On Sept. 23-25, Julien’s Auctions will host “Property from the Life and Career of Betty White” in Beverly Hills, California, a sale of more than 1,500 lots from White, who died at 99 on Dec. 31, just weeks shy of her 100th birthday.
Born in Oak Park, Illinois on Jan. 17, 1922, White broke into TV in the medium’s early days, co-hosting “Hollywood on Television With Al Jarvis” beginning in 1949.
It was the start of a career that would span a record-setting eight decades, with White starring in two critically acclaimed sitcoms—“The Mary Tyler Moore Show” and “The Golden Girls”—and winning five Primetime Emmy Awards, two Daytime Emmys, two Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards, and a SAG Lifetime Achievement Award.
Julien’s sale from White’s estate includes numerous lots of TV memorabilia—autographed scripts, dresses she wore to various awards shows, her director’s chair from “The Golden Girls” set, etc.—and a few pieces of jewelry that were undoubtedly dear to White.
There is the gold and diamond wedding band she wore throughout her marriage to her beloved third husband Allen Ludden, whom she met as a celebrity guest on the game show he hosted, “Password.”
The ring, pictured above, is estimated to sell for $600-$800.
Also up for sale is Ludden’s matching wedding band, which is gold and engraved with their wedding date, “6-14-63,” and the words “I really do.” Ludden’s band is also estimated at $600 to $800.
One of the highest valued lots in the auction is a vintage gold Van Cleef & Arpels flower brooch set with brilliant-cut diamonds and sapphires.
Believed to be a gift from Ludden, who died in 1981, White was photographed wearing the pin on numerous occasions beginning in 2010, Julien’s said. It is estimated to sell for $14,000-$16,000.
Stay Golden: See Some of the Items Up for Auction
Allen Ludden’s wedding band, estimated to sell for $600-$800, is engraved with the date he married Betty White at the Las Vegas Convention Center, June 14, 1963. (Photo credit: Julien’s Auctions)
White’s sapphire and diamond Van Cleef & Arpels brooch, believed to be a gift from Ludden, could sell for as much as $16,000. (Photo credit: Julien’s Auctions)
White wore this necklace (sale estimate, $1,000 to $2,000) to the Primetime Emmys in 1976, where she won an Emmy for her role as Sue Ann Nivens on “The Mary Tyler Moore Show.” She also wore it on multiple episodes of the show, including the season 5 classic “A Girl Like Mary.” (Photo credit: Julien’s Auctions)
White was photographed wearing this delicate 14-karat gold watch early in her career. It is engraved with “T.C.W.,” the initials of her mother, Tess Curtis White. (Photo credit: Julien’s Auctions)
The auction also includes memorabilia from White’s long and storied career in entertainment. Pictured here is an original taping ticket from “The Betty White Show” (NBC, 1954) that’s estimated to sell for $500 to $1,000. (Photo credit: Julien’s Auctions)
The auction estimate for this silver Tiffany & Co. clock given to White when she was named KNX Newsradio “Woman of the Year” in 1984 is $1,000 to $2,000. (Photo credit: Julien’s Auctions)
In addition to Sue Ann Nivens, White won an Emmy for playing Rose Nylund on “The Golden Girls.” Included in the auction are a number of gifts the show’s stars four stars—White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty—had made for the crew, like this engraved pictured frame ($500 to $700). (Photo credit: Julien’s Auctions)
A script for part two of “The Golden Girls” series finale signed by the show’s four stars is estimated to fetch $3,000 to $5,000. Included in the lot is a copy of the part one script signed by guest star Leslie Nielsen. (Photo credit: Julien’s Auctions)
The 14-karat gold timepiece is engraved with “T.C.W. 12-25-40,” the initials of her mother, Tess Curtis White.
“Property from the Life and Career of Betty White” will take place in person Sept. 23-25 at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills and online at JuliensAuctions.com.
Special exhibitions of selected items from the auctions are scheduled for May 12 to July 4 at Museo de la Moda in Santiago, Chile; Aug. 1 to Sept. 11 at The Museum of Style Icons at Newbridge Silverware in Kildare, Ireland; and at Julien’s in Beverly Hills from Sept. 19 to 22.
The Sept. 20 exhibition at Julien’s will include a screening of the PBS documentary “Betty White: First Lady of Television.”
In addition, Julien’s is partnering with cruise line Cunard to take White’s possessions on a transatlantic trek.
Cunard’s Queen Mary 2 will set sail from New York on Aug. 5 and arrive in Southampton in the U.K. on Aug. 12.
During the cruise, guests will get to view a daily rotating exhibition of White’s items and attend a Q&A with Julien’s executives Darren Julien and Martin Nolan.
More information on the auction is available on the Julien’s website.
