Disney Drawings, Blueprints & Memorabilia at Potter & Potter Auctions in February

Chicago — Potter & Potter Auctions is pleased to announce this exciting sale to be held on Saturday, February 8th starting at 10am at the company's gallery, located at 3759 N. Ravenswood Ave., Chicago, IL 60613. All lots from this event will be on display and available for public preview on Thursday, February 6th and Friday, February 7th from 10:00am to 5:00pm in the Potter & Potter facility, or anytime on line at www.potterauctions.com.

The park decorations and focal points on offer present enthusiasts a once in a lifetime opportunity to bring their favorite Disney memories into their own homes forever. Many come from legacy rides that span generations. Lot #469, a 1969 Haunted Mansion coffin drape, is estimated at $1,000-2,000. This decorative triangle is made from purple velvet and detailed with a hand-beaded silver face, border trim, and large tassels. It covered the coffin where X. Atencio yelled “Let me outta’ here, let me out!” Lot #269, a plaster skeleton hand from Snow White’s Scary Adventures, is estimated at $1,000-2,000. It was originally located on the ground early in the ride. It was later removed during refurbishment and given to retiring employee as a gift. And lot #265, the contents of a Pirates of the Caribbean treasure chest from the ride is estimated at $1,000-2,000. It includes faux gems and other blingy "booty" meant to be viewed at a distance. It was removed during the refurbishment of the ride years ago, and includes a certificate of authenticity from the Walt Disney Company.   

Original Disney parks outdoor signage and materials are well represented in this comprehensive sale. These promotional, operational, directional, and instructional examples help to document the history of the Disney empire. Lot #212, an original three pane WDW Main Street window, dedicated to Charlie Ridgeway - the original publicist for the park - is estimated at $5,000-10,000. It promotes, “Ridgeway and Company, Public Relations, Charles Ridgeway President, No Event Too Small,” and is newly pointed and caulked. This rarity retains its original lettering and paint. Lot #206, an all steel Epcot Spaceship Earth loading sign, is estimated at $2,000-4,000. This iconic sign, from one of the park's signature attractions, is decorated with a lenticular image of a ride vehicle. And lot #302, a silk-screened metal Disneyland operating hours park sign is estimated at $1,000-2,000. It dates from the c. late 1960s/early 1970s and includes two different magnetic panels with different park operating hours.

It's a clothes call with the full range of cast member uniforms available at this mid-winter event. Lot #333, a WDW Tower of Terror costume, is estimated at $1,000-2,000.  This rare, complete ensemble includes the coat, shirt, pants, hat, epaulets, and aiguillette with a faux whistle. Lot #18, a “Pecos Bill” costume owned by clown/magician Bev Bergeron (American, 1930-) is estimated at $1,000-2,000. It was used by Bergeron at the Diamond Horseshoe Revue in the character of Pecos Bill in the 1970s. The costume includes full-length woolly leather cowboy chaps decorated with a metal buckle, a braided leather belt with a holster and loops, and a pair of massive brown leather clown shoes. And lot #44, a Disneyland Pinocchio character costume headpiece - made from hand-painted thick rubber, mesh, and Velcro - is estimated at $500-700. It includes its original felt-covered hat, foam padding and interior neck brace.

Park concept art offers a firsthand perspective behind the evolution of the Disney brand and experience. Lot #239, the original Walt Disney color art for the famous Enchanted Tiki Room exit sign, is estimated at $2,000-4,000. This extraordinary, one of a kind piece is dated 1963, partly colored and partly penciled, and matted and framed with a window on the rear of the frame to reveal the original WED specifications. Lot #134, original hand drawn concept art for Tokyo Disneyland's World Bazaar 1, is estimated at $2,000-6,000. It pictures the overview of the intersection of Main Street with East and West Center Streets in World Bazaar, Tokyo Disneyland’s version of Main Street. It is rendered in colored marker and includes handwritten notes by the artist, Herb Ryman. And lot #643, pencil art for Disneyland's 1958 Hi-Lites booklet, is estimated at $6,000-1,200. This original pencil sketch, by Imagineer Jay Gould, is signed by him and was produced for a souvenir brochure. It features the notation, “OK’D by Walt for Disneyland.”

This Disneyana sale features wall to wall selections of handsome, eye-catching, and delightfully designed park, destination, and travel posters. Lot #99, a Splash Mountain attraction poster, is estimated at $500-2,000. This WDW version, created by Larry Nikolai in 1992, is numbered 20/90, untrimmed, and silk-screened on Tyvek in over 30 colors. Lot #25, United Air Lines Presents Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room. Disneyland from 1968 is estimated at $800-1,200. This color offset lithograph, designed by James Jebray, spotlights Jose the Macaw, one of the four masters of ceremonies and the main Tiki Bird at the attraction. Potter & Potter sold a similar example in 2018 for $4,320.  And lot #84, a Skyway poster by Rudy Lord for Tokyo Disneyland, is estimated at $500-2,000. This pristine example is dated 1987, untrimmed, and silk-screened on Tyvek in 8 colors.

Now let's turn the spotlight on this event's robust selections of memorabilia produced to honor Disney related anniversaries, accomplishments, and customer and employee loyalty. Lot #205, an Art of the Haunted Mansion signed six giclee set, is estimated at $2,000-4,000. This set, drawn by artist and animator Marc Davis (American, 1913-2000) was produced for the first Haunted Mansion Event in 1999 and is limited to ten sets, of which this is number 1. It consists of an enormous rosewood box with a hinged lid and brass fittings and six lithographs individually signed by the artist. Lot #260, a one of a kind “April Showers” Marc Davis tribute painting by Imagineer and animator Larry Nikolai is estimated at $2,000-5,000. This framed, acrylic on illustration board piece was painted in 2009 and was inspired by the April to December concept art for a changing portrait in the Haunted Mansion. And lot #292, a Main Street miniature one-of-a-kind window, is estimated at $2,000-4,000. Each person who is commemorated with a window on Main Street receives a miniature of that window. This window was given to Howard Roland, who worked for U.S. Steel in the construction of the Contemporary Resort and thereafter for The Walt Disney Company. His full size window appears on Main Street in WDW just past Casey’s Corner.

Disney themed ephemera, animation art, maps, and other collectibles that bridge conventional categories round out this can't miss sale. Lot #29, a well rendered and appealing Disneyland color souvenir map from 1961 is estimated at $700-900. It features an inset detail of the park's monorail service at its lower left as well as the debut of the Flying Saucers attraction. Lot #74, 17 blueprints for the Indiana Jones Adventure at Disneyland, is estimated at $500-2,000. They are from the early 1990s, include hand-written engineering notes, and were used by Walt Disney Imagineering in the creation of the ride featuring the famous fictitious explorer.  And bird's the word with lot #1, a Walt Disney inscribed and signed production cel from the 1951 animated short “Out of Scale.” It is estimated at $1,000-2,000, depicts Donald Duck riding atop a train, and is inscribed, “To Bayard/All Best Wishes/Walt Disney.”

According to Gabe Fajuri, President at Potter & Potter Auctions, "The sheer scope of this auction is mind-boggling. If you are one of the countless Disney fans in the world, there is something in this sale that will be of interest to you. From park-worn costumes and park used signs (and even parts of rides!), to one-of-a-kind maquettes, and limited-edition artwork and souvenirs, the auction covers the waterfront (quite literally of more than a few Disney parks worldwide). A home filled with these treasures would be a monument, if not its own private museum."