Lucille Ball’s polka-dot dress fetches $168,000 at Hollywood memorabilia
Lucille Ball’s famous polka-dot dress sold for more than double the expected takeaway at a Hollywood auction.
The items were on auction at a Profiles in History sale on July 30, which also included props from The Sopranos, The Sound of Music, and Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom.
Lucille Ball’s “Lucy Ricardo” dress was expected to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000 at auction, but ultimately sold for $168,000.
From Temple of Doom, a lot of sankara stones and a pyrotechnics bag got $72,000 and $64,000 respectively, well over their estimates.
A collection of costumes from The Sound of Music sold for $1.3 million. The collection included a costume worn by Julie Andrews’ character, as well as floral lederhosen worn by the Von Trapp children.
The costume worn by James Gandolfini in the final scene of The Sopranos sold for $22,000.
Steve McQueen’s Bullitt jacket and Charlie Chaplin’s “tramp” cane from modern times also commanded high selling prices.
Lastly, Judy Garland’s iconic Wizard of Oz dress sold for $360,000, which was twice its estimate.
Other Lucille Ball memorabilia was also auctioned off on August 3 at the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, which also included a fashion show. These items included props and dresses from I Love Lucy! and other Lucille Ball / Desi Arnaz productions.
Items included Lucille Ball’s red velvet dress from Mame, her pink sequined costume from the first episode of the Milton Berle Show, and her Charlie Chaplin costume from The Lucy Show episode “Chris’ New Year’s Eve Party”.