Julien's Auctions announces auction of "Icons & Idols"

BEVERLY HILLS: Julien’s Auctions presents an auction of “Icons & Idols” memorabilia and ephemera on December 3rd and 4th, 2010 in Beverly Hills, California.

John Lennon's jacket, a costume made for Michael Jackson's pet chimpanzee Bubbles, and Albert Einstein's X-rays are among the more than 650 lots of pop culture memorabilia up for auction at Beverly Hills' Julien’s Auctions next month.

The Icons and Idols sale on Dec. 3 and 4 will also include what the auction house calls the most extensive collection of Lennon and Beatles memorabilia ever to come to public auction. Among the prizes in the collection are a white and gold braided jacket worn by Lennon in 1966 for a Life magazine photo shoot (expected to garner around $200,000).

Other Lennon items include self-portraits, a collage created for Elton John's 28th birthday, and a guitar played by both Lennon and Elvis Presley during a Los Angeles jam session, estimated at a value of $100,000 to $150,000.

From Michael Jackson, a signed, red leather Beat It jacket is expected to fetch up to $10,000, while another of Jackson's signature single white crystal gloves, commissioned for the Bad tour in the late 1980s, has an asking price of $20,000 - $30,000. A two-piece leather costume designed for Bubbles the chimp is expected to bring $2,000 to $4,000, with half the proceeds going towards the care of Bubbles, now 26, who lives at a Florida sanctuary.

A very rare set of two X-rays taken in 1945 of celebrated physicist Albert Einstein's head are expected to fetch between $1,000 and $2,000.

On Dec. 5, personal property from the life and career of Johnny Cash sale will be available, including an extensive collection of lyrics personally penned by the “man in black.” Gems from the collection include an alternate version of Don't Take Your Guns To Town, (estimated value $2,000 to $4,000) and many songs that have never been recorded.

The auction house recently sold a Michael Jordan, Michael Jackson signed basketball in a China auction for $300,000.

Never before has such an extensive collection of John Lennon/Beatles memorabilia ever come to public auction. This once in a lifetime auction includes handwritten working lyrics, drawings and clothing from legendary Beatle John Lennon. Lennon’s abundant creativity is showcased here in unusual self-portraits inscribed to friends, a collage created for Elton John’s 28th birthday (Est. $30,000/40,000), drawings and prose that appeared in Lennon’s 1965 book A Spaniard in the Works (Est. $2,000/4,000) and a jacket that was almost lost to the world were it not for the keen eye of a Salvation Army driver. The jacket, worn by Lennon in 1966 for a Life magazine photo shoot (Est. $150,000/200,000), is emblematic of Lennon’s singular fashion sense and style that inspired the cover for the Sergeant Pepper album and echoed in The Beatles appearance for years to come. It is believed to be a military band jacket that was in the possession of Lennon until donated to the Salvation Army in New York. This jacket represents the changing aesthetic of The Beatles and, indeed, a generation of music lovers who mimicked the repurposing of clothing and encouraged new meaning of military emblems to create a juxtaposition for promoting peace. As a child, rock and roll legend Jimi Hendrix did not own a guitar. Hendrix borrowed a school friend’s Sear’s Silvertone electric guitar while he played in the band The Velvetones. This vintage guitar (Est. $100,000/200,000) has been on display at the Seattle Experience Music Project in an exhibition devoted to Jimi.