A letter written by Princess Diana, a portrait of John Lennon and casino signs from the first James Bond film, Dr. No, are among the items offered by British auction firm Ewbank's next month.
Among the highlights of the May 30 “Entertainment & Memorabilia Premier Live Auction” is a letter Diana wrote in January 1996, a month before confirming that she was divorcing then-Prince Charles. In the text, she thanks her friend Roger Bramble for taking her to lunch at the London restaurant Bibendum and adds: “I like hearing your wise advice and I also appreciate the tips.”
The letter, written on Kensington Palace letterhead, has an estimated price of between 800 and 1,200 pounds (between R$5,200 and R$7,800).
A portrait of Lennon, attributed to original Beatles bassist and artist Stuart Sutcliffe, is priced at £3,000 to £5,000.
“We found that this was hanging in John Lennon's house in Kenwood, in the marquee, which is close to us here in Surrey,” Andrew Ewbank, a partner at Ewbank's, told Reuters.
It was given in 1968 to the seller's father, who worked for Cave Photographics Studios, which supplied the Beatles with photographic equipment, when Lennon and his then-partner Yoko Ono were redecorating the house, Ewbank said.
“They were taking everything out of the house and making a real change. John was in the process of discarding this portrait. There are rips and tears in it. The salesman's father came in saying, 'Please don't do this. Can I have this?'. It was a gift to him that has stayed with him all these years.”
Other lots include a letter written by Edward Johnston, member of 617 “Dambusters” squadron, on the back of a letter he received (300 – 500 pounds, between R$2,000 and R$3,250), artwork for horror films “Frankenstein and the Monster from Hell” (2,000 – 4,000 pounds, between R$13,000 and R$26,000) and “Frankenstein created woman” (3,000 – 5,000 pounds, between R$20,000 and R$32,500), as well as Le Cercle plaques “Dr. No” (1,400 – 1,800 pounds, between R$9,000 and R$12,000).
“Obviously there is a lot of interest in the franchise at the moment as we await the announcement of who the next James Bond could be,” said Ewbank.
“Whether it’s posters, movie props, there’s really a lot of interest in anything James Bond right now.”
*Produced by Gerhard Mey and Marie-Louise Gumuchian
Source: CNN Brasil
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