Heirs of the late uber-fan Forrest J. Ackerman are planning to auction off much of his collection, and expect to clear at least $500,000. Frankly, that figure sounds too low.
He had over 300,000 pieces of film memorabilia, including classic props like Bela Lugosi’s cape and signet ring from Dracula; rarities such as an autographed first edition copy of Frankenstein; complete sets of over 200 SF magazines; and over 50,000 books. For an idea of the extent of his collection, check out the “visit to the Ackermansion” tour on YouTube:
The auction is tentatively scheduled for the last week in April. It will be handled by Profiles in History, so if you’re interested in fighting your way through the baying packs of fans to obtain a bit of this collection, keep an eye on their site for further information.