NEW YORK, Aug 7 — Furniture, art and memorabilia from the estate of US comedian Bob Hope, including presidential books and photographs, will be sold at live and online auctions next month, Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills, California, said yesterday.
Hope, whose career in vaudeville, radio, film and television spanned six decades, died at age 100 in 2003.
The actor and singer starred in dozens of films, including a series of “Road” movies with actor Bing Crosby, hosted television specials and entertained US troops around the globe with his United Service Organisation (USO) shows from 1942-1988.
Proceeds from the sales on September 20-21, which could fetch as much as US$1 million (RM3 million), will go to the Bob and Dolores Hope Charitable Foundation.
“This collection represents over 60 years of Hope’s illustrious career. It take us back to his vaudevillian days and all the way through his time on the golf course,” Martin Nolan, executive director of Julien’s Auctions, said in a statement.
An antique George I bureau cabinet, with a pre-sale estimate of up to US$70,000, two Turkish carpets valued at US$25,000 and US$30,000, and a John F. Kennedy inscribed photograph to Hope, which could sell for up to US$6,000, are among the highlights of the sales from the collection.
An avid golfer, Hope established an annual PGA Tour pro-am golf tournament played in the Palm Springs, California, area to raise funds for charity. His collection of putters, tees, golf memorabilia and his personal golf cart will also go under the hammer. — Reuters
