Lucille Ball’s Iconic Polka-Dot Dress Sells At Auction For $168,000

Lucille Ball is trending today after rare memorabilia linked to the iconic actress sold at auction last week. Of particular note was Ball’s famous polka-dot dress, which sold for more than double the expected takeaway.

The items were on the auction dais at a Profiles in History sale on July 30, which also included props from The Sopranos, The Sound of Music, and Indiana Jones & The Temple of Doom.

Ball’s “Lucy Ricardo” dress was expected to fetch between $40,000 and $60,000 at auction, but ultimately sold for $168,000.

From Temple of Doom, a lot of sankara stones and a pyrotechnics bag got $72,000 and $64,000 respectively, well over their estimates.

A collection of costumes from The Sound of Music sold for $1.3 million. The collection included a costume worn by Julie Andrews’ character, as well as floral lederhosen worn by the Von Trapp children.

Other highlights from the auction: The costume worn by James Gandolfini in the final scene of The Sopranos sold for $22,000. Steve McQueen’s Bullitt jacket and Charlie Chaplin’s “tramp” cane from modern times also commanded high selling prices.

Lastly, Judy Garland’s iconic Wizard of Oz dress sold for $360,000, which was twice its estimate.

Other Lucille Ball memorabilia was also auctioned off on August 3 at the Lucille Ball Comedy Festival, which also included a fashion show. These items included props and dresses from I Love Lucy! and other Lucille Ball / Desi Arnaz productions.

Items included Ball’s red velvet dress from Mame, her pink sequined costume from the first episode of the Milton Berle Show, and her Charlie Chaplin costume from The Lucy Show episode “Chris’ New Year’s Eve Party.”

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