One of the legendary British comedian's signature bowler hats and canes break record as the highest sale at auction house Bonhams in Los Angeles when they are sold for $62,500.
- Nov 19, 2012
AceShowbiz - Charlie Chaplin's stuff are still highly valued about a century after he began his career as a performer. Two of his memorabilia, a bowler hat and a cane, nabbed $62,500 at auction house Bonhams in Los Angeles on Sunday, November 17. It fetched higher than the initial estimate of $40,000 until $60,000.
The hat and cane are identical to the ones donned by Chaplin when he starred as Little Tramp in 1931's "City Lights" and 1936's "Modern Times". According to auction house Bonhams' memorabilia specialist Lucy Car, it is unknown how many of Chaplin's hats and canes are still left out there. She also said that the relics were from private collection, but they were connected directly to the silent film era legend.
Chaplin's other memorabilia were also sold at this auction. His signature fetched $1,375, while his signed black-and-white photograph nabbed $625.
The event, which was started at 10 A.M., auctioned entertainment relics including animation art. One of the relics was John Lennon's handwritten letter with a nude drawing of him and wife Yoko Ono which was sold for $25,000.
Among other highly-valued memorabilia at the auction were a large archive of Marilyn Monroe's photographs sold for $21,250 and some Charles Schulz Peanuts dailies. While one of Schulz's peanuts dailies fetched $28,750, the other one only nabbed $11,875. Another item auctioned was a Frank Sinatra original painting, which fetched $10,625.
