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How Much is an Oscar Worth, Really?

The value of an Oscar statuette is obviously more about the sentiment and experience than anything else, but what is that little gold man really worth in cold hard cash?

There are several ways of looking at it:

Resale value for Oscars won after 1950 are limited because the Academy makes all winning celebrities sign an agreement that if they want to sell they have to first offer the statue back to them for $1.
Based on the current price of the gold if melted down each Oscar is worth about $500.
If sold on the sly (or for pre-1950 Oscars that can be sold in the open) big-name Oscars will easily clear $60,000+, with many hitting 6 figures.

That's not all that much, all things considered. I think if I ever win one I'll be happy to just keep it (hey, I can dream!).

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Tags: award, awards, celebrities, celebrity, oscar, oscars, value

No Sale For Marie Antoinette's Pearls or Orson's Oscar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

Both Christie's and Sotheby's had auctions this week with some very important items that failed to sell. Perhaps the last few weeks before the Christmas holiday is not the best time to hold big auctions, although certainly either one of these items could have made a once-on-a-lifetime present.

The only Oscar given to Orson Welles, the one for writing Citizen Kane, did not receive a suitable bid and Sotheby's pulled it off the auction block. All offers were well below the minimum price set by the seller. It was hoped that the Oscar would sell for between $800,000 and $1.2 million, raising money for the Dax Foundation, a Los Angeles-based charitable group. The statuette may now be sold privately. A screenplay of Citizen Kane did bring in $97,000.

For Christie's it was a set of historic pearls that turned out not to sell. The pearls which had been given by Marie Antoinette to a British countess for safekeeping after she was imprisoned during the French Revolution, did not sell during the Christie's Magnificent Jewels sale on Wednesday. The pearls, which were later set into a necklace containing rubies and diamonds, were estimated to sell for up to $815,000.

Tags: auction, christies, marie antoinette, orson welles, oscar, pearls, sothebys

Get Orson's Screenplay Too

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

When I wrote about Orson Welles' Oscar last month I neglected to mention that you can also buy Orson Welles' personal working copy of the script for titizen Kane on the same day, December 11, from Sotheby's New York. The 156-page script is the last revised draft before the final shooting script and contains notes and revisions. The majority of the Welles' archive is held by the Lilly Library at Indiana University, so only a few pieces of Citizen Kane memorabilia of this kind are left in private hands. The script is expected to bring $80,000-$120,000.

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Tags: hollywood memorabilia, orson welles, OrsonWelles, oscar, script

Own Orson's Oscar

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Auctions

We've seen Oscars auctioned off before and one thing is for certain, who the Oscar went to, and for what movie, has a great impact on the price of the statue. The Oscar that went to Orson Welles for the 1941 epic "Citizen Kane" is being auctioned off by Sotheby's on December 11. Welles won the Oscar for screenwriting with Herman Mankiewicz. The Oscar has quite a past. It was believed to be lost for a while but turned up in 1994 in the hands of a cinematographer who had worked with Welles tried to sell it at Sotheby's. Welles' youngest daughter, Beatrice, sued Sotheby's and the cinematographer and then tried to sell it only to be sued by the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences which likes to keep Oscars off the market. In fact, since 1950, the academy has required Oscar winners to give it the first right of refusal to buy back an Oscar for $1. This Oscar was given before then and so is outside the rules. In 2003, Welles sold the Oscar to the Dax Foundation, a nonprofit group that supports various educational, health and other causes. The Dax Foundation is selling the Oscar. It is estimated that it will sell for $800,000 and $1.2 million. It has a ways to beat the number set by the best picture Oscar for "Gone With The Wind" which sold in 1999 for more than $1.5 million.

[Thanks, Lana]

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Tags: auction, charity, citizen kane, dax foundation, expire-images:2008-10-16, orson welles, OrsonWelles, oscar

Pictures From The Celestial Diamond Pre-Oscar Event

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Jewelry, Celebrity Shopping

One of the pre-Oscar events this week was the Celestial event held by the Diamond Information Center at Soho House LA. The invitation-only event was a week-long celebration for 2007 Oscar nominees and presenters. The event featured an African-inspired diamond spa with an African rough diamond ritual and massage and a warm kimberlite stone hand and foot massage. Dr. Elliot Ndlovu, a spiritual (sangoma) and medicinal healer (inyanga) from South Africa's Fordoun Spa was also on hand to preside over meditation and relaxation rituals. The star of the show however are the gorgeous diamonds on display, over $50 million diamonds from renowned jeweler Fred Leighton displayed $50 million of diamonds including many gorgeous museum-quality pieces. Guests received an Isibindi medallion from Mia & Kompany as a gift. After the jump, more unique diamond pieces.

Tags: academy awards, africa, diamonds, jewelry, oscar, swag

Continue reading “Pictures From The Celestial Diamond Pre-Oscar Event”

Oscar Cue Card Cases For Flustered Nominees

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Handbags, Celebrity Shopping

The Academy Awards ceremony is always full of special moments some of them pre-planned and some of them deliciously spontaneous. For the winners who are suddenly called to the stage and are worried about having their thank you notes at the ready, designer Lauren Merkin has created cue card cases. The little leather cases are done in gold leather and feature one of three helpful reminders: remember waterproof mascara, always act surprised, and the all-important don't forget to thank your husband. The cases are being given to all the female Oscar nominees such as Helen Mirren, Judi Dench and Kate Winslet.

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Tags: academy award, celebrity gifts, cue card, oscar, swag

Estee Lauder Oscar Swag

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Celebrity Shopping, Cosmetics and Fragrance

And the Oscar swagfest begins... Estee Lauder has announced their 2006 Estee Lauder Luxury Beauty Spa Experience for nominees to indulge, relax and prepare for their big night with a spa experience. The Estee Lauder "Dream Team" will travel to each nominee and let them choose a customized spa day. Those in need of a little boost can check out the Perfectionist Power Facial by Dr. Jay Calvert which includes a light laser procedure and then a Power Patch placed on the area around the eye for 20 minutes. And for sunless tan addicts (like Charlize Theron) there is new Winning Glow Tanning Treatment which provides a full face and body exfoliation and bronzing with Estee Lauder's sunless tanners. A Bentley Continental Flying Spur will transport nominees to and from their Spa appointments and chauffeur the Estee Lauder Dream Team to the nominees on location. And of course there is a swag bag which includes Estee Lauder products, Manolo Blahnik sandals, Michael Kors sunglasses, a tiger's eye necklace, a set of Harcourt black crystal wine goblets and La Grande Dame Veuve Clicquot champagne (very similar to last year's offering).

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Tags: baccarat, celebrity, estee lauder, EsteeLauder, manolo blahnik, michael kors, oscar, schwag, swag, veuve cliquot

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