Guernsey’s offered the Pugliese Pop culture collection at auction on March 15 and 16 at the Palms Casino Resort.
Approximately 850 objects from motion pictures, popular music, magic, television and politics were featured, the collection gathered over several decades by Anthony Pugliese, a Florida real estate executive. Items crossing the block included the gun that killed Lee Harvey Oswald, the Wicked Witch of the West’s hat, John Lennon’s Abbey Road suit and a parasol from Gone With the Wind .
Major elements from popular movies included Harrison Ford’s whip from Indiana Jones , Christopher Reeve’s Superman suit, Elvis’s racing duds from Raceway , Charlie Chaplin’s cane, Elizabeth Taylor’s headdress from Cleopatra and dress from National Velvet and principal wardrobe items from Marilyn Monroe, Marlon Brando, Orson Welles, Frank Sinatra and James Dean.
The top lot of the sale was the Wicked Witch of the West’s hat from The Wizard of Oz, which sold for $208,250. Rivaling the motion picture items were rarities from the world of music. One of the most sought-after items included suits worn by all four Beatles on their album cover Please Please Me , which brought $196,000. A 1963 Beatles suit worn by John Lennon went out at $147,000, and one that he wore for the Abbey Road album cover fetched $140,000.
The section of the Pugliese collection that focused on world leaders had many John F. Kennedy treasures, including important handwritten documents and several humidors that stored the president’s beloved cigars. There are also many historically significant items relating to the assassination; most important, the gun Jack Ruby used to kill Lee Harvey Oswald. The 38-caliber Colt Cobra pistol did not meet its presale expectations, so it did not sell at the auction.
Other top highlights of the sale were the Odd Job hat from Goldfinger, $134,750; Elvis Presley’s ram’s head necklace, $11,250; a signed Beatles trademark document, $90,000; and Harrison Ford’s Indiana Jones bullwhip, $70,437.
Prices reported include the buyer’s premium. For information, www.guernseys.com or 212-794-2280.
