Hollywood Wax Turned to Gold

Life goes on at Profiles in History. When they finished selling Forry Ackerman’s collection they got busy turning wax figures into dollar signs. Two hundred of the Hollywood Wax Museum’s life-size images of celebrities and historic personalities, from Jesus Christ to Mae West, sold for nearly half a million dollars.

The complete press release appears after the jump.

[Thanks to Marc Kruskol for the story.]

PROFILES IN HISTORY AUCTION OF OVER 200 HOLLYWOOD WAX MUSEUM FIGURES BRINGS IN CLOSE TO A HALF MILLION DOLLARS

The Last Supper, The Beatles and Michelle Pfeiffer as “Catwoman” Lead The Cast; Michael Jackson’s “Bad” Costume and The Jason Voorhees “Freddy vs. Jason Costume Among Buyer’s Favorites

Calabasas, CA- The Last Supper – Jesus and his 12 Disciples ($15,340), The Beatles! – John, Paul, George and Ringo ($12,980) and Michelle Pfeiffer as “Catwoman” from Batman Returns ($8,260) were the top sellers at the Profiles in History auction of over 200 Hollywood Wax Museum figures. Bidders also scooped up Michael Jackson’s costume from the 1988 Bad Concert Tour ($35,400) and Jason Voorhees’ costume from Freddy vs. Jason ($8,260), also part of the Hollywood Wax Museum’s collection. Wax figures of the cast of the M*A*S*H TV series ($7,670) and Charlton Heston as “Moses” from The Ten Commandments ($7,080) were other big sellers. In all, a total of $437,780 worth of wax figures, costumes and memorabilia was sold in this historic for ever sale of wax figures in the Hollywood Wax Museum’s 44 year history.

Other highlights included: W.C Fields ($5100); Marilyn Monroe ($5100); Stevie Wonder ($3900); Sylvester Stallone as “Rambo” from Rambo III ($5100); Tom Cruise ($5100); Two separate scenes / figures of Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet from Titanic ($4800 each) and Bruce Willis as “Dr. Malcolm Crowe” from The Sixth Sense ($4800).

Sports figures were popular as well: Muhammad Ali ($5100); Kareem Abdul-Jabbar ($1800); Michael Jordan ($2700); Joe Montana ($1560); Mike Tyson ($3000); Mark McGwire ($3600); Tiger Woods ($1680) and Hulk Hogan ($3900).

“This was a once in a lifetime opportunity to own a true piece of Hollywood’s history,” said Joe Maddalena, President and CEO of Profiles in History. “Millions of people from all over the world have visited the Hollywood Wax Museum and seen these amazing wax figures, each of them a piece of art in itself. Profiles in History was honored to be selected by the wax museum to handle these treasures and to pass them on to collectors.”

Now the longest running attraction of its kind in the nation, the Hollywood Wax Museum was created by storied entrepreneur Spoony Singh, and all three locations continue to be owned by and operated by his sons and grandson. Their company, Kuvera Attractions, recently retired the figures and original Hollywood costumes available in this exclusive auction through Profiles in History while making renovations in the Hollywood and Branson museums.

“This is an exciting time for us,” said Partner Tej Sundher, Singh’s grandson. “We are putting the finishing touches on our largest renovation of the Wax Museum in Branson since we opened it in 1996, and our focus is solely Hollywood-centric. We are no longer showcasing athletes and historical personalities at any of our Museums. We are also providing more opportunities for visitors to get into the sets with the stars for incredible pictures, so we are working with a different team of artists who are using new techniques to create life-like figures that are somewhat less fragile than the older ones.”

Each figure came with a signed certificate of authenticity from the Hollywood Wax Museum. A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce to assist in the ongoing effort to preserve the historic Walk of Fame.

About Profiles in History:
Founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, Profiles in History is the nation’s leading dealer in guaranteed-authentic original historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed photographs and manuscripts.  Profiles in History has held some of the most prestigious and successful auctions of Hollywood memorabilia. Their auctions include costumes, props and set pieces from both vintage and contemporary film, television, and rock ‘n roll. Profiles in History’s location in Calabasas Hills, CA- virtually a stone’s throw away from every major Hollywood studio – ensures a constant flow of fantastic and rare collectibles. With an extensive network of dealers, collectors, and institutions, they are proud to play an important role in the preservation of motion picture history.

Prior Profiles in History Hollywood auctions highlights include the “Cowardly Lion” costume from The Wizard of Oz ($805,000); a full-scale model T-800 Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($488,750); a King Kong six-sheet movie poster ($345,000); the Command Chair from the “U.S.S. Enterprise” ($304,750); the original “Robot” from Lost in Space ($264,500); Luke Skywalker’s lightsaber ($240,000), the Black Beauty car from The Green Hornet ($192,000); George Reeves’ Superman costume from The Adventures of Superman ($126,500); the H.R. Giger designed Alien creature suit from Alien ($126,500); a full-scale T-Rex head from Jurassic Park ($126,500), the Leaping Alien Warrior figure from Aliens ($126,500), Christopher Reeve’s ‘Superman’ costume from Superman: The Movie ($115,000), C-3PO’s helmet $120,000,  The Wizard of Oz ‘Winkie’ Guard Costume ($115,000); a “Ming the Merciless” cape from Flash Gordon ($115,000) and the Hydraulic screen-used Velociraptor from The Lost World: Jurassic Park II. ($115,000).

*-Monetary Figures Includes Buyer’s Premium
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Press Contacts:

Profiles in History
Marc Kruskol
MJK Public Relations
HYPERLINK “mailto:[email protected][email protected] or (818) 997-0534