Rolexes, crash helmets and a tin pig bench: Paul Newman collection goes under the hammer

Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward were the peak of Hollywood royalty during their fifty-year marriage. 

The couple collected film memorabilia over the course of their high-flying careers and now lucky fans can get their hands on everything they owned. 

More than 300 of Newman and Woodward’s items from the couple’s Connecticut home are set to go up for auction at Sotheby’s in New York this week.

The goods shine a light on the pair’s very quirky taste and Rolex watches, crash helmets and a tin pig bench are among those on sale. 

Newman died in 2008 aged 83 and Woodward is the oldest living best actress Oscar winner at 93 but has lived a quiet life since she was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2007.

Paul Newman and his wife Joanne Woodward were the peak of Hollywood royalty during their fifty-year marriage

More than 300 of Newman and Woodward's items from the couple's Connecticut home are up for auction including this quirky tin pig bench

More than 300 of Newman and Woodward’s items from the couple’s Connecticut home are up for auction including this quirky tin pig bench

A silver Rolex Zenith Daytona which Newman won in an endurance race at Daytona in 1995 is estimated to sell for between $500,000 and $1million

A silver Rolex Zenith Daytona which Newman won in an endurance race at Daytona in 1995 is estimated to sell for between $500,000 and $1million

Paul Newman wearing what appears to be his 1993 Rolex Daytona Zenith 16520 in Mexico City in 2007. The watch which is going up for auction in June and is expected to fetch millions

Paul Newman wearing what appears to be his 1993 Rolex Daytona Zenith 16520 in Mexico City in 2007. The watch which is going up for auction in June and is expected to fetch millions

The couple's home in Connecticut provides a glimpse of their personalities with unusual furniture and household goods

The couple’s home in Connecticut provides a glimpse of their personalities with unusual furniture and household goods

The couple accumulated plenty of Hollywood memorabilia during their lives and the items on sale also offer a rare glimpse into their personalities. 

Sotheby’s has been working on the auction for years with Newman’s five daughters, who will split the proceeds.

And the auction offers an insight into one of Hollywood’s longest lasting marriages. 

A silver Rolex Zenith Daytona which Newman won in an endurance race at Daytona in 1995 is estimated to sell for between $500,000 and $1million.

Another Rolex inscribed with the message ‘Drive Very Slowly Joanne’ from his wife is predicted to sell for the same. He wore it during his last public outing at a racetrack a month before his death in September 2008. 

Many of his race suits, helmets and trophies are also going on sale. 

The collection has highlighted the couple’s quirky personalities with unusual furniture and household goods for sale. 

The most bizarre item is a lengthy tin pig-shaped bench complete with aviator goggles which Newman forced late guests to sit on as punishment. 

Their daughter Claire Newman, 58, said: ‘Dad loved to pull pranks on his friends. 

‘One of his favorite bits was making everyone who arrived late sit on the pig bench for their meeting. He was a real stickler for time.’

Woodward’s wedding dress, an Academy award plaque and certificates of nominations for Academy Awards will also go up for auction. 

And mementoes from movie sets are also available to buy including a pool cue from the 1986 The Color of Money which Newman starred in has already attracted a bid of over $3,000. 

While shackles from Newman’s 1967 prison drama Cool Hand Luke have a current bid of $11,000 which is double the pre-auction estimate.

Nell Newman, Newman and Woodward’s eldest daughter, said the shackles used to be on the wall of the family home and she and her siblings would play with them. 

And prop boots from the 1969 western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are estimated to sell for between $700 and $1,000.

An Academy award plaque and certificates of nominations for Academy Awards will also go up for auction

An Academy award plaque and certificates of nominations for Academy Awards will also go up for auction

Newman's 1993 Rolex Daytona Zenith 16520

Newman's 2006 Daytona 116519

Newman’s 1993 Rolex Daytona Zenith 16520 and his  2006 Daytona 116519

The couple accumulated plenty of Hollywood memorabilia during their lives and the items on sale also offer a rare glimpse into their personalities

The couple accumulated plenty of Hollywood memorabilia during their lives and the items on sale also offer a rare glimpse into their personalities

Shackles from Newman's 1967 prison drama Cool Hand Luke have a current bid of $11,000 which is double the pre-auction estimate

Shackles from Newman’s 1967 prison drama Cool Hand Luke have a current bid of $11,000 which is double the pre-auction estimate

A pool cue from the 1986 The Color of Money which Newman starred in has already attracted a bid of over $3,000

A pool cue from the 1986 The Color of Money which Newman starred in has already attracted a bid of over $3,000

Movie memorabilia from 'Three Faces of Eve', and gloves worn by actress Joanne Woodward at the 30th Academy Awards, are displayed at Sotheby's

Movie memorabilia from ‘Three Faces of Eve’, and gloves worn by actress Joanne Woodward at the 30th Academy Awards, are displayed at Sotheby’s

Nell, 64, said it was hard for her and her siblings to part with their parents’ items and it was ‘an emotional moment’ sifting through their belongings. 

‘But you know, my family really felt that it was time to share some of these belongings with the public.’ she told NBC Today.

The collection also shares an insight into the Hollywood couple’s political connections with a photocopy of President Richard Nixon’s enemy list which featured Newman who supported civil rights and was present for the March on Washington.

It also included a signed photograph from President Bill Clinton and a letter from President George H.W. Bush. 

‘My parents shared a passion for antiques and vintage items, the quirkier the better,’ their daughter Melissa Newman, 61, said in the Sotheby’s auction catalog.

‘The decision to release these loved and quirkily cultivated objects is deeply emotional for all of us I think. 

‘It’s not the conventionally desirable things I will miss, but the strange and absurd ones. 

The back of Paul Newman's watch which he won in 1995 during the Daytona 24

The back of Paul Newman’s watch which he won in 1995 during the Daytona 24

The back of Paul Newman's watch with a message from his wife Joanne Woodward

The back of Paul Newman’s watch with a message from his wife Joanne Woodward

A copy of the script of The Color of Money which Newman won a Best Actor Academy Award for in 1987

A copy of the script of The Color of Money which Newman won a Best Actor Academy Award for in 1987

A copy of the 1969 western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which Newman starred in

A copy of the 1969 western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid which Newman starred in 

The dress Woodward wore during her wedding to Newman is also up for auction

The dress Woodward wore during her wedding to Newman is also up for auction  

Fans can get their hands on a signed photograph from President Bill Clinton

Fans can get their hands on a signed photograph from President Bill Clinton 

A 1997 Legends racing car and racing memorabilia owned by Paul Newman are displayed by Sotheby's

A 1997 Legends racing car and racing memorabilia owned by Paul Newman are displayed by Sotheby’s 

Racing helmet worn by actor Paul Newman is put on display at the A Life and Legacy exhibition

Racing helmet worn by actor Paul Newman is put on display at the A Life and Legacy exhibition 

‘They were orphans who found an appreciative and loving audience in the homes of two movie stars.’

Newman was best known for his roles in The Verdict and The Color of Money which he won an Academy Award for best actor in 1987.

While Woodward won the best actress Oscar award in for her role in The Three Faces of Eve in 1958. 

But both Oscar awards are not included in the auction as The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences does not allow awards to be sold ‘without first offering to sell it to the academy for the sum of $1.00’. 

The couple share daughters Nell, Melissa and Claire and Newman had daughters Susan, 70, and Stephanie with his previous wife Jackie Witte.

His only son Scott, from his first marriage, died aged 28 in 1978. 

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