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Charles Schulz Comic Strip Auctioned at Bonhams & Butterfields

Bonhams & Butterfields’ Entertainment Memorabilia auction on June 14, 2009 in Los Angeles featured a wide variety of items related to Hollywood, Rock ‘n Roll and Animation Arts. Highlights included pieces connected to screen goddess Marilyn Monroe, Property from the Estate of beloved ‘Golden Girl’ Estelle Getty and costumes from the private collection of Hollywood legend, Debbie Reynolds, as well as original works from The Peter Golding Collection of Rock ‘n Roll Art.

The highly competitive sale garnered international collector interest with dynamic bidding both on the telephones and in the Sunset Boulevard auction room. “It was a fun summer sale that showed the strength and continuing interest in animation, Hollywood and music memorabilia. We saw strong participation from around the globe,” said Margaret Barrett, Department Head, Entertainment Memorabilia at Bonhams & Butterfields.

The top lot from the sale was a Charles Schulz Peanuts comic strip daily from 1983. The pen and ink illustration depicts Sally asking Charlie Brown to help her with a report on Charles Dickens. When Charlie Brown asks his sister what she wants to know about Dickens, Sally responds, “Who did he play for?” Estimated to bring $10,000-15,000 the iconic work sold for $17,080.

Highlights from the Estate of ‘Golden Girl’ Estelle Getty included the handbag she carried on the hit NBC television series as she portrayed ‘Sophia Petrilllo’ (est. $1,000-1,200, sold for: $9,150), the Emmy she won in 1987-1988 (est. $3,000-4,000, sold for: $7,320) and the Golden Globe® Award she won in 1985 (est. $2,500-3,000) among many other pieces.

Also in the sale was a selection of property related to pop icon Marilyn Monroe. Featured items included a signed contract between Monroe and actor John Carroll in 1947 (est. $3,000-3,500, sold for $3,660), a rare black and white photograph of the star by Andre de Dienes, 1950, 1960s (est. $400-600, sold for: $3,355) and a group of never-before-seen black and white snapshots of Monroe in Korea, 1954 (est. $1,800-2,000, sold for: $2,196), among others.

Headlining the Rock ‘n Roll offerings were items from The Peter Golding Collection. The featured works included select pieces, which span three decades of music history, such as paintings, original artwork, drawings, sketches, studies, and poster sets. Created by some of the most influential figures in Rock ‘n Roll art, the lots on offer relate to famous bands, performers, and concert promotions while also commemorating legendary events in music history. Star lots included three works by noted artist Rick Griffin: Das Rheingold (est. $7,500-10,000, sold for: $ $6,710), Grateful Dead – Reckoning (Skull and Heart) (est. $3,000-4,000, sold for: $4,270) and Winged Eyeball (est. $4,000-6,000, sold for: $3,965).

Additional highlights included a dress worn by Joan Crawford in the film Straight Jacket from the private collection of Hollywood legend, Debbie Reynolds (est. $1,500 – 2,000, sold for: $5,185), a Meg White drum set used in The White Stripes video ‘The Hardest Button to Button,’ 2003 (est. $4,000 – 6,000, sold for: $4,880) and a celluloid from the Walt Disney classic Fantastia (est. $4,000 – 6,000, sold for: $5,795).