‘Rocky’ knives, ‘Rambo’ headband: Sly Stallone movie memorabilia to be auctioned

From Rocky boxing gloves to Rambo headbands, memorabilia from action movie star Sylvester Stallone’s Hollywood career are going under the hammer in a December auction expected to raise about $1.5m (about R21.4m).

Nearly 500 items from Stallone’s personal archives are being sold, including costumes, props, scripts, notebooks and other memorabilia from the actor’s biggest films, including the Rocky and Rambo franchises, Cliffhanger, The Expendables and Demolition Man, Julien’s Auctions said on Tuesday.

Highlights include Stallone’s boxing gloves from Rocky III, with an estimate of $10,000 to  $20,000 (about R143,000 to R286,000), and handwritten notebooks about the first four Rocky films, priced at $40,000 to $60,000 (about R572,000 to R859,000).

Rambo fans are being offered a collection of knives from the first three films, priced $10,000 to $20,000 each, and a headband worn by Stallone in Rambo: First Blood Part II ($8,000 to $10,000) among other memorabilia.

“He’s a sports guy. That’s what he represents, sports and hard graft and people can relate to that,” said Martin Nolan, executive director at Julien’s Auctions.

“That’s why he’s so collectable. People have had very little opportunity to own anything from his life and career until now.”

Born in New York in 1946, Stallone found fame with 1976 Oscar-winning boxing film Rocky, soon becoming one of Hollywood’s biggest action movie stars.

Asked why the actor, now aged 75, was selling the items, Nolan said: “He is relocating. He’s selling his house so that’s a perfect time for anyone to downsize.

“We expect  a huge response to the auction announcement because people have pent up demand for iconic items like this, authentic items coming directly from the man himself.”

Other items for sale include posters, the boxing mouth guard worn by Stallone in Rocky, a costume designed by Gianni Versace for Judge Dredd and a Cliffhanger arm sculpture.

“Everything is pretty much at no reserve and they are conservatively estimated,” Nolan said.

“Overall, we estimate the sale in the range of $1m to $1.5m. That’s a conservative auction estimate because they are so iconic and people love this stuff.”

The “Property from The Life and Career of Sylvester Stallone” sale will take place on December 5 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and will be preceded by an exhibition of the items in London starting on Thursday at the Mall Galleries. 

Reuters