Southern Californians have seen a number of high-profile auctions in recent months, from the "Happy Birthday, Mr. President" dress made famous by Marilyn Monroe (auctioned by Julien's Auctions in November 2016 for $4.81 million) to the Disneyland Haunted Mansion "stretching" portrait (which was sold at Van Eaton Galleries for $172,500, also in November 2016).
The on-the-block big-ticket items continue into January in Los Angeles, and they come from all corners: music, history, moviedom, and more.
Nate D. Sanders Auctions is set to auction one of "only four copies of McLean's handwritten lyrics of 'American Pie'" on Thursday, Jan. 26. The 1971 Don McLean song was an unusual, out-sized length for a hit at the time — eight minutes and 33 seconds — but the tune adeptly addressed a several major moments in our country, both political and cultural. And it continues to receive regular play today.
The opening bid? It's $100,000, says the Santa Monica Boulevard auction house.
Other notable lots include a Galileo signature, a sequined glove belonging to Michael Jackson, an autograph letter from Charles Darwin, a baseball signed by Babe Ruth, and a Christopher Columbus book from 1494, one that includes "a letter of discovery" to Spain's King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella.
If cinema is your particular pleasure, and action movies with a supernatural bent, look to Premiere Props, which will put a host of "Resident Evil: The Final Chapter" props and costumes on the auction block on Saturday, Jan. 28.
