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Ernest Hemingway's African Safari Rifle Up for Auction

Filed under: Auctions, Sports, Men's Style, The Classicist

A remarkable double-barreled elephant gun made by London's Westley Richards in 1913 that belonged to Ernest Hemingway and was used by the famed author on safari in Africa is being offered for auction on March 14. The impressive .577-caliber Nitro Express, the starring lot at James D. Julia Auctioneers' Important Firearms sale in Fairfield, Maine, comes with the original case and accessories and is expected to fetch between $150,000 – $200,000. The 16-pound rifle, engraved with rhinos and tigers and designed to bag the biggest game, has its own chapter in the new book Hemingway's Guns: The Sporting Arms of Ernest Hemingway.

Gallery: Ernest Hemingway's Safari Gun

Tags: Africa, auction, author, celebrity, celebrity auction, celebrity guns, Ernest Hemingway, Ernest Hemingway Africa, Ernest Hemingway guns, Ernest Hemingway safari, ernest+hemingway+guns, ernest+hemingway+on+safari, ernesthemingwayguns, ernesthemingwayonsafari, firearms, gun, gunsmith, Hemingway, Hemingway gun, Hemingway safari, Hemingway shotgun, hemingway+rifle, hemingwayrifle, hunting, Key West, Maine, rifle, Royal Warrant, safari, shooting, shotgun, sporting, sporting style, UK, Westley Richards, writer

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Cars Owned by Ian Fleming and Duchess of York on Offer at Bonhams

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Cars & Autos, Auctions

A 1962 AC Aceca Coupe (above), once owned by James Bond's creator Ian Fleming, will be offered by Bonhams at its Goodwood Revival sale in Sussex, UK on Sept. 17. One of only six surviving Ford-powered Acecas in the world, the dashing sports car worthy of 007 has attracted a pre-sale estimate of $150,000 – $200,000. The two-seater, which is dark blue with a burgundy leather interior, was purchased by Fleming the year he wrote The Spy Who Loved Me. Also on offer at the auction is a 1988 Jaguar XJ-S V12 Convertible that belonged to Sarah, Duchess of York, estimated at $30,000 – $38,000, though the highlight is undoubtedly a 1953 Jaguar C-Type, the same make and model that won Le Mans 24-Hours race twice in 1951 and 1953, which could fetch up to $1.5 million. Extensively restored between 1985 and 1991 it's described as "outstandingly usable and potentially extremely competitive." See the gallery for pix.

Gallery: Bonhams Goodwood Revival 2010

Tags: AC, auctions, author, Bonhams, celebrity cars, classic cars, Duchess of York, Goodwood, Goodwood Revival, Ian Fleming, Jaguar, Jaguar C-Type, James Bond, Le Mans, royalty, UK

J.D. Salinger's Toilet Offered for $1 Million on eBay

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

The new owner of late reclusive author J.D. Salinger's compound in Cornish, New Hampshire is apparently selling off some of the house's fixtures with an eye towards cashing on on his literary reputation. The Vault of Forsythe, Inc., a collectibles dealer based in North Carolina, is handling the items and has just listed the toilet from Salinger's home on eBay with a "buy it now" price of $1 million, though other offers are being accepted and five have apparently already been made. This could well be a hoax aimed at those who are overly worshipful of the Catcher in the Rye author, but as the vendor seems legit we doubt it. We won't speculate on the process of authentication however. The full listing for the curious commode reads as follows:

Source

Tags: author, collectibles, Cornish, eBay, J.D. Salinger, literature, memorabilia, New Hampshire, North Carolina, The Catcher In The Rye

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The Classicist: The Mystery of Out of Africa Author Karen Blixen's Hermès Luggage

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Luxury Travel & Hotels, The Classicist

Hermès has uncovered a couple of remarkable pieces of bespoke luggage in its archives, made for famed Danish Out of Africa author Karen Blixen, aka Isak Dineson, in the 1930s. The Art Deco tobacco-colored crocodile skin cases, one ordered in 1930 and the other in 1935, contain every conceivable article an aristocratic author could need on an arduous journey to Africa. The famed Parisian luxury goods house notes that the more complex of the two took its craftsmen 368 hours to make; both feature fine inlays and engraving, with most pieces adorned with a baroness' crown and the author's DBF monogram for Dineson Blixen-Finecke, a combination of her maiden and married names (her full title was Baroness Karen von Blixen-Finecke).

The cases feature myriad compartments and leather boxes for spirits, smoking accessories, writing instruments, notepaper, perfume bottles, cosmetics, playing cards, jewelry, small tools, sewing items, brushes and more, with some items finished in sterling silver and tortoiseshell. However, Hermès notes the the items appear to be unused and probably never made it to Kenya, where Blixen established a coffee plantation at the foot of the N'gong Hills; and therein lies something of a mystery. Noting that by December of 1930, when the first case was ordered, Blixen was somewhat down on her luck and preparing to leave Africa, Hermès thinks it unlikely she ordered it for herself and the archives are unclear. Could it perhaps have been intended as a gift from her lover, dashing big game hunter and pilot Denys Finch Hatton?

Gallery: Karen Blixen's Crocodile Hermes Suitcases