A Handful of Elon Musk Trinkets brought $165,000 at RR Auction on September 15th
- by Bruce E. McKinney
This image brought $9,375 at RR Auction Recently
Elon went to college at The University of Pennsylvania and left a thin scattering of mementos with a friend who recently decided to convert the car-maven’s fame into a fund to help her family to go to college. It was a marvelous idea, given the fickle nature of fame. The mean hourly wage in America, per the government’s current report, is $28.01 an hour or $58,260 for a year. By letting Elon’s trinkets go Jennifer Gwynne converted some 1994-1995 memories into 2.83 working years, giving her some time to enjoy life. Alternatively that money could buy 3 Tesla Model 3’s and one replacement battery, or pay most of a college education for her child.
Elon’s mementos included 33 items including 18 snapshots, a genuine 14-karat gold necklace with a very small emerald, a genuine slabbed note, as well as a couple of gobs of forgettables.
Which brings us to the question of the day. What will the long term chart look like for these items?
Probably not so good because it takes a certain genius to catch the attention, after which it becomes difficult to hold the audience’s focus.
Not so long ago the half-life of fame used to depend on print, later on television, and now the internet. Once, a limited number of gatekeepers controlled access. These days it’s chutzpah, style and speed that get you visibility. Then keeping the focus on you becomes a huge pressure.
Elon Musk was built for this moment.
Whether the do-dads hold their value will depend if Elon can keep the attention on himself.
Most who have experienced significant success instinctively have tried to keep it. A few succeeded but the buzz declines even as some are dying while trying. It’s obviously addictive and takes a lot to keep people’s attention.
However this works out, you’ll find the answers in Transactions+. What makes it into the rooms and what prices are paid will tell both the exhibitionists and the audiences if they are still at the top or in decline.
Net-net, I admire Jennifer Gwynne’s decision to sell. That means I suspect the next time Elan’s do-dads return to the auction rooms the prices will decline.
Gros & Delettrez, June 12: LETTRE ENCYCLIQUE, manuscrit XIXe siècle
Gros & Delettrez, June 12: NOUVEAU TESTAMENT, Amsterdam 1668, reliure arménienne
Doyle The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore June 4, 2025
DOYLE: Peter Max, Portrait of Mary Tyler Moore (Versions 1,2, 5, 6), 2001. Estimate $10,000-15,000
DOYLE: The iconic screen-used wall-mounted "M" from The Mary Tyler Moore Show. Estimate $5,000-8,000
DOYLE: The Mary Tyler Moore Show by Al Hirschfeld. Estimate $4,000-6,000
Doyle The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore June 4, 2025
DOYLE: Annie Leibovitz presents Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke for Vanity Fair. Estimate $4,000-6,000
DOYLE: Al Hirschfeld presents Mary Tyler Moore and Dick Van Dyke in the CBS Wednesday Night Lineup. Estimate $4,000-6,000
DOYLE: Richard McKenzie, Portrait of Mary Tyler Moore. Estimate $1,000-2,000
Doyle The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore June 4, 2025
DOYLE: Three Original Bill Hargate Costume Designs for The Mary Tyler Moore Hour. Estimate $600-800
DOYLE: The famous Bonnie and Clyde "Wanted" broadside. Estimate $500-800
DOYLE: Ticket to the Final Episode of the Mary Tyler Moore Show Estimate $400-600
Sotheby's Bibliothèque Jacques Dauchez - Autour de Dubuffet
5-19 June
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Bissière, Roger. Cantique à notre frère soleil de saint François. 1954. 1,000 - 1,500 EUR
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Céline, Louis-Ferdinand. La vie & l’œuvre de Philippe Ignace Semmelweis. 1924. Rare édition originale, avec envoi. Joint : La Quinine en thérapeutique, 1925. 4,000 - 6,000 EUR
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Céline, Louis-Ferdinand. Mort à crédit. 1936. Édition originale. Bel exemplaire sur Hollande. 2,500 - 3,500 EUR
Sotheby's Bibliothèque Jacques Dauchez - Autour de Dubuffet
5-19 June
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Chillida, Eduardo ─ Emil Cioran. Face aux instants. 1985. Un des 100 exemplaires sur Arches. Eau-forte signée. 600 - 800 EUR
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Dubuffet, Jean. Ler dla canpane. L’Art Brut, 1948. Édition originale. 3,000 - 5,000 EUR
Sotheby’s, June 5-19: Dubuffet, Jean. L'Herne Jean Dubuffet. 1973. Un des 100 exemplaires du tirage de luxe avec une sérigraphie originale en couleurs. 1,000 - 1,500 EUR
