Citizen Kane draft script to auction for $24,500 with Sotheby's

 

Sotheby's has announced it will offer the estate of "one of the greatest collectors of our time", Stanley J Seeger (1930-2011), with a working draft script of Orson Welles' Citizen Kane set to star.


Only two scripts from Citizen Kane survive, with this Welles' own personal copy


The auction will span two days (5-6 March) in London, with over 1,000 works sold in chronological order under the title 1000 Ways of Seeing.  The Citizen Kane script is one of the most exciting lots in the sale, estimated at ?�15,000-20,000 ($16,500-24,649).

There are only two known original scripts for Citizen Kane, with this example twice inscribed "Mr Welles' working copy" and dated 30 April to 9 May 1940. Bearing the film's original title, American, it is one of few surviving items from what is considered among the greatest films ever made.

See our movie memorabilia for sale.

Nelson Bachelor Teapot
The bachelor teapot would have made just enough for Nelson


Stanley J Seeger was a musician and bibliophile, though he is predominantly remembered as a great collector. Together with his partner, Christopher Cone, he compiled a collection that encompassed the fantastic and historical. The auction has been curated into 12 thematic chapters, making sense of the eclectic offerings.

Highlighting the Power & Politics section is Admiral Lord Nelson's bachelor teapot, a fine silver, wood and ivory piece by Robert & David Hennel inscribed with an "N" for Nelson. It is valued at ?�8,000-12,000 ($13,146-19,719).

Paul Fraser Collectibles has a fantastic selection of Lord Nelson memorabilia.

Al Capone cocktail shaker
'Regular Guy' Al Capone was given the shaker as a birthday gift from his mob


The drinking implements of some of history's best known characters feature in the sale, with Al Capone's cocktail shaker, engraved "To a 'REGULAR GUY' from THE BOYS 1932", estimated to sell for ?�1,000-1,500 ($1,643-$2,464). A claret jug from the RMS Titanic will sell at ?�2,000-3,000 ($3,286-4,929).

Further highlights include Winston Churchill's armchair, which is expected to sell for ?�3,000-5,000 ($4,929-8,216).

The most valuable lots of the collection are its artworks, which include a fantastic table by Diego Giacometti and an oil on panel piece from the studio of old master Jan Brueghel the Younger, entitled Paradise Landscape with the Fall of Man. Both are valued at ?�80,000-120,000 ($131,464-197,196).

Find a diverse range of world-class collectibles in our online store - the perfect place to discover the next piece for your collection.


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