The iconic cape worn by Bela Lugosi in legendary classic horror from 1931 Dracula, will go under the hammer in December and could fetch between $1.5 million and $2 million. The Icons of Hollywood sale will feature many items from various Hollywood films, but the black cape worn by Lugosi in one of Hollywood’s earliest horror films based on the world’s most famous mythical vampire, is expected to be one of the biggest selling items.
Lugosi gave the cape to his wife Lillian before his death in 1956 and told her to keep it for their son. Upon Lugosi’s death, the family decided that he should be buried in his Dracula costume, but given the actor’s wish that his son should have the cape, the family dressed the body in a lightweight version of the cape he used when making personal appearances. Lillian Lugosi left the cape to her son upon her death in 1981.
Other key items featured in the Profiles in History’s Icons of Hollywood sale include a pair of ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz, estimated between $2 million and $3 million, and the time-traveling DeLorean vehicle from Back to the Future III estimated between $400,000 and $600,000.
The Icons of Hollywood auction will be held at the Paley Center for Media in Beverly Hills from December 15 to December 17. [Profiles in History]
