Gene Wilder is considered one of the greatest comedy actors of his generation and fans of the Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory star have the opportunity to own some items from the man himself. Going under the hammer at Heritage Auctions at the end of November is a huge personal collection that was owned by Wilder, which includes several iconic props from his biggest movies, posters, and some personal items including pieces of his office and his wedding album. For any Wilder fan, this is one of the only opportunities you could have to be able to purchase not only props from movies like Haunted Honeymoon, Young Frankenstein, and See No Evil, Hear No Evil, but items that belonged to the person behind the actor and comedian. With prices starting from $500, there could be some items that most collectors could afford – and some that will likely sell for much more.
The Gene Wilder Legacy auction is not just about selling items from the actor’s movies and home, as a portion of each item’s sale price will be donated to the charities that Wilder supported up to his passing a decade ago in August 2016. As per the auction listings, the Gene Wilder Legacy “celebrates his life and work while carrying that spirit of giving forward.” It also urges fans to “explore Gene’s story and discover ways to support Alzheimer’s research, caregivers, and other charitable causes he cared deeply about” via genewilderofficial.com. With over 200 items listed, there are many items, such as lobby cards, scripts, and promotional photos from various Wilder movies that will sell for amounts under $1,000, but at the other end of the scale are several props from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory that could sell for six-figure amounts thanks to their personal connection with the actor.
Most auctions that come up at Heritage include random collections of items from a particular movie or from a certain genre or era of cinema. This collection being Wilder’s own items makes it even more appealing to those seeking out movie props and memorabilia that have not just been part of a film’s production but have actually been in the personal collection of the actor who made the movie. Wilder had almost 40 acting credits to his name at the time of his death, although he had been out of the business for more than a decade by that point, and along with his frequent collaborations with Richard Pryor and director Mel Brooks probably his most famous movie is the 1971 version of Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Despite being remade, the movie still stands as the one that most people gravitate towards if given the choice between that and Tim Burton’s remake starring Johnny Depp. This auction contains a number of items from Wilder’s turn as chocolatier Wonka, including Wonka bars, Golden Tickets, signed posters, Wilder’s own version of the Dahl novel, and his Willy Wonka hat. The latter of these items could be one that sells for much more than its current bid of $525. Although this one does not come with the same screen-matched claim of a version of the hat sold in June, that previous auction sold for over half a million dollars. This one may not hit those highs, but could still end up selling for several thousand thanks to it belonging to Wilder himself. Currently, the highest items in the auction are the actor’s personal Yamaha piano, with a bid of $7,500, and his director’s chair from Something Wilder, selling for $2,500. Whether these remain the biggest sellers of the collection is something we will need to wait a few weeks to find out, but if you are planning on throwing in a bid, you should be prepared to make sure it has a few zeroes on the end of it.
Would you like to own any of Gene Wilder’s personal items? Let us know in the comments.
