Sale-rooms
Imaginative collectables
Alistair McAlpine
Last month I remarked on Sotheby's Summer Exhibition of television sets, sug- gesting that such sets might soon become collectors' items. Browsing in a New York book shop this summer I came across a vol- ume entitled TV Collectables. This was a useful guide to what is available and what is a sensible price to pay. Encouraged by this new work on a peculiar form of collect- ing, I looked further, and found a book on petrol pumps. I knew that people collected petrol pumps; indeed I have one in my own dining room. There were books on watch- es, pens and plastic objects — nothing much new here — and lunch boxes. I had not realised that lunch boxes were collect- ed or, for that matter, that people collected. ZAP Art and Ray Guns. The collecting of `baby-boomer' toys was new to me as was the collecting of `luggage labels from the golden age of air travel'. There were vol- umes on Show Domes, Barbie Dolls and Elvis and Beatles memorabilia.
I bought the book on collecting Beatles memorabilia, and jolly handy it will be when Sotheby's have their Rock n' Roll sale on 15 September. It is believed that this sale will be the biggest of its kind ever held. A drum skin said to be the one used by the Beatles when they appeared before a television audience of 73 million viewers is likely to fetch £40,000. Did these people who watched the Beatles realise the value of that drum skin, I wonder? Bob Dylan's harmonica is expected to fetch £6,500, while Jimi Hendrix's guitar, a left-handed Fender Stratocaster, is estimated to make £60,000.
Other items for sale include a bondage jacket and trousers, a plastic trimmed shirt and some paint-splattered shoes, all worn by 'The Clash' in the late Seventies. Sothe- by's catalogue claims the shoes are 'artisti- cally paint-splattered' although I have my doubts. However there can be no doubt that Madonna's gold lame basque worn by her during her 'Blond Ambition World Tour' and designed by Jean Paul Gaultier is a wonderful outfit. Even more wonderful if you happen to be the shape to fit into the thing. It is expected to fetch £12,000.
On 8 September, Christie's are selling Pop Memorabilia at their South Kensing- ton rooms. Included in their sale is a white towelling robe with Elvis Presley's mono- gram embroidered on it. Christie's claim it was worn by 'the King' at his home in Memphis and they have a letter of authen- ticity from his secretary, Pamela Barker. I visited Presley's house, Gracelands, in Memphis Tennessee and I did not notice that 'the robe' was missing, but then I sup- pose, as with grand hotels, the guests make free with the bathrobes, for it seems an odd gift for Presley to have given anyone. Esti- mated. at £1,500 it appears reasonable although, personally, 1 would study its con- dition before I bid for it.
Gracelands is a remarkable example of early Sixties' decor and well worth seeing. However if you should go to Memphis to visit the shrine of 'the King' stay at the Peabody Hotel and watch an attraction they have there, which, in my experience, is second to none. At 11 a.m. each day the Peabody ducks descend from their 'Duck Palace' on the hotel roof and leave the ele- vator to race across a length of red carpet, encouraged by marshal music and about 400 tourists with flash cameras. In seconds they reach their fountain in the Hotel foyer and swim around till 5 p.m. when the pro- cess is repeated in reverse.
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