Image courtesy Christie's Images Ltd. 2010
By Lisa Kemp
During an evening that drew bidders wearing Western attire and cowboy boots, the sentiment ran high as final pricetags surpassed many of Christie’s estimates on Roy Rogers & Dale Evans memorabilia.
USA Today reports that Nebraska-based RFD-TV has purchased Roy Rogers’ mounted horse Trigger for $266,500, well over the $100,000-$200,000 price estimate; the cable TV channel has plans to develop a Western-themed museum.
Dale Evans’ gold charm bracelet fetched more than twice its $9,000 estimate, bringing in $20,000; according to Roy ‘Dusty’ Rogers Jr. in an interview with Christie’s Director of Iconic Collections Cathy Elkies, that bracelet represented his father’s life, with charms for significant events and people such as a tiny replica of his childhood schoolhouse, a pair of hands representing his marriage to Evans, and charms for each of the couple’s grandchildren. The bracelet was initially given to Evans in the early 1950s, when the television show ‘This Is Your Life’ honored Roy Rogers with a retrospective of his life and career, and Rogers Sr. added additional charms to it over the years.
Despite the crowd’s desire to own a piece of Americana and cowboy history, there was an ‘it’s the right thing to do’ auction moment when the small pull-along ‘covered wagon’ camper trailer, designed and given to Rogers and Evans by Nudie the ‘rodeo tailor’ went back to his family. Nudie’s granddaughter and several other family members made an uncontested bid of $3,000, according to the USA Today story; the trailer was expected to bring as much as $8,000.
Also selling well was Roy Rogers’ silver dollar-encrusted 1964 Pontiac Bonneville convertible, another Nudie creation; the hammer went down at $254,500, exceeding the initial $100,000-$150,000 estimate.
The auction continues for its second and final day today, at Christie’s Rockefeller Center location in New York City; co-produced with High Noon Western Americana, it’s the final sale on items from the now closed Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum.
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If you missed The Equine Chronicle’s earlier coverage on the Roy Rogers & Dale Evans Museum Collection auction, you can read the articles here:
Roy Rogers' 1964 Bonneville convertible - image courtesy Christie's Images Ltd. 2010
Roy Rogers & Dale Evans trailer by Nudie - image courtesy Christie's Images Ltd. 2010
