Las Vegas -- I'm surrounded by history! The gun that shot Lee Harvey Oswald, Elvis Presley's personal karate suit, Dick Tracy's yellow fedora and trenchcoat. It's a lot to take in, believe me. The Pugliese Pop Culture Collection is "purely and simply, the greatest pop culture collection ever!" Or at least that's what Guernsey's Auction House says, and I'd say I'd have to agree. To give you an idea of the size of this collection, the catalog alone is 4 pounds, and cost $40 dollars! The first item up for bid, an amazing, pristine, 1957 Original "Creature from the Black Lagoon" poster! What a wonderful way to start the auction! But that's not why I was there... So I sat, and waited...waited for items 237, 238, 239, and 240. The Holy Grail, The Grail Knight's Sword, a False Grail, and Indy Bullwhip! Just from standing in the gallery and watching bidders and curious onlookers throughout the day, you could help but notice that everyone's attention were on these items! These were obviously the pieces that every came to see. Members of the Guernsey's staff informed me that the Indy pieces were the most requested when it came to the press, wanting to grab images for the reports! Well hey, who could blame them?
About 3 hours into the auction, we had finally reached item 237. Prior to this piece, the room was pretty loose, with various people talking about the items that were passing. But when 237, The Holy Grail, came up, you could hear a pin drop! The item was estimated to go for 8000-10'000 dollars. Well folks, the bidding began! It quickly began to climb...Bidders that were present in the room, bidders on the phones, bidders online... Indy mania had begun at the Palms hotel! After about four minutes, the auction was coming to a close...What was originally supposed to sell for a maximum of ten thousand, had just found a new home, and a new owner, for the price of 37'000 dollars!
These were also the first items in the auction that the audience felt that were worthy of applause! The insanity continued for three more items, all of which gained applause. It was an amazing and very cool experience for an Indyfan to witness. And thanks to the people at Guernsey's, you will see ALL of the excitement in "Indyfans and the Quest for Fortune and Glory."
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