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This undated photo provided by Olson Communications shows a Colt .45 revolver believed to have been carried by Wyatt Earp during the O.K. Corral shootout in Tombstone, Ariz. The gun sold at an auction of of numerous items related to Earp and his family Thursday, April 17, 2014 for $225,000 in Scottsdale, Az.
If someone sold Babe Ruth's bat, would you call that a bat fetish? This is an object of historical significance, but naturally, you have to make something sordid out of it.
ReplyDeleteWhat it does show is that Earp did not carry that absurd Buntline Special that some people picture him as using.
I never thought of fetish as something sordid, just obsessive and weird with sexual undertones. Sordid is different. As a professor of the language, you should consult the dictionary more.
DeleteAs someone who has so many problems with language, you should listen more to what I tell you. Perhaps you're unaware of the discomfort that many Americans have with sexuality? No, I doubt that. When you refer to guns as a fetish item, you're playing into that deliberately.
Delete"Marilyn Monroe’s Chest X-Rays – $45,000
ReplyDeleteThe big winner of weirdo auctions however would have to be of chest X-Rays taken of the then 28-year-old stunner Marilyn Monroe’s chest and lungs."
http://starcrush.com/10-celebrity-auction-items/
Earp's revolver is an actual historic item. And I even heard that Tombstone is a real live example of successful gun control. I believe I read that here. Many items as you can see have gone for ridiculous prices as shown above. And if you think what I listed is crazy, you don't want to know what some of Michael Jackson's stuff went for.
Here is another example of a recent famous firearm purchase, though this piece became famous for its presence in fiction rather than real life. We can but hope that Earp's revolver will become available for viewing in such a place as this.
ReplyDelete"It’s been a long time since John Hart galloped a horse into the sunset after the cry of “Hi-yo Silver! Away!,” but the pistol he carried during his stint as the Lone Ranger on television recently cantered in to Cody, Wyo.
“It’s a beautiful gun,” said Warren Newman, curator of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West’s Cody Firearms Museum, where the pistol is now on display. “And the (Ben) Shostle engraving adds to the beauty.”
The Colt .45 single-action army revolver features deep leaf and vine engraving. On its ivory grip, master engraver Shostle carved a buffalo skull in relief on the left-hand side.
The story behind the man who owned the Colt .45 revolver has likely faded from much of the public’s consciousness, but Hart has an interesting tale.
Born in California and actually working on cattle ranches as a youngster, Hart’s first acting job was in 1937 in the movie “Daughter of Shanghai.”
All told, he had mostly minor roles in almost 30 Hollywood films and television shows between 1932 and 1987. He died in 2009 at the age of 91.
Hart’s stint as one of the most famous western heroes was a short one, replacing the more well-known Clayton Moore for only one season in 1952. The television series ran eight seasons, from 1949 to 1957, and also featured Jay Silverheels as the Lone Ranger’s faithful Indian sidekick, Tonto.
One year was enough to seal Hart in the Lone Ranger lexicon and to drive up the perceived value of the firearms he owned. The Cody Firearms Museum acquired Hart’s pistol at auction in October for $18,150, according to a website posting. Although Newman wouldn’t confirm the price, he said the museum hopes the pistol will prove popular with visitors."
http://billingsgazette.com/news/state-and-regional/wyoming/buffalo-bill-museum-acquires-lone-ranger-s-pistol/article_08b3d635-cfd7-5657-97a1-423e8b9df65c.html
When talking about collector's items, you have to consider that the buyer may have made their decision for purely monetary reasons. They may have thought it was a good buy on something they expect to appreciate and make some money on.
ReplyDelete