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The Gunsmoke Auction Recap

By Henry C. Parke

 

In Westerns, big-screen or small, auctions can only mean one thing: some poor sodbuster—or else Claudia Cardinale—is being forced by the land baron, banker, or whoever Lee Marvin is working for, to sell their property for pennies on the dollar.

But it was a decidedly more positive and exciting event on Nov. 15, when hundreds of Gunsmoke fans and Western enthusiasts had the opportunity to bid, and win, at Julien’s Gunsmoke and Western Legends auction, held at the Hollywood Museum in the historic Max Factor building. Julien’s banged the gavel on 566 lots, 230 of them from the estate of TV’s Matt Dillon, James Arness.

RELATED: Read about Janet Arness’ thoughts on the auction

Also included were many items from the estates of Dennis Weaver, who played Chester, and movie superstar Burt Reynolds, who played Quint, giving fans a one-of-a-kind chance to own a piece of a show that means so much to them.

Much of the fun of an auction is its unpredictability — the hope of getting a bargain, and not knowing how high an item will go. This is especially true of showbiz memorabilia. After all, if you’re selling a Rembrandt etching, you have four centuries of records to predict a price. But no one has ever had the chance to bid on the “U.S. Marshall” sign outside Matt Dillon’s door, before. Julien’s guesstimate was $2,000 to $3,000, but the final bid was nearly 10 times that amount: $27,750.

One of the Matt Dillon ensembles was predicted at $3,000 to $5,000, but actually raised $13,000. There were three Matt Dillon badges, each estimated at $2,000 to $3,000. Only one was sterling silver, and that sold for $10,400, while a plain metal one sold for $11,700. It was dated 1955, the year the series began.

Image Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions

The most expensive item of the sale was Matt’s Gunsmoke saddle, estimated at $40,000 to $60,000, which came in at $52,000.  Among the most desired items was Lot 31, one of Dillon’s Colts, estimated at $20,000 to $40,000, which sold for $39,000. Lot 247, a second Matt Dillon Colt, this one with a holster, was bought for $ 34,925.

“That was the more reasonable one of the two, so I’ve done good, I guess,” winning bidder Scott Bullock said with a chuckle. “I was very happy with what I was able to get.”

Bullock travelled a long way to take part in the auction in person. The West, real and fictional, is important to him.

“Well, that’s my life. I grew up in Nebraska, the end of the Texas Trail. So we had cattle back in the day. Now we’ve farmed for like 120 years back in Nebraska. My dad’s a big Gunsmoke fan,” Bullock said. “I’m 58, so I’m kind of young for that. I’m a Burt Reynolds fan; I collect Reynolds’ Trans Ams.”

He did mighty well with the Burt Reynolds auction items, winning a dozen. Among his favorites, “the script from Smokey and the Bandit 1, the script from Smokey and the Bandit 2, the CB radio that was actually in the movie. And a ring. Burt had a sterling silver inspiration ring, that I’m going to actually wear.”

But he’s a good son, and didn’t forget about his dad. In addition to Matt Dillon’s Colt, “the first item I bought was (lot) number 78, the 1958 Silver Saddle Award.” A beautiful saddle with silver trim, Arness was awarded it, when he rode an Appaloosa at a fund-raising event for the Blythe Volunteer Fire Department. “The second item I bought was 126: James Arness signed Gunsmoke western boots.”

Image Courtesy of Julien’s Auctions

The tall, suede boots were worn by Arness in one of the later Gunsmoke movies, and there was a second pair, all of them signed. “Then I got item No. 292, from Rawhide, Clint Eastwood and costars opening credits busts,” Bullock said.

Perhaps the most unusual and beautiful lot of the entire auction, when Rawhide entered its seventh season, they created a new opening title sequence, featuring elegant busts of Eastwood as Rowdy Yates, Eric Fleming as Gil Favor and Paul Brinegar as Wishbone. These are the actual on-camera busts, created by sculptor Pamela Simpson, and come from her estate. Although one might take them for bronze or some other traditional metal, they are in fact made of plaster.

Some other art in the auction came from Gunsmoke’s nearest rival for TV longevity, Bonanza. The 12 paintings by Joe Messerli that appeared under the opening and closing credits were estimated at from $600 to $800 each, and sold for from $3,900 to $11,430.

Some of the items up for sale from the Burt Reynolds’ estate gave a glimpse into his own sentimental interests. Included were two photographs signed to him by John Wayne, reins and a halter believed to be gifts from Gene Autry, and a picture signed to him from Roy Rogers, along with a copy of Trigger’s bill of sale.

If you missed the Gunsmoke auction, or if it whetted your appetite for more of the same, Julien’s has several upcoming auctions featuring items from Hollywood greats, as do Heritage Auctions and RR Auctions. Lebel Auctions and Morphy Auctions specialize in more Old West and other historical items.

Happy bidding!

About Henry C. Parke  

Henry’s new book, The Greatest Westerns Ever Made, and the People Who Made Them, was published by TwoDot in February. The Brooklyn-born, L.A.-based writer has contributed articles to the INSP blog since 2016, been Film Editor for True West since 2015 and has written Henry’s Western Round-up, the online report on Western film production, since 2010. His screenwriting credits include Speedtrap (1977) and Double Cross (1994). He’s the first writer welcomed into the Western Writers of America for his work in electronic media. He’s done audio commentary on over thirty Spaghetti and domestic Westerns.  

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