MANHATTAN — The Upper East Side will be looking more like the Old West this weekend when a treasure trove of hats and other items worn by legendary actor John Wayne go on display before going on the block in Los Angeles next month.
Wayne's fans will be able to see his Stetson from "Hondo" (estimated value at $25,000 to $30,000), a beret from "The Green Berets" (estimated at $5,000 to $7,000), his pilot cap from "The High and the Mighty" (valued at $1,000 to $1,500) and a cowboy hat he wore in the "The Comancheros" and possibly "True Grit" (estimated at $20,000 to $25,000).
The display, which runs from Friday through Sunday at the Fletcher Sinclair Mansion at 2 E. 79th St., will include other never-before-released personal and professional memorabilia that Wayne's family is putting up for sale, including his iconic eye patch from "True Grit" (estimated at $4,000 to $6,000) and the Golden Globe he won for the 1969 movie (estimated at $50,000 to $70,000).
Wayne's family believes the star, who died in 1979, would be happy to have his mementos on display.
"My father's fans were very important to him. He was open and accessible to them, and making these items accessible to the public is something that feels right," Ethan Wayne, President of John Wayne Enterprises, said in a statement.
"Museums have large collections of my father's personal property, and our family has had a chance to select and keep items sentimental to us," he said. "There is no need to keep this memorabilia locked away when it can be enjoyed by his fans."
Selected pieces from the collection had appeared in Dallas before coming to New York. They will be on display in L.A. from Oct. 3 to 5 before the more than 700 costumes, scripts, personal documents and awards are sold off by Heritage Auctions at L.A.'s Hyatt Regency Century Plaza Hotel on Oct. 6 and 7.
