Heritage Easy Rider Results
Movie Memorabilia Performs above Expectations
Fans of groundbreaking film, Easy Rider, drive auction prices well above original estimates.
The October 6th and 7th auction at Heritage Gallery in Dallas, Texas brought over a million dollars. The auction included lots of musical memorabilia, including Eric Clapton guitars, Elvis clothing and a Benny Goodman clarinet, but the Oscar for highest prizes realized goes to Peter Fonda’s collection of objects from the 1969 film, Easy Rider. Produced and co-written by Fonda, Easy Rider signaled a new era of low-budget movie making that featured crossover appeal to both the young and the artsy. The American Film Institute voted it one of the 100 best movies.
Included in the auction were items from Fonda’s personal collections, such as his father’s Bronze Star. Henry Fonda raised money for the war effort before joining the Navy in 1947. The medal was accompanied by a letter from the secretary of the Navy, James Forrestal, and brought $1,195.00. Drawings Peter made for his father between the ages 7-8 brought from $240.-$334. Fonda’s personal collection of guitars realized between $597-4,780.00. While Heritage Gallery considers the auction as a whole to have been very successful, the starring performers were the Easy Rider items. According to Doug Norwine, Director of Music and Entertainment Auctions for Heritage Gallery, “Vintage film fans were quite active in this auction.”
Easy Rider Sound Track Gold Record Award
The film was one of the first movies to be accompanied by a rock ‘n roll soundtrack featuring the likes of The Byrds, Steppenwolf, and Jimi Hendrix Experience. The soundtrack was released after the movie, but without The Band’s "The Weight", as the musicians' label would not release the license. The album reached the top ten, went gold, and was the second best selling record of the year. The Easy Rider RIAA Gold Album Award brought $3,346. at auction. Pre-sale estimate was $2,000.
The Gold Rolex
Movie lore has it that Fonda conceived and wrote the first draft of the screenplay on a beach in France in three hours. As a reward, he bought himself an 18k Rolex GMT Masters watch. Captain American wore this watch in the film, symbolically tossing away a stand-in watch, in disdain for materialism. The Rolex brought $33,460 well above its pre-sale estimate of $10,000.
The American Flag Patch
Wyatt's iconic jacket, a view of which was featured on the fim’s publicity poster, included the American Flag patch on the back that earned his character the nickname, Captain America. Fonda kept the jacket, which he wore for many years until it wore out, then snipped off the 14 x 11 inch patch and framed it. Presale estimate had it at $50,000, but it brought $89,625. All prices included a 19.5% buyers premium.
There's a delicious irony in a momento from a counterculture film finding a buyer enthusiastic enough to come up with almost $90,000. Let’s hear it for the American Dream!
