Calling all Disney Memorabilia Fans! Van Eaton Galleries has announced the largest Disneyland and Walt Disney World auction ever to be hosted by the renowned auction house.
“A History of Disneyland & Walt Disney World” auction event will take place at Van Eaton Galleries over two days, Saturday, December 7, 2019 and Sunday, December 8, 2019 beginning at 10:00 a.m. each day. The collection to be offered includes over 1,500 rare items which trace the history of the iconic theme parks and Walt Disney’s vision from inception to present day.
Many of the items are coming to auction for the very first time. From the earliest documents and conceptual pieces marking the very inception of Disneyland and Walt Disney World, to the extraordinary theme park props, ride vehicles, audio-animatronic figures, hand-painted attraction pieces, very rare early documents, remarkable memorabilia, signs, and more. The depth of rarity of the items to be offered at auction exceeds any expectations of auctions past.
Disney Parks have welcomed over 200 million visitors since they opened. Walt Disney park-related memorabilia has become one of the hottest collectibles in recent years, with prices increasing more than 500% on many items over just the last five years.
The vast array of items to be offered at auction will surprise even the most avid collectors. Several iconic pieces in the collection date back to 1953, and others include ephemera, costumes, stage-worn articles, art, programs, souvenirs, and more. Also featured in the “A History of Disneyland & Walt Disney World” auction will be several items from Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland.
Some of the top items going to auction are:
- An extremely rare studio file copy of Walt Disney’s first pitch documents for financing Disneyland park. It includes some of Walt Disney’s earliest descriptions of what Disneyland would be, as well as a hand-colored map that showed what his park might look like. These are considered one of the “Holy Grails” of Disneyland memorabilia (Estimate: $10,000-$20,000)
- Two original animatronic “Tiki Birds” from the “Enchanted Tiki Room” at Walt Disney World. The birds retain all their original mechanics and are actually functional, singing and moving along to the Enchanted Tiki Room Theme Song (Estimate: $80,000-$100,000)
- A 1954 Disneyland Plot Plan (Estimate: $8,000-$10,000), a collection of early construction slides by Marvin Davis (Estimate: $600-$800); Original hand-painted “Stretch Paintings” from The Haunted Mansions at Disneyland and Disney World (Estimate: $100,000-$150,000)
- An original Space Mountain Ride Vehicle from Disneyland (Estimate: $20,000-$30,000)
- Original Attraction Posters from Disneyland and Walt Disney World, including a rare park-used “People Mover SuperSpeed Tunnel” poster (Estimate: $25,000-$30,000)
- A General Electric Progressland Architectural Model 1964 (Estimate: $10,000-$15,000)
- A Walt Disney Signed Disneyland Opening Day Guidebook (Estimate: $7,000-$9,000)
Other highlights include the original 1955 doors from Disneyland’s Main Street City Hall, a very rare original ceramic Tile Prototype Artwork by artist Mary Blair for the Contemporary Hotel at Walt Disney World, an “It’s a Small World” Animatronic Doll, an Original People Mover attraction vehicle, original art work from Peter Pan’s Flight, and so much more.
Mike Van Eaton, Co-Founder of Van Eaton Galleries, was quoted as saying: Our “A History of Disneyland & Walt Disney World” auction showcases over 60 years of Disney Magic. This collection brings together a massive and varied array of art, props, original paintings and drawings, memorabilia, and collectibles from the most famous family of theme parks in the world. The auction offers the excitement of very rare items never sold before at auction, but also evokes a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality for those artists and performers whose work defined our popular culture. We are honored to be able to offer such remarkable items to fans and collectors around the globe.”
Attending a Disney auction is something we’ve always wanted to do and an original doll from “It’s A Small World,” remains at the top of my dream list for my collection. If you were able to attend and purchase anything, which item (or, items) would you bid on?
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