Rare Oscar Statue, Silent Film Memorabilia Auctioned This Week

BEVERLY HILLS, CA — A 1928 Oscar statue will be sold in an auction Friday alongside over 550 silent film posters.

The collection, which belongs to collector Dwight Manley, is the largest silent film memorabilia collection ever, according to Heritage Auction.

A key highlight of the collection is an Academy Award won by the 1928 silent film "White Shadows in the South Seas." The Oscar is one of only 15 ever given to a silent film among some 3,700 Oscars ever awarded, according to Heritage Auction. The current bid for the rare Oscar is a whopping $52,500.

The collection includes movie posters for iconic silent films including the 1938"King Kong," which secured a $12,500 bid, and 50 Charlie Chaplin films. Manley estimated that around half of the auction items are unique, according to Heritage Auction.

“It’s a crime that much of this collection has been stored away, where others who love film history were unable to enjoy it,” Manley said in a news release. “These are undeniable works of art that should be enjoyed.”

Manley is only parting ways with a small portion of his 2,300-piece collection.

"In a way, they are like children, because they're unique — a lot of them in this auction are unique," Manley said in a news release. "When you look at them, you often have an emotional connection to when you found them."

Highlights from the collection were available for viewing from June 29-July 8 at Heritage Auction's office in Beverly Hills, 9478 W Olympic Blvd.

The collection will go live Friday on Heritage Auction's website. Proxy bidding is open and will end just before the collection goes live.

Check out the full collection, dubbed "Treasures of the Silent Screen Movie Posters Signature® Auction" on Heritage Auction's website.