- Title: Original Disneyland map could fetch $900,000 at LA auction
- Date: 2nd June 2017
- Summary: LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES (JUNE 1, 2017) (REUTERS) AUCTIONEERS LOOKING AT DISNEY MEMORABILIA THAT IS GOING UP FOR AUCTION VIEW OF DISNEYLAND MAP (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUCTIONEER MIKE VAN EATON, OF VAN EATON GALLERIES, SAYING: "We're having an auction of Disney memorabilia, it's pieces from the park, ranging from 1953, before the park was ever even built, all the way to present day, a lot of historical artifacts, props, costumes, souvenirs from the park, over 900 items, it's a pretty incredible auction. Prices range from 50 dollars for some items, up to 700 or $800,000 for some of the major items, in particular a 1953 presentation map that was created to get the financing for Disneyland." VARIOUS OF MAP (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUCTIONEER MIKE VAN EATON, SAYING: "When they made this map, Walt Disney called an artist, who wasn't even working for Disney at the time, just one of his favorite artists and said 'I need you to come in and make me a map of a theme park that I want to build'. And the artist came in and Walt said, it was a Friday, Walt said I need this by Monday. And the artist said you are crazy, there's no way we can make a map of Disneyland by Monday so Walt said look I'll stay here with you and we'll do it together. So for 48 hours they drew out this map, they worked out how he wanted it look, how he wanted it to look, how Walt wanted it to look, he dictated it to this artist and the artist on this big piece of tissue made a pencil drawing of what he thought Walt Disney, and what Walt Disney thought that this theme park should look like. Well they took that pencil drawing and they transferred it over to paper and that artist went in and inked it and then it was colored and it was prepared on board right behind us as a piece of presentation art so that when Roy Disney went to New York he had something to show investors of what it might look like and it's very similar to what it looks like now. Main Street is the same, Fantasy Land is very similar, the Rivers of America looks very same, some things have been moved around but whole concept of the park it was right there in 1953, two years before the park opened." MORE OF DISNEYLAND MAP (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUCTIONEER MIKE VAN EATON, SAYING: "This is such an important piece of Disneyland history that we think it's going to sell for between $700,000 - $900,000, somewhere in that range is where we've put the estimate. The opening bid on it is $500,000. But we are seeing a lot of interest and we hope it's going to do very well." VARIOUS OF MAP (SOUNDBITE) (English) AUCTIONEER MIKE VAN EATON, SAYING: "We get our pieces from a variety of people, a lot of collectors but also a lot of people who worked at the park in the very early days of the park and kept something as a memento, maybe a sign form the Jungle Cruise, in one case we have a drum head from an attraction called the Mickey Mouse Club Circus." VARIOUS OF DISNEY MEMORABILIA UP FOR AUCTION
- Embargoed: 16th June 2017 20:33
- Keywords: map Van Eaton Galleries Walt Disney California Disney auction Disneyland
- Location: LOS ANGELES AND ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- City: LOS ANGELES AND ANAHEIM, CALIFORNIA, UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment,Human Interest / Brights / Odd News,Sport
- Reuters ID: LVA0026JL7A6X
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Walt Disney's first map of his planned Disneyland theme park in Southern California is going up for sale in June and could fetch up to $900,000, auctioneers said on Thursday (June 2).
The 1953 map, hand-inked and hand-colored, was created by Disney and artist Herb Ryman and used to present to investors in order to secure funding to build the first Disney theme park in Anaheim.
It clearly shows the layout of the park with the now iconic Sleeping Beauty Castle and railroad, and sections for Fantasy Land, Land of Tomorrow, and Frontier Land.
Disney's map has since passed down through employees and friends, and the current seller wishes to remain anonymous, auctioneers Van Eaton Galleries in Los Angeles said.
The map carries an estimate of $700,000 to $900,000 and will be the centerpiece of the June 25 auction.
Auction house co-owner Mike Van Eaton said the map was created over a single weekend.
"It's a very important piece in Disneyland history," he said.
"It's very similar to what it looks like now. Main Street is the same, Fantasy Land is very similar, the Rivers of America looks very much the same. Some things have been moved around, but the whole concept of the park was right there in 1953, two years before the park opened," he said.
The sale will include some 1,000 other Disneyland items, including an original ride car from the Autopia attraction ($18,000 to $20,000) and a rare 1955 opening day Disneyland guidebook signed by Walt Disney that is expected to sell for $7,000 to $9,000.
The map and many of the artifacts will be on public exhibition at Van Eaton Galleries from Friday until June 24. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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