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Stars And Their Cars
- Thread starter Tomasso
- Start date
1967Cougar390
Practically Family
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- 789
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- South Carolina
Steven
Not just Americans - most people are free to spend their money on what they wish. I think it's somewhat amusing that someone would pay a stupid amount like that for a celebrity watch. But part of me also finds it sad. $17 million smackas could do a lot of good for a lot of people. Given Newman's philanthropic inclinations he would probably have thought this utterly crazy.
LizzieMaine
Bartender
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What am I bid for my Bulova? Even keeps good time, as long as you get it cleaned once a year to get the popcorn oil out.
LizzieMaine
Bartender
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"Oh yeah, that salad dressing guy!"
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Did Newman ever visit your theater / did you ever play a Newman movie there?
I've become pretty inured to the crazy pricing of the collectables market, but the Newman watch blew me over. I just don't get it.
Heck, the McQueen Mustang from "Bullitt" is "only" estimated to be worth $3million - $5million. The iconic car from the most famous movie chase scene driven by McQueen is worth less than one-fifth what a standard model watch worn by Newman (not as an defining part of a famous movie) is worth - how can that be?
LizzieMaine
Bartender
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I don't think we've ever shown a Newman, at least in the past fourteen years. I wouldn't mind running "The Sting" sometime, but he's not a personality people ask for -- I think it's probably not a joke to say that there is a sizable portion of the population who think of him *only* for his food products. He's fast becoming a commercial abstraction who was once a real person -- like Col. Sanders, Orville Redenbacher or the Cream of Wheat guy.
Reading over that stuff about the watch, I have to think most of the value was for the watch itself as an unusual watch. If it had been owned by Joseph H. Blough IV it might have brought a pretty high price anyway -- the Newman connection merely added a bit of seasoning.
I've never understood the manic pricing of celebrity memorabilia. I have a few items with connections to personalities of the Era, but they're mostly signed books or radio scripts that I picked up out of an interest in their content -- the fact that they were also signed was a small bonus, but I didn't pay a fancy price for them because of this. I can't see the appeal in owning some high-dollar celebrity item -- especially if the cost is so high you can't actually do anything with it besides lock it up and look at it. Imagine owning Gary Cooper's Duesenberg -- what do you do with it, sit in the drive-thru line at Dunkie's?
Reading over that stuff about the watch, I have to think most of the value was for the watch itself as an unusual watch. If it had been owned by Joseph H. Blough IV it might have brought a pretty high price anyway -- the Newman connection merely added a bit of seasoning.
I've never understood the manic pricing of celebrity memorabilia. I have a few items with connections to personalities of the Era, but they're mostly signed books or radio scripts that I picked up out of an interest in their content -- the fact that they were also signed was a small bonus, but I didn't pay a fancy price for them because of this. I can't see the appeal in owning some high-dollar celebrity item -- especially if the cost is so high you can't actually do anything with it besides lock it up and look at it. Imagine owning Gary Cooper's Duesenberg -- what do you do with it, sit in the drive-thru line at Dunkie's?
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If I'm not mistaken, the seller gave the majority of the proceeds to the Newman Foundation, keeping just enough to make his life better.
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- New York City
I just went back to the article and it seems that a not-owned-by-Newman Daytona sold for $3.7 million (although, it sounds as if that one might have a rarer / fancier dial than the one he actually owned - not completely clear in the article) - so, yes, the watch itself is "unusual" and valuable without a Newman connection, but then add in "owned by the salad-dressing guy" and it shoots to $17.75 million. IMHO, it is just one of those "at this moment in time for this or that reason" collectable valuations that is quite tenuous. My guess, ten to twenty years from now, it will sell for a lot less.
Like you, I'm always a bit amazed by the celebrity / famous person pricing thing. And, like you, we have a few signed copies of books that are a "nice add," but not something that made us go gaga, nor did we pay any meaningful amount of money for them. I wouldn't enjoy having something I was too scared to use or had to go crazy securing and insuring. But to each his own.
Interesting, but it sounds as if the seller got the deduction meaning the buyer wasn't bidding it as a charity "auction" thing - thus, he or she bought it for its collector value not as part of a charity contribution thing. If I am correct - I very well may not be as, maybe, the charity aspect was part of the purchase decision - then the buyer bought it purely as a representation of market value.
scottyrocks
I'll Lock Up
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Never mind the celebrity aspect, I could never understand how any regular object such as a wrist watch could sell for as much as some Rolexes do, new or used.
GHT
I'll Lock Up
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You and me both, however, I did pay quite a few hundred dollars for a mint condition 45 RPM record. Reason being, the master copy had been damaged so that originals were no longer produced after the date of the damage. (1957)
But, in an about face, some years ago a local record shop finally lost the battle against the internet and the proprietor decided to close. Most of the records left on the shelves were post 1970, but then, amazingly, I found a gem that I had long been searching for. Absolutely mint condition, brand spanking new. All the records were being sold off at just fifty pence each. I grabbed two other records so as not to raise suspicion, paid my one pound fifty, and left the shop.
At a gig that evening I took the 50p record along to show the DJ. He offered me £100 on the spot for it. Made my day, it's still has pride of place in my juke box, alongside the $300 one. You win some you lose some.
GHT
I'll Lock Up
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GHT
I'll Lock Up
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Edgar Rice Burroughs and his Cord.
AbbaDatDeHat
I'll Lock Up
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Stellar hat, super jacket, kickass boots, bitchin car!!
Where’s the girl....the girl???
B
Where’s the girl....the girl???
B
ChazfromCali
One of the Regulars
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I'm sure a person selling Paul Newman memorabilia (or anyone else's) will tell anyone and everyone more than they ever wanted to know about it - and why it's valuable, lol.
The celebrity memorabilia market in recent years has grown like crazy. Years ago I went through a phase of collecting, after a certain point it's just a mild form of mental illness.
The celebrity memorabilia market in recent years has grown like crazy. Years ago I went through a phase of collecting, after a certain point it's just a mild form of mental illness.
GHT
I'll Lock Up
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How sad if that were to be. Paul Newman was a generous philanthropist, his efforts included the creation of Hole in The Wall Association, a network of 11 summer camps around the world for children suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Here the British affiliate, Over The Wall, based in Hampshire, has given more than 2,500 children free week-long camps since it started in 1998 and helped their parents and carers by providing respite.
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"My friends all drive Porsches, I must make amends"
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