AUCTION: Dreier Collection hits the auction block this summer

Press Release

Profiles in History have been selected to handle the sale of the celebrated Dreier Collection. Due to the size, scope and significance of the Dreier Collection, it will take nearly two years and several auctions to offer all of the material. The first installment of the Dreier Collection will be sold in July 2012.

Some of the highlights of this historic collection include:

· The most significant Christopher Reeve “Superman” collection in private hands
· Michael Jackson’s signature leather costume from his “Bad” tour
· The most important Willy Wonka collection extant
· Signature Costumes and Props from such legendary films as Star Trek, Star Wars, Indiana Jones, X-Men, Batman, Austin Powers to name a few

According to Joe Maddalena, CEO and President of Profiles in History, the importance of the Dreier Collection cannot be overstated. “This is a monumental offering, and it is a collection that commands every adjective you can think of – impeccable, amazing, phenomenal, diverse, top quality. Even the most seasoned collector will be blown away by the collection’s depth, breadth and level of importance.”

“Our family has been honored to house these treasures over the last 15 years, and now it is time to share them with the hobby,” said father and son collectors, Chad and Doug Dreier. “Joe Maddalena and the crew at Profiles In History were clearly the right choice to help us with the collection.”

ABOUT PROFILES IN HISTORY
Founded in 1985 by Joseph Maddalena, Profiles in History is the nation’s leading dealer in guaranteed-authentic original historical autographs, letters, documents, vintage signed photographs and manuscripts. Born into a family of antiques dealers in Rhode Island, Joseph “Joe” Maddalena learned early on how to turn his passion of collecting historical autographs into a career. Needing to support himself, Joe turned to his hobby of buying and selling historical documents as a potential way to earn revenue. On weekends he scoured old Hollywood bookstores for letters and rare books. Upon graduation from Pepperdine, Joe pursued his passion to become a full-time dealer of historical documents, and opened his first office in 1985. A lifetime member of the Manuscript Society, Joe is widely recognized as the nation’s leading authority on entertainment memorabilia and historical documents. Profiles in History has established itself as the world’s largest auctioneer of original Hollywood memorabilia, having held some of the most prestigious and successful auctions of Hollywood memorabilia and owning virtually every Guinness Book record prices for original screen-used memorabilia. With an extensive network of dealers, collectors, and institutions, Profiles in History is proud to play an important role in the preservation of motion picture history. Prior Profiles in History Hollywood auctions highlights include the “Cowardly Lion” costume from The Wizard of Oz ($805,000); Steve McQueen’s “Michael Delaney” racing suit from Le Mans ($960,000); a Panavision motion picture camera used by George Lucas to film Star Wars ($624,000); a full-scale model T-800 Endoskeleton from Terminator 2: Judgment Day ($488,750); Marilyn Monroe’s platinum & diamond wedding band from her marriage to Joe DiMaggio ($504,000); Marilyn Monroe’s “Diamonds” dress from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes ($356,500); a King Kong 1933 six-sheet movie poster ($345,000); Luke Skywalker’s light saber from Star Wars ($240,000); Margaret Hamilton’s “Wicked Witch” hat from The Wizard Of Oz ($230,000); and The Invisible Man 1933 one-sheet movie poster ($230,000). Most recently from the history-making Debbie Reynolds Auction in June 2011, Profiles in History sold the Marilyn Monroe “Subway” Dress from The Seven Year Itch for $5.52M, the Marilyn Monroe signature red-sequined showgirl gown from Gentlemen Prefer Blondes for $1.44M and the Audrey Hepburn Ascot Dress from My Fair Lady for $4.44M. In addition, Joe Maddalena is the star of SyFy’s hit show, Hollywood Treasure. With already 24 episodes aired, Hollywood Treasure is gearing up for an exciting return on May 22, 2012 at 10pm (ET/PT) taking viewers into the fascinating world of showbiz and pop culture memorabilia.