BIDDEFORD, Maine (AP) – A collection of memorabilia including Babe Ruth’s baseball glove and Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse ears is coming up for auction off the beaten path in Maine, far from the Big Apple where Ruth smacked home runs and the theme park and studio Disney created in California.
The items that once belonged to the late New York TV and radio personality Joe Franklin include several dozen hats from a bygone era such as Frank Sinatra’s fedora and John Wayne’s Stetson.
The auction will take place April 2 at Maine-based Saco River Auction, a small auction house far from the entertainment hubs of New York and Los Angeles.
Auctioneer Troy Thibodeau said the items came from a collector who wishes to remain anonymous who spent years purchasing items from the collection of Franklin, a talk show host who encouraged his famous guests to leave a souvenir after appearing on his show.
The items include leather jackets belonging to Steve McQueen and Marlon Brando, Laurel and Hardy’s boxing gloves, a baseball glove used by Joe DiMaggio and a harmonica used by Janis Joplin. In addition to John Wayne’s Stetson, the collection includes the actor’s cowboy boots and spurs.