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PRESS RELEASE SOURCE: HERITAGE AUCTIONS
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DALLAS, Texas (May 23, 2022) — A rare Disney park car, the first of its kind ever brought to auction, and a gondola carried bidders on a trip down Memory Lane, all the way to the Happiest Place on Earth, leading Heritage Auctions’ DISNEYLAND: THE AUCTION Signature® Auction to $2,081,875 May 21-22.
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The event was a hugely popular success: All told, nearly 3,000 bidders took part, leading to perfect sell-through rates of 100% by lots sold and by value. The items were consigned by Scott Rummell, a gifted voice actor who has lent his voice to everything from Marvel movie trailers to countless commercials and, yes, Disneyland. He grew up regularly attending Disneyland with his family and then spent his adult life collecting iconic materials from the Disney theme parks.
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A Complete Park-Used Original Autopia Car with Original Body, Chassis, and Tires (Walt Disney, c. 1967) raced to the front of the 672 lots when 43 bids steered it to $180,000, more than tripling its pre-auction estimate of $50,000+. The car, which Rummell called “the first car I ever drove,” was used at Disneyland and acquired directly from the park. It is believed to be the only Autopia vehicle ever to come to auction with all original components present, including the chassis and tires (with the exception of the engine, which was not allowed to be sold for safety reasons).
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Also reaching more than three times its pre-auction estimate of $50,000+ was a Park-Used Original Skyway Gondola (Walt Disney, c. 1965), which brought a winning bid of $160,000. Considered one of the rarest Disney attraction vehicles, it traveled over both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. In 1965, Disneyland switched from the original round gondolas to rectangular versions that could accommodate up to four passengers. Everything on this example — the “bucket,” the seats, the rails, the roof, the lights — is original; what makes this gondola even more impressive is the fact that the lights have been rewired and now are fully functional.
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A third ride that enchanted eager passengers was a Park-Used Original Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride Vehicle (Walt Disney, c. 1993)from one of the Magic Kingdom’s original opening-day attractions in 1971 through 1998. One of a limited number made and only a handful that ever made it to market, it prompted 50 bids before selling for $87,000, against a pre-auction estimate of $50,000+.
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Another ride that created out-of-this-world fantasies was a Park-Used Original Rocket Jets Vehicle (Walt Disney, c. 1967), which drew 36 bids and kept soaring until it reached $55,200. Rummell admitted the rocket was among his favorite lots in the sale, in large part because of the times he saw his children — and later, his granddaughter — sitting in it.
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Nearly 100 Disney park signs were sold in the auction, including an Original Club 33 Sign (Walt Disney, c. 1967) that drew 40 bids on its way to $108,000 — more than 21 times its pre-auction estimate of $5,000+. Club 33 is one of the most exclusive experiences in all of Disneyland, so much so that Disney Imagineers even painted the exterior doorway to Club 33 a shade they called “no-see-um” (also known as “Go Away Green”), a color that comes from the area of the light spectrum that is least likely to draw attention. In 2014, Club 33’s renovation led to the club’s entrance being relocated, and the glass sign removed. This is the original Club 33 sign that adorned the wall beside Club 33’s entrance starting in 1967.
Other top signs sold in the auction included, but were not limited to:
• An Enchanted Tiki Room Next Show Sign (Walt Disney, c. 1980s): $40,800
• A Hand-Painted Storybook Land Sign from the Main Street Omnibus (Walt Disney, c. 1956-1970s): $33,600
• A Hand-Painted Jungle Cruise Sign from the Main Street Omnibus (Walt Disney, c. 1956-1970s): $33,600
• A Hand-Painted Disneyland Railroad Sign from the Main Street Omnibus (Walt Disney, c. 1974-1980s): $31,200
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Posters from the Disney theme parks are prized among collectors, who had 33 from which to choose in this auction. Included among the extraordinary posters in the sale was a rare Tomorrowland PeopleMover Superspeed Tunnel Original Park-Used Silk-Screened Park Attraction Poster (Walt Disney, c. 1977-1982), which finished at $31,200, crushing its pre-auction estimate of $5,000+. This lot marked the first time Heritage Auctions experts have seen this magnificent poster for the PeopleMover attraction that took guests on a slow, relaxing journey through Tomorrowland.
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Other top posters in the auction included, but were not limited to:
• A Pirates of the Caribbean Original Silk-Screened Park Attraction Poster (Walt Disney, c. 1967-1980s): $19,800
• A Main Street Cinema Park-Used Mickey Mouse Poster (Walt Disney, c. 1970s-1990s): $15,600
• A Fantasyland Dumbo the Flying Elephant Original Silk-Screened Park Attraction Poster (Walt Disney, c. 1955-1980s): $13,200
• A Santa Fe Railroad Grand Canyon Diorama Original Silk-Screened Park Attraction Poster (Walt Disney, c. 1958-1962): $12,000
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Bidders) took home nine Big Fig lots in the auction, tops among them an extremely rare Life-Size Park Exclusive Mickey Mouse Big Fig (Walt Disney, c. 1990s-2000s) that sold for $21,600. This almost impossible-to-find Big Fig has long been sold out, and was a Disney theme park exclusive. This is the first edition of the life-size Mickey, one of just 500 made.
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Other Big Figs in the auction included, but were not limited to:
• “A Walk in the Park” Mickey and Minnie Mouse Big Fig (Walt Disney, 2007): $5,280
• A 101 Dalmatians Patch “Disney Big Fig” (Walt Disney, c. 1990s): $5,040
• A “Fabulous Mr. Toad” Big Fig with Custom Base (Walt Disney, c. 2004): $3,360
• A 50th Anniversary “Goofy at Disneyland” Disney Big Fig (Walt Disney, 2005): $3,240
Other top lots included, but were not limited to:
• A Rainbow Caverns Mine Train Engine #3 Bell with Park-Used Stand (Walt Disney, c. 1956): $21,600
• A Michael Jackson Personally-Owned Black Fedora with Biographical Book (Worth & Worth, c. 1983-1990): $15,600
• A “Kwango Joe” Safari Adventure Remote Controlled Jungle Cruise Boat from the Disneyland Hotel (Walt Disney, c. 1999-2010): $15,600
• A Park-Used Fire Hydrant (Walt Disney, c. 1950s-1990s): $14,400
• An Alice in Wonderland Mad Hatter’s Prototype Hat and Tall Flower Prop (Walt Disney, c. 2010): $13,200
Complete results can be found at HA.com/7258.
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Heritage Auctions is the largest fine art and collectibles auction house founded in the United States, and the world’s largest collectibles auctioneer. Heritage maintains offices in New York, Dallas, Beverly Hills, Chicago, Palm Beach, London, Paris, Geneva, Amsterdam and Hong Kong.
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