Wizard of Oz lion costume fetches $700,000 US
Last Updated: Saturday, December 16, 2006 | 4:59 PM ET
CBC Arts
The lion costume made of real animal skin and worn in the 1939 film classic The Wizard of Oz sold at an auction Friday for $700,000 US ($810,495 Cdn).
The sale of 900 pieces of Hollywood memorabilia was hosted live on eBay by the Profiles In History auction house.
A scene from 1939's The Wizard of Oz features, from left, Bert Lahr as the Cowardly Lion, Ray Bolger as the Scarecrow, Judy Garland as Dorothy and Jack Haley as the Tin Man.
(Warner Bros./ Associated Press)
Actor Bert Lahr played the lovable but cowardly lion. The lion pelt outfit was shown on a pedestal and posed in the character's "Put 'em up! Put em up!" stance from the film starring Judy Garland.
Another notable object that sold was Elvis Presley's wedding ring from his marriage in 1967 to Priscilla Beaulieu. It fetched $90,000 US ($104,200 Cdn).
Some of the other items included the pants Oliver Hardy wore in the film Swiss Miss and Fred Astaire's sailor suit from Follow the Fleet.
A blue-and-white gingham dress worn by Garland in The Wizard Of Oz fetched £140,000 ($235,500 Cdn) at an auction in London last year.
The scarecrow outfit from the movie is on display in the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History in Washington D.C., while the tin man costume was destroyed.
