Entertainment memorabilia and historical document auction house, Profiles in History, recently concluded their THE PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN PRIVATE COLLECTOR PART II auction on May 31st, 2013.

The 247 lot auction consisted of many rare, autographed manuscripts, letters, and ephemera from literary, political, and entertainment fields. The sell rate of the auction was over 98% and the sales total with bp factored in was an impressive $3.07 million dollars.

A highly publicised letter written and signed by Marilyn Monroe in early 1960, (est at $30,000-$50,000) fetched $130,000 ($156,000 with bp). Other highlights noted below:

Lot #11: [Civil War – Union.] Fine group of (7) letters by important figures involved in the American Civil War on behalf of the Union. Est: $4,000-$6,000. Sold for $20,000.

Lot #104: Whitman, Walt. Autograph letter signed, 2 pages, (8.5 x 5.62 in.; 216 x 143 mm.), St. Louis, 4:12 pm, 2 January 1880, to John Burroughs, [Esopus-on-Hudson]. Est: $6,000-$8,000. Sold for $14,000.

Lot #145: Gandhi, Mohandas Karamchand. Typed letter signed, (“MK Gandhi”), in English, 1 page. Est: $4,000-$6,000. Sold for $16,000.

Lot #152: Marx, Karl. Autograph letter signed, in English, 1 page, (7 x 4.25 in.; 178 x 114 mm.), London, 2 June 1881. Est: $15,000-$25,000. Sold for $42,500.

Lot #161: Rousseau, Jean-Jacques. Autograph letter, in French, 2 pages, (7.75 x 6.5 in.; 197 x 165 mm.), Paris, 7 July 1770, to Madame [Louise-Rose], Comtesse de Benhier, née Rabaud de La Chaussade. Est: $6,000-$8,000. Sold for $25,000.

Lot #243: Monroe, Marilyn. Autograph letter signed (“Marilyn”), in pencil, 2 pages, (10.5 x 7.25 in.; 267 x 184 mm. Est: $30,000-$50,000. SOld for $130,000.

There’s still time to participate in a really cool Kickstarter campaign to MAKE A MOVIE! Not just any movie, but a scifi/horror movie with amazing special effect creatures that are REAL! No cartoony CGI only monsters in this film. Just like the real, organic creatures you remember from some of your favorite SciFi/Horror films like Alien, The Thing, Tremors and others.

The sci-fi/horror film, entitled, Harbinger Down, was written by creature FX designer, writer, & director, Alec Gillis, co creator of the world renown creature/character effects house, Amalgamated Dynamics Inc. Alec and fellow effects extraordinaire, writer, director, and co creator of ADI, Academy Award winner, Tom Woodfuff Jr (producer of Harbinger Down) are part of a Kickstarter program ending July 7th that you can still participate in.

Check out the Kickstarter preview of the film and be part of what will be a cool movie the way they used to make ‘em.

Mecum Auctions sold the “Eleanor” hero car from the Nicolas Cage film, “Gone in 60 Seconds” for an impressive one million dollars recently.

The “Eleanor” sold was the hero car used in close-ups, promotional materials, and posters, was part of Mecums May Indianapolis Auction.

Here is the original auction description from Mecum Auctions:

Fans of the Touchstone Pictures 2000 remake of the 1974 cult movie “Gone in 60 Seconds” will recognize this as the original Eleanor, the modified 1967 Ford Mustang piloted by retired master car thief Memphis Raines, played by Nicholas Cage. Several cars were built to handle various duties during the filming of Gone, but this is serial number 7R02C179710, the “Hero” car driven by Cage during filming and used in movie close-ups, posters and promotional materials, in the process launching a whole new trend in Resto Modding. Built by Cinema Vehicle Services (CVS), the design of the car is a work of art, literally. Well-known hot rod designer Steve Stanford sketched out the original concept drawing for the car before the vehicle was brought to life by CVS. The builders were able to mock up Eleanor’s body pieces on a Mustang using clay and wood. Molds were then made to produce a new fiberglass front end filled with high-powered PIAA driving lights, new fender flares, side skirts and scoops, hood and trunk lid. The front suspension was replaced with a lowered and reinforced coilover spring arrangement with power rack and pinion steering; 4-wheel disc brakes were installed and Goodyear Eagle F1 tires mounted on Schmidt 8×17-inch Cobra-style wheels. To give the car big-screen performance, it was treated to a 351/400 HP Ford crate engine, which shares room under the modified hood with a front subframe body brace by Total Control Products, LLC. This progenitor of the Eleanor revolution is relatively untouched inside with the exception of an Autometer Sport Comp Monster tach, fire extinguisher, Go-Baby-Go shift knob button for Line Lock and a switch for activating a nitrous injection system. Being offered directly from the original builder Cinema Vehicle Services, this is the car that jumpstarted the Eleanor resto modding craze.

Below are highlights of the car also listed in the auction description:

- Hero Car used in Touchstone Pictures “Gone in 60 Seconds”
- Nicholas Cage’s primary beauty car used for close ups
- Featured in all movie poster and promotional efforts
- VIN: 7R02C179710, built by Cinema Vehicle Services
- This car started the “GT500 Eleanor” epidemic
- The most recreated car since the Shelby Cobra
- Presented in movie-used condition with minor touch ups
- 351/400 HP Ford crate motor, 4-speed manual
- Power steering and brakes, Go-Baby-Go shifter button
- Lowered suspension, coilovers, PIAA driving lights
- Schmidt 8×17″ wheels, Goodyear F1 tires
- Equipped with nitrous but not functional
- Custom body kit with new fender flares, side skirts with exhaust outlets, trunk lid and hood
- Part of a private collection since filming

*All content ©Mecum Aucitons, Movie Prop Collectors, & their respective owners.

The original cast from the 1982 teen sex comedy, Porky’s will be starting a Kickstarter campaign for completion financing of their new teen sex comedy, “Daddies Girls“. The movie is being filmed in 3D and will be the first of its’ kind. Read all about it in their recent Press Release below. Get ready for a second look once again .

For more information visit:

DaddiesGirlsTheMovie

*All content ©Daddies’ Girls Films, LLC, Entertainment Minute, & Movie Prop Collectors, & their repsective owners.

Christies, New York has just made auction history.

Their Post-War and Contemporary Art evening sale reached the highest auction total in history.
The $495 million total created 16 new auction records for artists, Basquiat, realized: $$48,843,750 Lichenstein, realized: $56,123,750, Pollock, realized: $58,363,750, and other well known artists.

Basquiat

Lichenstein

Pollock

The lot with the highest sale number was the Pollock Number 19, 1948, as mentioned above, for $58,363,750. The Estate of Andy Williams and the Collection of Celeste and Armand Bartos realized $46 million and $30.2 million, respectively, while 3 works sold above $40 million, 9 above $10 million, 23 above $5 million, and 59 above $1 million dollars.

One curious painting was lot #13,  a topless painting of Golden Girls actress, Bea Arthur, by artist, John Currin. The painting sold for almost $2 million dollars, at $$1,915,750.

Currin

Including Monday’s Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, The 11^th Hour Charity Auction, the week’s evening sales at Christie’s realized $528.3 million.

©Christies, MoviePropCollectors, & their respective rights holders.

Hollywood Parts, a production asset management company, (which sells and rents surplus assets from some very well known movie studios and film productions) is having their first online movie prop, costume, and ephemera auction entitled, The Epic Cinema Auction, with i-collector on May 25th at 9am PT, 12pm ET. Collectors will find a wide selection of various movie items and the entire online catalog should be at i-collector in the next day or so.

The items in the auction come with a C.O.A from HP with proper attribution.

There will be between 200-300 items up for bid with prices ranges from a few hundred dollars, to thousands of dollars, so there will literally be something for everyone.

There are items from such films as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Rollerball, Spaceballs, Robocop, Legally Blonde, Jeepers Creepers 2, Man in the Iron Mask, Hannibal Rising, Amityville Horror and more.

Lot #158: This full size ED-209 model was made for the movie Robocop 2.

I snapped this exclusive pic of Sally Ann Howes dress from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang which is in the auction:

Movie Prop Collectors was in California recently and took a special tour of Hollywood Parts with Executive Vice President, Mike Filonczuk. We will be posting the video and pictures soon.

* Photos ©Hollywood Parts, Movie Prop Collectors, Entertainment Minute, & their respective owners.

A loyal reader sent Movie Prop Collectors/Entertainment Minute these exclusive pre show set up photos from Blacksparrow Auctions special “The Hunger Games” display at Chicago’s Comic and Entertainment Expo (C2E2).

Blacksparrow is at C2E2 tomorrow, April 26th thru April 28th and are displaying not only the incredible costumes from their upcoming Hunger Games Auction being held at New York’s Comic Con October 10th thru thr 13th, they are also displaying their items from their April 28th  Vintage Toys & Pop Culture Auction being held Sunday at C2E2!

While at the C2E2 show, Blacksparrow is taking donations to benefit the charity, Greater Chicago Food Depository. They also are holding a FREE raffle at their booth located in front of Marvel, booth number 1209-1308, so enter for you chance to win.

Interested bidders for Sunday’s (April 28th) Toy & Pop Culture Auction can register to bid in person, by phone, & absentee HERE, or bid online at i-collector HERE. View the flip-book of auction items HERE.

Enjoy the sneak peek from C2E2 !

I flew in from New York today to attend Eliot Brodsky’s Monsterpalooza this weekend and arrived from LAX just as it was starting.

There were huge crowds of fans lined up around the convention center to get in the show and everyone of those fans I spoke with were excited about this years line up.

I and other fans met and spoke with our favorite actors, actresses, artists, directors, and fellow horror and sci fi fans, including movie prop curator and actor, Bob Burns himself, at a special panel celebrating the 80th anniversary of King Kong.

There was a free monster/horror museum which had many amazing and scary creations from very well known artists and studios, as well as vendors with all sorts of cool swag to purchase. Here are a few photos as preview. I will be posting more photos, HD panels, and more when I get back to New York.

Academy Award© winning actor Martin Landau

The cast from Japan’s iconic televison series, “Ultraman“

Jarrod Hunt from Propstore.com

Artists from Cinema Makeup School doing a live demonstration

Kyra Schon, Judith Ridley, & Judith O’Dea from the original and best of all zombie movies, “Night of the Living Dead“

Actors, Keir Dullea & Garry Lockwood from “2001 A Space Odyssey“, “Star Trek“, “Damages“

A few friends stopped by to say hello to convention attendees

“Robby The Robot” was one of the many cool things in the free “Monsterpalooza” museum display

Checking out the sports scores in the Monsterpalooza museum

Notice the amazing detail of this creation in the museum

Universal Monster Masks in the museum

Man about town & super collector, Charles Thomas, gets a citation from ZombieCop

Matt Gonos from Masqueffex displays his hand made puppets on the show floor

Artist, Don Lanning’s creations of OZ

One of many amazing artist creations in the convention room

Cool 1st and Grand Prize raffle items: A one of a kind handcrafted  “Godzilla” shadow box from PopShadowz and an orginal envelope from the film ”Harry Potter”. Part of Blacksparrow’s Auctions, Monsterpalooza Charity Auction

Out for a stroll at Monsterpalooza

Meet me at The Gorburger Show!

ABC, NBC, CNN, and other media outlets have picked up on Profiles in History’s upcoming “THE PROPERTY OF A DISTINGUISHED AMERICAN PRIVATE COLLECTOR PART II” auction, taking place Thursday, May 30th at 11 AM PST at the Hyatt Westlake “Barcelona” Room, 880 S.Westlake Blvd. Westlake Village, CA 91361.

The auction consists of many historical letters and documents in world history and entertainment, including letters from George Washington, Charles Darwin, Thomas Jefferson, Dwight Eisenhower, Thomas Edison, Marilyn Monroe, John Lennon, and others.

More information will be reported as it becomes available.

Check out the television coverage on the major networks, NBC and CNN.

On January 12, 2013, the number one celebrity autograph show in the US, “The Hollywood Show“, presented a special interview and meet and greet with beloved actor & radio host, Robert Conrad.

The special afternoon allowed a limited amount of Mr. Conrad’s fans to ask him questions and hear stories from his vast carreer.

Mr. Conrad was joined by some very special friends and co stars who worked with him including, Connie Stevens, Richard Kiel and Larry Manetti.

Presented here is the full, unedited presentaiton in 1920 by 1080 HD! It totals almost 2 hours!

The next Hollywood Show is  only two weeks away but you can still get tickets to the show. This show has a special ticket only presentation (like the January Robert Conrad presentation), which is called, “A Tribute to Legends of Rock“, which features rock legends, Spencer Davis, Bob Berryhill, Bo Donaldson, Chris Montez, Dennis Tufano of the Buckinghams, Denny Laine, Dave Somerville, John Claude Gummoe, Mark Lindsay, Ron Dante, and a Special Guest ! There are still a few tickets left and the cost is only $25.

There are a few VIP admissions left for the weekend event which includes hotel, parking, shuttle, internet access, celebrity photo op of your choice, VIP goody bag and more:

There are also special cast reunions from fans favorite television shows and movies including: