More than 1,000 luxury items belonging to Zsa Zsa Gabor, the Hollywood star dubbed ‘the original Kim Kardashian’, are up for auction.
Her extensive designer couture, accessories, memorabilia and the socialite’s secret star-filled address books will be offered for the first time with Heritage Auctions next month (April 14).
Budapest-born, Zsa Zsa, shot to stardom and becoming a fixture of American popular culture for over 60-years with her distinctive European flair, style and nine high-profile marriages.
Zsa Zsa Gabor, a former Miss Hungary, had forgettable acting roles but a larger-than-life personality – and multiple marriages – that made her a household name in the U.S.
A Steinway Model M Grand Piano is one of more than 1,000 luxury items belonging to Zsa Zsa Gabor, the Hollywood star dubbed the original Kim Kardashian, that are up for auction
A Dahling Zsa Zsa Gabor necklace is also among Zsa Zsa Gabor’s extensive designer couture, accessories and memorabilia that is up for sale
A Zsa Zsa Gabor Stunning Designer Necklace from the 1960s is among the luxury items being auctioned
Among the items going under the hammer are her Italian 19k varicolour gold and diamond cigarette case to fine jewellery, a five-piece set of vintage Louis Vuitton luggage and more.
There are also personal pieces, like a leather saddle given to Gabor by President Ronald Regan, more than a dozen albums filled with never-before-seen personal photographs with Nancy Regan, Bob Hope, Tony Curtis and others.
A trove of correspondence sent to the star by US Presidents including White House invitation letters, thank you notes, and telegrams.
Innumerable items of Zsa Zsa Gabor memorabilia are included in the sale
As well as several of Gabor’s personal address books on offer with contact information for Sean Connery, Ronald and Nancy Regan, Joan Rivers among others from the Hollywood elite.
Carolyn Mani, Consignment Director at Heritage Auctions, said: ‘Her private collection perfectly captures what has become known as the ‘Zsa Zsa Factor.”
Since Zsa Zsa’s death two years ago, her widower Frédéric Prinz von Anhalt, 74, has put the pieces up for auction under the star’s wishes who wanted him to ‘have a good time on it’.
Frédéric said: ‘It’s a tough thing for me to do, I have lived in this house for 35 years and all the antiques my wife would clean herself, she loved every piece and never got rid of them.
‘I remember pushing her around in a wheelchair, she was surprised everything was still there, she told me ‘Why don’t you sell it and have a good time on it’.
‘I told her, it would all stay as long as she was alive, and now I have a new place to go to, I don’t have space for everything.
‘I know my wife would want the pieces to be in good hands of someone who will take care of them, she wouldn’t want them to be in the corner, not taken care of.’
More than 1,000 items of Zsa Zsa’s will go under the hammer next month from her countless elegant dresses to furniture and rare celebrity pieces.
The star’s dress are included in the auction – she was known as ‘the original Kim Kardashian’
Movie and television memorabilia include screen-worn costumes and dozens of stunning gowns, as well as more than 30 years’ worth of television and film scripts from programs such as Batman, Bonanza and The Donna Reed Show, among others.
Of them all, Frédéric says one of the hardest things to say goodbye to will be an 11-piece Neoclassical Dining Suite from 1960.
He added: ‘I think the clothes and jewellery are particularly impressive.
‘She collected clothes from the 1940s and they are beautiful pieces, they are great for people who have a passion for vintage fashion.
‘But one of the hardest things to give away will be our dining table, I remember Ronald and Nancy Reagan, Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr. and others sitting around there.
‘One night at one of our parties, I remember standing on the terrace when three guys were carrying an older man up the stairs.
‘I wondered who it was and it was Fred Astaire, he couldn’t walk anymore.
‘I met all of the big guys I saw in movies as a young kid in front of me, it was beautiful being able to mingle with all these Hollywood stars..’
Zsa Zsa who was crowned Miss Hungary in 1936, before moving to the United States five-years-later, where she would first appear in the film ‘Lovely to Look at’.
But her movie appearances would not be the lasting legacy for the star, who specialised in ‘making noise in Hollywood’ and for many was the forerunner to Kardashian and others.
Most notably in 1990, when at the age of 72, Zsa Zsa was sentenced to three days in jail and fined over $3,000 for slapping a motorcycle cop across the face.
Frédéric said: ‘With the Kardashians I always think she was the one who did it all before them and made it all possible.
‘As you know she wasn’t a big movie maker, she had about 68 and a couple of shorts, what she did well was making noise in Hollywood and being famous.
‘That’s what the Kardashian’s do too, they make noise to become famous, whether that’s through being half naked, with the clothes they wear or whatever else.
‘When I saw one of the Kardashian girls at the Golden Globes, I said ‘That’s Zsa Zsa Gabor’, it was wonderful.
‘She was head of her time and the way she did it, she held the doors open for me and many others.
Prince Frederic von Anhalt has revealed how he bought his title, rented a Rolls Royce, and seduced Zsa Zsa Gabor at a party he wasn’t even invited to. They were married for 20 years
‘Hollywood is the biggest stage and where you show off to the world, it was perfect for what we did.’
Tragedy struck Gabor in 2002, when she was left partially paralysed from an automobile crash on Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, which confined her to a wheelchair.
From then, she would be struck by further health problems, suffering two strokes and having her right leg amputated.
Zsa Zsa would go onto live up until two months before her 100th birthday, when she died of a heart attack while in a coma.
Frédéric, reflects on his wife, said: ‘When she loved somebody, she really loved them, I know she loved me.
‘She stood totally behind me, and I did behind her, all she wanted was love and protection and that’s why we got together.
‘When she had her accident and we were told she had to go into a home, I was adamant she would stay with me in the house and I would take care of her day and night.
‘This is why I believe she lived so long, she was nearly 100 years old. We entertained her and that was the best medicine, talking to her about England, the places we went shopping and more.
‘We talked about the old times and put movies on, she was so surprised that her movies were still being shown to the public.’
Frédéric who will be moving to a new property, is hosting a two-day preview next month (April 12-13) with Heritage auctions to allow hopeful bidders to preview the lots.
While he admits it will hard to sell the pieces, his memories of Zsa Zsa are the most valuable possessions.
Frédéric said: ‘She was a good woman, she did lots for charity and was very loving.
‘We travelled around the world, met four presidents, went to the White house, the Reagans became our great friends and more.
‘We visited London, met people in fashion, politicians, we loved it.. She held a lot of pieces from everywhere she visited, if she loved something she bought it.
‘Ours was a big love story. She loved me and I loved her. She could do no wrong. I had the best time of my life with the Gabors’ and wouldn’t have missed it.’
The Estate of Zsa Zsa Gabor Decorative Art auction with Heritage begins on Saturday 14th April, with online bidding beginning before.
For more information visit: www.ha.com
Opening bids from some of the 1,000 pieces of Zsa Zsa Gabor that are up for sale:
A Large and Impressive English Regency-Style Silver-Plated Roast Meat Trolley Carving Station – opening bid $10,000
A Steinway Model M Grand Piano Used in the Movie Behind the Candelabra, Gilt Decorated by Zsa Zsa – opening bid $5,000
Margaret Keane (American, b. 1927) Portrait of Zsa Zsa Gabor Oil on canvas – opening bid $3,000
A Large Louis XV-Style Crystal and Wrought Iron Sixteen-Light Chandelier – opening bid $2,500
Johann Berthelsen (American, 1883-1972) Winter Scene, New York City, 42nd Street & 5th Avenue – opening bid $2,500
A Large Louis XV-Style Crystal and Wrought Iron Sixteen-Light Chandelier – opening bid $2,500
A Set of Six Louis XV-Style Gilt Bronze Three-Light Wall Sconces on Mirrored Frames – opening bid $2,000
An Eleven-Piece Neoclassical Dining Suite Purportedly Owned by Howard Hughes – opening bid $1,500