Debbie Reynolds’ priceless Hollywood artefacts up for auction
A famous lover of Hollywood memorabilia, Debbie Reynolds began her collection in 1970. Her daughter, Carrie Fisher, followed in her footsteps.
Reynolds and Fisher passed away last December, just one day apart. Now, part of their immense combined collection is going under the hammer.
More than 1,500 items will be auctioned off by Profiles in History, including several outfits worn by Reynolds in Singin’ in the Rain, Annie Get Your Gun and The Unsinkable Molly Brown.
Todd Fisher, brother to Carrie and son to Reynolds, issued a statement about the auction on Profiles in History’s website.
“My mother and sister were magnificent collectors,” he said. “They amassed an amazing and diverse collection in their lifetimes.”
Fisher described the collection as being large enough to “rival most museums”, and says the auction would honour his mother’s wishes, with some of the proceeds going to two charities: The Thalians, set up by Reynolds, and The Jed Foundation, chosen by Carrie Fisher’s daughter, Billie Lourd.
Some of Fisher’s most valued Star Wars items will hit the market, including a life-size C-3PO with “electronic lighting elements”.
Fisher’s “Biedermeier-style writing desk with faux drawer and cabinet front” is also up for sale. Desks like these retail for nearly $5,000 – and that’s without the prominent celebrity connection.
The acoustic guitar from Reynolds’ Las Vegas stage shows will feature in the auction, and fans of Francis Ford Coppola will be clamouring to get their hands on vintage motion picture cameras used to make The Godfather and Apocalypse Now.
Reynolds and Fisher’s homes, seet on a single lot, are due to be sold later this year as well. Though purchased separately, the homes are within strolling distance of each other and the 3.5-acre lot will reportedly be listed for $18 million.
Fisher and Reynolds are not the only celebrity connections to the property; Bette Davis and designer Edith Head were previous occupants.
In an interview with Good Morning America’s Ginger Zee, Fisher spoke about his mother’s memorabilia collection.
“She was passionate about preserving that history,” he said. “She knew it was important. She just could not understand why the rest of the industry didn’t think so.”
Special catalogues of the items up for sale are selling for as much as $100 on the Profiles in History site.
The auction will begin on September 23 at Profiles in History in Calabasas, California. Registration is already open to the public, and some online bidding will be available.
What do you think of Debbie Reynolds and Carrie Fisher’s collection? Is there anything you’d like to get your hands on?
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