By Alicia Powell
(Reuters) – A trove of artifacts is hitting the auction block, including music scores from the beloved classic “The Wizard of Oz,” a letter by former first lady Jackie Kennedy, and a 1980 holiday card issued by the British royal family and signed by the Queen Mother.
Two printed music scores from the film, “Over the Rainbow” and “If I Only Had a Brain,” are being put up by the family of actor Ray Bolger, who portrayed the Scarecrow in the fictional land of Oz. They’re expected to sell for $12,000-$15,000 and $6,000-$8,000 respectively.
“They’re very rare,” said David Lowenherz, the owner of Lion Heart Autographs, the collectors running this auction. “They are virtually unheard of in any kind of…private collection,” he said of the printed scores that were using during the production of the 1939 classic.
The auction, the largest Lion Heart Autographs has held and due to run until Nov. 1, includes other memorabilia.
A holiday card issued by the royal family in 1980 and signed by the Queen Mother shows her standing beside her daughters, Queen Elizabeth II and Princess Margaret.
Another item is a 1987 letter by Jackie Kennedy, wife of former President John F. Kennedy, on plans for Pennsylvania Avenue and signed, “affectionately, Jackie.”
The auction also features a letter signed by Israel’s first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, who founded the modern state of Israel in 1948. It dates to his time in office in 1956.
Other interesting items in their collection include an 1845 letter by Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi accusing English soprano Anna Bishop of bribing the Neapolitan Press, a letter by Impressionist painter Claude Monet to an art dealer, and a signed document ahead of Napoleon Bonaparte’s invasion of Russia in 1812.
(Reporting by Alicia Powell; Writing by Christina Anagnostopoulos; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
