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SOTHEBY'S COLLECTORS' CAROUSEL: DOLLS, HOLLYWOOD AND ROCK AND ROLL

NEW YORK CITY -- Although she didn't know it at the time, a former Westport,

Conn. resident struck a nest egg of more than $2,000 recently while cleaning

out the bedroom she left behind when she entered college. Ellen Sandhaus had

re-discoverd the cheaply printed Yardbirds concert poster saved from the

October 22, 1966 performance at her local high school. Adding more excitement

to a memorable evening, Sandhaus got the paper autographed by all of the

band's musicians, including Jimmy Page. For nearly 30 years it was filed away,

out of sight and out of mind.

The poster was one of hundreds of items related to rock and roll memorabilia,

Hollywood mementos and, during the morning session, fine antique dolls at

Sotheby's Collector Carousel auction, held December 18 on the upper east side

of Manhattan. Estimated to bring from $1,5/2,000, the item received a top bid

of $2,876, somewhat more than the $1,500 to hire the Yardbirds to perform for

the students and faculty, according to Sandhaus, who attended the auction in

order to meet the poster's new owner and share the high school memories. All

prices include the 15 percent buyer's premium.

There was a lot of closet-cleaning attempted through Sotheby's on that brisk,

Christmas afternoon, but not all of the lots were as successful. Take several

items from the estate of the late Jim Backus, famous for his role as Thurston

Howell III on the television show Gilligan's Island. The character's worn-out

teddy bear, expected to bring at least $800, a light blue polyester gown and

necklaces also used by the comic expected to garner $700 and a Gilligan's

Island television movie 1978 script, estimated at $500/700, were passed.

Faring much better were Thurston Howell's straw hat ($920), his faux bamboo

tumbler which he used while the other castaways roughed it with coconut shells

($690), and related to Backus's equally famous Mr Magoo character, a costume

with a rubber nose, which garnered $920 from a phone bidder.

Items from the estate of the late Henny Youngman proved to be weak, even

though the interesting instruments were custom made for the famous comedian.

Passed were his violin, a customized violin with a concealed tape recorder, a

1960s record player. The items were expected to bring at least $1,500 each.

The prices of many of the successful rock' n' roll memorabilia lots were

boosted by Tom McKnight, head of acquisitions for the Hard Rock Cafe. He bid

on approximately 90 lots and walked away with 80 new showcase pieces for the

international chain of themed restaurants. McKnight flew in from the Hard Rock

Cafe's Orlando headquarters.

In spite of much successful bidding, McKnight the underbidder for "I Want to

Hold Your Hand" sheet music autographed by the Beatles "to Dawn" which braved

$5,750, a presentation gold disc for Carole King, Her Greatest Hits, which

brought $1,035 from the room, a Jimi Hendrix autograph with a phrase "Stay

Groovy" which went for $1,380 to the room, and a presentation platinum disc

for Born in the USA by Bruce Springsteen, along with an E Street band concert

poster for the Paramont Theater, and a tour vest which went for $805.

A four-page, yearning letter in longhand on notebook paper by a young girl to

her favorite high school teacher made for interesting reading because the girl

was Madonna. Noting that "I am still somewhat financially dependent on my

parents" but has taken a "babysitting job in an attempt to support myself" and

details of her many voice and dance lessons, it garnered $6,325. Madonna's

white silk dress worn after fame and fortune in a video got $10,925, meeting

Sotheby's predicted price of $8/12,000.

Out of ten Jimi Hendrix lots, more than half were passed, including his shirt

and headband, his silk scarf, and his metal studded belt. But Hendrix's

autograph on a 1967 tourbook got $2,300 from the room and his autograph

accompanied with the words, "Stay groovy" catapulted to $1,380.

Surprisingly, several John Lennon items were passed, such as the autographed

Playbill which opened at $650, a New Yorker Diary filled out order form (he

wanted two copies at $13.50 each) and a pre-fame, rambling letter written from

the Star Club in Hamburg which opened at $6,500. Lennon laments, "I'll be

there'll be hardly any Beatle fans when we get back (to Liverpool)." Lennon's

typed letter filled with silly nonsense and dated June, 1967 from John to Mal

Evans did sell at $4,025.

Frank Sinatra's recent death couldn't muster enough emotion from the crowd to

bid on the early autographed photograph from about 1940 and so it was passed

after opening at $1,700.

In keeping with the Collector's Carousel tradition, antique dolls composed the

first 75 lots.

The top lot of the selection of antique dolls was the Kammer and Reinhardt

mold 102. This pouty bisque head boy with molded hair was dressed in his

original regional German costume. Bidding started at $9,500 and quickly became

a competition between two phone bidders -- ending at a strong $16,240 but way

below the estimated $25/30,000. A firing line underneath the chin, overlooked

in the catalogue, was brought to the audience's attention by the auctioneer.

The French A. Thuiller, marked A 11 T, was estimated to bring $20/30,000 but

brought $17,250. The A.T. is the queen of antique dolls and most of the

examples topple or match the Bru in price. Yet, the example at Sotheby's was

on the wrong body one that was German, no less, and dealers were heard to

complain that she did not have "that dreamy look" that makes the A.T. so much

in demand.

The 16 inch cloth Kathe Kruse brought $5,452, well over its maximum estimate

of $3,500.

An extremely rare 34 inch Lenci felt doll known as Kigan, dating from the

1920s commanded $1,380. Bidding for an 18 inch Lenci felt Dutch boy started at

$400 and ended at $1,610 -- more than double the top estimate. As usual,

French Fashions brought strong prices, such as the 15« inch example in a dress

trimmed with purple bows, which brought $4,600. A striking 24 inch Jumeau

dressed in her original silk wedding gown and a mismatched straw hat brought

$6,325, a more than the maximum $6,000 estimate.

With the dolls completed, more than half the room, all doll dealers, piled out

to pay for their purchases, leaving a few stragglers for the remaining lots in

the morning session. The lack of people in the audience may have accounted for

many of the lots going to absentee bidders. Two costume sketches for Grace

Kelly brought $575 each from an absentee bidder, more than $100 less than the

low estimates. Lana Turner's gowns in "Diane" from 1965 brought somewhat more

enthusiasm, with one ending at $805 while the second brought $3,737.

Even with the house not filled to capacity, Jimmy Stewart's 1935 movie

contract brought $2,185. A 1935 gold Dunhill lighter, originally the property

of Harpo Marx, got $9,775 from a phone bidder. The stuffed dog and dish props

used in the recent movie "As Good As It Gets" commanded $1,610, also from the

phone. The first edition of Gone-with-the-Wind autographed by Margaret

Mitchell garnered $8,625 to the room, while Robert Conrad's jacket from the

Wild Wild West, a show which ran from 1965 to 1969 garnered $4,600.