John Wayne Auction Brings in $5.4 Million
John Wayne memorabilia doesn’t come cheap. Costumes, scripts, awards, and hats from the Duke’s career were auctioned off over two days by Herritage auctions. The John Wayne auction brought in a total of $5.4 million.
The Associated Press reports that many of the items had been kept by Wayne’s family after he passed away from cancer in 1979. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will benefit the John Wayne Cancer Foundation in order to help fund cancer research, treatment and education.
Here are some of the big ticket items.
- John Wayne’s final driver’s license – $90,000
- Rooster Cogburn’s eye patch from True Grit – $48,000.
- John Wayne’s Golden Globe from True Grit – $143,400.
- The holster and belt used in El Dorado – $77,675.
- A hat worn by John Wayne in Big Jake, The Cowboys and The Train Robbers – $120,000.
- A copy of the shooting script for The Searchers – $41,825
The Hollywood Reporter notes that the highest bid at the event was placed on the green beret Wayne wore during the 1968 film, The Green Berets. Wayne’s green beret went for $179,250.
Ethan Wayne, John Wayne’s son and President of John Wayne Enterprises, said:
“This was all about my father’s fans. He loved his fans almost as much as his family, and now they will always have something to remember him by.”
Wayne worked in the film industry for more than five decades. He was nominated for three Oscars throughout his career and took the statue home for his work in True Grit.
How much would you pay for John Wayne’s green beret?
