By Stone Martindale Oct 26, 2006, 2:16 GMT
American television host legend Dick Clark will auction off 50 years worth of musical memorabilia. The American Bandstand host said in a statement Wednesday that he has decided to sell his collection with the help of New York auction house Guernsey's this December.
Minnesota's minstrel and living rock legend Bob Dylan performs at Pistoia Blues festival late Saturday 15 July during the first concert of his tour in Italy. The harmonica Bob Dylan played in The Last Waltz is part of Clark's auction offerings... . EPA/LUCA CASTELLANI
Dick Clark described himself a pack rat for amassing his vast collection over the years. The collection has been in storage in a massive California warehouse.
"I think back over the years and I realize I have become a true pack rat," the 76-year-old Clark, who suffered a serious stroke in 2004, said in the statement.
"Whenever anybody gave me a memento or I asked for one, I would treasure it. Now with the auction of my collection at hand, I'm really excited to have a chance to turn over something that has belonged to me, so that someone else can enjoy it."
Around 900 lots to be sold in a no-reserve auction, with all items selling to the highest bidder, Guernsey's said. Highlights will include the microphone Clark used from his very first taping of American Bandstand on July 9, 1956.
Guernsey's officials have estimated that the historic mic could sell for anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000 US.
Other lots include:
* A bass guitar played by Paul McCartney in his Beatles days. * A guitar played by Bruce Springsteen in the 1980s. * A beaded glove that Michael Jackson wore during his "moonwalk" phase and personally delivered to Clark, who had asked for it. * The harmonica Bob Dylan played in The Last Waltz. * One of Madonna's bustiers. * Gold and platinum records from artists such as Beatles (for Abbey Road), the Beach Boys (for Best of the Beach Boys, Vol. 2) and Springsteen (for Born to Run ).
If you are curious, you can visit the collection at Manhattan's Time Warner Center from Dec. 2 through Dec. 4, with the auction scheduled on Dec. 5 and 6 at the Lincoln Center in New York.
Proceeds from the bulk of the sales will go to the Bogart Pediatric Cancer Research Program, a division of the TJ Martell Foundation, which raises funds for AIDS and cancer research.
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