Bonhams auction of The Estate of Maureen O'Hara in New York on Tuesday night provided proof, yet again, of the amazing power of provenance. Even the most mundane objects can become very valuable if owned by a significant public figure. Some 242 items - consigned to the auction by her grandson - went under the hammer and 95 per cent of lots sold.
While the most high-profile lots related to her best-known film, The Quiet Man (1952), antiques, art, clothing, jewellery and personal items also attracted intense bidding.
Lot 148, a pair of Meissen porcelain vases sold for $31,250 (€39,500) - 10 times the low estimate.
And ever wonder what happens to all those crystal trophies awarded to celebrities? Lot 220, a group of five Irish cut-crystal trophies including a bowl engraved, "Maureen O'Hara, Ireland's Greatest Movie Star, Michael Flatley, Castlehyde, 2012", sold for $2,125 (€2,000), way above the top estimate of $800.
Bonhams director of entertainment memorabilia, Catherine Williamson, said O'Hara "had a fantastic sense of style and her clothing and accessories proved particularly popular, often selling for as many as 10 times their low estimates". Among the outfits sold was Lot 101, a cocktail dress she wore when meeting Fidel Castro in Cuba during the filming in 1959 of Our Man in Havana ($1,375); and, Lot 75, consisting of a tweed cape with a label inscribed "O'Maille's of Galway, black suede purse and wool skirt suit ($ 2,125).