ roll, items will include a giclee on canvas rendering of Rolling Stones guitarist Keith Richards by Allison Lefcort, original Bruce Springsteen hand-written gospel song lyrics, a guitar autographed by Springsteen and the E Street Band, and a “Spruce Springsteen” Muppet doll (a Christmas parody of Springsteen) signed by Jim Henson.
Rock ‘n’ roll posters will include a Boston concert poster for the Velvet Underground from 1968 and a 1969 festival concert poster featuring Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin. Posters from other genres will include a 1937 Paris Expo poster by Jean Carlu, an Air Italia poster by A.M. Cassandre and a rare “Squander Bug” war bonds poster by the renowned artist Dr. Seuss.
Additional posters will include a “Join the Navy” poster by Howard Chandler Christy, a “Deliver the Goods” poster by Paus, an “America Calls, Enlist Now” poster by Leyendecker, and an “Enlist Now” poster by L. N. Britton.
This is an original commemorative cup from the 200th stage performance of The Wizard of Oz, dated 1903.
Internet bidding will be facilitated by Proxibid and Invaluable (formerly Artfact.com). Telephone and absentee bids will also be accepted.
On March 15, Philip Weiss Auctions will have another major sale, this one packed with antique advertising, ice cream memorabilia, coin-ops and Coney Island items. Included will be an extremely rare 1891 Coca-Cola calendar (the first year Coke featured calendars) that could conceivably fetch $50,000, and a single-owner collection of ice cream and soda fountain items.
Philip Weiss Auctions is always accepting quality consignments for future auctions. To consign a single item, an estate or a collection, call 516.594.0731, e-mail to Phil@WeissAuctions.com or visit the Philip Weiss Auctions website.
WorthPoint—Discover Your Hidden Wealth