The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Clint’s costume - Up for auction

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly Clint’s costume - Up for auction

Western film costumes like those worn by Clint Eastwood in 1966’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly and Henry Fonda in 1968’s Once Upon A Time In The West hit the auction market.

Everyone wants to be The Man With No Name — the iconic drifter antihero portrayed by Clint Eastwood in director Sergio Leone’s 1966 spaghetti western classic The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly. And although you can never really replicate Eastwood’s iconic stare or lightning-fast draw, fans with big pockets will have the chance to look the part, at least.

Propstore, one of the world’s leading entertainment memorabilia auctioneers, announced it will hold its annual live auction of film and TV memorabilia this November, with the items on offer expected to fetch over £10 million.

Over 1,800 rare and iconic lots — including a screen-matched sandtrooper helmet from Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) and hand-painted artwork by Robert McGinnis from the 1971 James Bond classic Diamonds Are Forever — will be sold during Propstore’s unique Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction over four days from Thursday, November 14 through Sunday, November 17th 2024, from 3 p.m. GMT each day.

Western fans will be particularly interested in The Costumi d’Arte Collection, collecting a number of iconic Western film pieces including those from 1966’s The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, 1968’s Once Upon A Time In The West, and 1972’ The Grand Duel starring Lee Van Cleef, in addition to other Western film memorabilia.

Registration is now open online at Propstore. Online proxy bids can be submitted on October 15, 2024. In-room bidding will be open to the public at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly, London on November 14-15, 2024.

Online and telephone bids can be placed across the whole event. Global bids can be placed online, over the phone or via absentee bidding.

In addition, in-room bidding will be open to the public at BAFTA 195 Piccadilly in London, on the first two days of the event on November 14th and 15th.

Below: The Costumi d’Arte Collection: Blondie’s (Clint Eastwood) Duster Coat from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) Estimate: £60,000 - 120,000 (~$78,407 - 156,814)

Blondie – aka The Man With No Name – wore his duster during the first part of the film, as he teamed up with wanted criminal Tuco (Eli Wallach) to collect Tuco’s bounty and then free him from multiple hangings. This lot comes from the archives of the Italian costume company Costumi d’Arte.

Although it initially met with mixed reviews, the film is considered by many to be the greatest Western of all time, and it catapulted Eastwood to movie superstardom. This was Eastwood’s third time playing The Man With No Name, following Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars and For a Few Dollars More.

Dusters are an iconic Western garment, and Leone was a particular fan, with costume designer Carlo Simi reporting that “dusters were a mania of his”. Quentin Tarantino, meanwhile, recounted that “Leone once said they were like a suit of armor”.

The beige double-breasted duster features two chest pockets and two slash pockets, which feature prominently as part of Blondie’s quick-draw action.

This item is likely to have been rented to numerous productions over the decades since filming. Some minor modifications and repairs may have taken place during that time. There is some wear from production use, including minor staining, discoloration and plucking.

Below: The Costumi D’Arte Collection: Blondie’s (Clint Eastwood) Shirt from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) Estimate: £40,000 - 80,000 (~$52,271 - 104,543)

Blondie’s (Clint Eastwood) shirt from Sergio Leone’s classic epic Western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Blondie – aka The Man With No Name – wore his distinctive black and white patterned shirt during the first half of the film, from the shooting of three bounty hunters to the stagecoach scenes in the desert. He also wore his shirt in the memorable scene where Tuco (Eli Wallach) returns to try and hang Blondie.

Eastwood wore two slightly different styles of this shirt in the film – one with pleated pockets and one with flat pockets – and this is the flat-pocket style. This lot comes from the archives of the Italian costume company Costumi d’Arte.

Although the film initially met with mixed reviews, it is considered by many to be the greatest Western of all time, and it catapulted Eastwood to movie superstardom.

This was Eastwood’s third and final time playing The Man With No Name, following Leone’s A Fistful of Dollars (1964) and For a Few Dollars More (1965)

The black cotton shirt has an interior label from Italian costume supplier Costumi d’Arte Peruzzi. It features two chest pockets, a grandad-style collar, and a white circles-and-spots pattern. This item is likely to have been rented to numerous productions over the decades since filming. Some minor modifications may have taken place during that time and the shirt has been repaired in several places since the production.

Below: The Costumi d’Arte Collection: Stunt Tuco Sombrero from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) Estimate: £10,000 - 20,000 (~$13,068 - 26,136)

A stunt Tuco sombrero from Sergio Leone’s classic epic Western The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Tuco (Eli Wallach) stole his sombrero, along with a gun and $200, from the Storekeeper (Enzo Petito) as he sought his revenge on Blondie (Clint Eastwood). He wore the sombrero until he and Blondie disguised themselves as Confederate soldiers, most notably when he attempted to hang Blondie, before the building they were in was destroyed by cannon fire. This lot comes from the archives of the Italian costume company Costumi d’Arte.

Although it initially met with mixed reviews, the film is considered by many to be the greatest Western of all time. Wallach was a veteran of Westerns by the time he made the film, but the role of Tuco, aka The Ugly, was the most iconic of his long and illustrious career.

This straw hat was made for the production but differs very slightly from the ones seen on screen worn by Eli Wallach. It was likely worn by Wallach’s stunt double Luigi Ciavarro. The crown features a leather eagle decoration, based on the Mexican national emblem, and the sombrero has leather around its brim edge, with a leather chinstrap. The hat has worn from use and age, most notably tearing around the base of the dome. Some of the leather decorations are no longer present, and the leather has shrunk over time.

Below: Clint Eastwood Autographed Photo from The Good, The Bad And The Ugly (1966) Estimate: £1,000 - 2,000 ($1,307 - 2,614)

An autographed photo of Clint Eastwood from Sergio Leone’s Western Classic The Good, the Bad and the Ugly. Eastwood autographed this photo of his iconic character - Blondie/The Man with No Name - in black ink. It is displayed in a custom-made frame. Dimensions: 76 cm x 86 cm x 3 cm (30” x 33.75” x 1.25”)

The autographs in this lot have been professionally authenticated by expert Garry King.

Below: Enzo Nistri Hand-painted Italian Poster Concept Art from Joe Kidd (1972) Estimate: £3,000 - 6,000 ($3,920 - 7,841) 

Italian poster concept art hand-painted by Enzo Nistri for John Sturges’ Western Joe Kidd. In the film, former bounty hunter Joe Kidd (Clint Eastwood) reluctantly agrees to help landowner Frank Harlan (Robert Duvall) hunt down Mexican revolutionary leader Luis Chama (John Saxon). The final version of this design was used for the film’s posters in Italy. Nistri has signed his name in black ink in the bottom border of the piece, which is rendered on paper and displayed in a wooden frame. Dimensions: 54.5 cm x 43.5 cm x 4 cm (21.5” x 17.25” x 1.5”) Sold without copyright.

Bonus Clint Eastwood Props

John Wilson’s (Clint Eastwood) Shirt and Production Clapperboard from White Hunter Black Heart (1990) Estimate: £2,500 - 5,000 (~$3,267 - 6,534)

John Wilson’s (Clint Eastwood) safari shirt and a production clapperboard from Clint Eastwood’s adventure film White Hunter Black Heart. Wilson wore a military green shirt throughout the film as he and his crew pursued an elephant. The cotton military green shirt features a label with Eastwood’s name printed and “16” handwritten over it in black ink. The clapperboard has Eastwood’s name and that of the film’s director of photography, Jack N. Green, carved into the slate. A set of 18 black-and-white stills of Eastwood in the film accompany the lot, many of which feature him wearing a shirt of this style. Dimensions (clapperboard): 28 cm x 24 cm x 2 cm (11” x 9.5” x 0.75”)

Walt’s (Clint Eastwood) Ranger Zippo Lighter from Gran Torino (2008) Estimate: £5,000 - 10,000 (~$6,534 -13,068) 

Walt’s (Clint Eastwood) ranger zippo lighter from Eastwood’s acclaimed 2008 drama Gran Torino.

Walt lit cigarettes throughout the film with his Zippo, and also used it as a decoy for a gun in the final scenes. He tricked the Hmong gang who terrorized his neighbours Thao (Bee Vang) and Sue (Ahney Her) into shooting him dead, causing them to get sent down for murder.

The metal lighter features a sticker with the yellow-and-black emblem of the US 1st Cavalry Division, in which Walt served during the Korean War. The lighter is sold unfueled, its spark remains functional. Dimensions: 1.5 cm x 4 cm x 5.75 cm (0.5” x 1.5” x 2.25”) 

These, and many other western costume pieces are contained in the full auction, details can be found HERE

My kind thanks to Kevin Wilkinson