Burt Reynolds Auctioning Off Personal Items Amid Financial Struggles
UPDATE: Reynolds has issued the following statement: "I want everyone to know that contrary to what all the news outlets are saying, I am not broke. I have been dealing with a business dispute for many years as well as a divorce settlement. I am simply selling some of my memorabilia that I have enjoyed for so many years but do not have use nor room for them anymore…quite frankly, I am sick of so many pictures of myself in my own home."
If you’ve always wanted to have a pair of leather chaps owned by actor Burt Reynolds, you could soon be in luck.
Hundreds of personal items belonging to the Deliverance star will be auctioned off at The Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas next month. Julien’s Live auction house is running the event.
The auction’s catalog, entitled Property From the Life and Career of Burt Reynolds, lists over 600 items, including such movie memorabilia as a jacket and shirt he wore in Smokey and the Bandit II, a football helmet from The Longest Yard and even a pair of monogrammed boots from 1996’s Striptease, for all those diehard Striptease fans out there.
Also on the block: several vehicles, a wide selection of artwork and sports collectibles and even a number of awards, including his 1991 best actor in a comedy Emmy for Evening Shade and 1998 best supporting actor Golden Globe for Boogie Nights.
Reynolds, who underwent back surgery in 2009 and a quintuple bypass the following year, has been under financial duress of late, with the Associated Press reporting in 2011 that his Florida home was facing foreclosure. Earlier this year, he announced he is writing a memoir, set to be published by Putnam in fall 2015. He has also recently been teaching acting classes in Florida.
The auction takes places Dec. 11-12, and bidding can be done live and online. Click here to see the list of merchandise and place online bids.
And by the way, if you’re serious about those leather chaps, the starting bid is set at $100, and the price is estimated to reach between $200 and $300. Just something to think about.
