Sinatra's first driver's license sold

A collector has snapped up Frank Sinatra's first driver's license at an online auction of cinema memorabilia.

Frank Sinatra’s 1934 New Jersey Driver’s License is photographed

Frank Sinatra's first New Jersey driver's licence has sold for A$17 000 at auction. (AAP)

Frank Sinatra's first New Jersey driver's license with his last name misspelled sold for $US15,757 ($A17,000)

Sinatra's license, numbered "549631" and bearing a large red, centred stamping of "1934," drew much interest from bidders. It was issued to Francis Sintra, 841 Garden St, Hoboken, NJ, but he signed it Francis Sinatra in black ink.

Sinatra's physical description reads: "Age 19, Weight 130, Color W, Color Hair BRN, Sex M, Color Eyes BLUE, Height 5.8." The identification card has a December 31, 1934, expiration date.

Accompanying the license is a 1940 letter to the state Commissioner of Motor Vehicles from the lawyer of a man who had been involved in a car crash with Sinatra, insisting that Sinatra's driving privileges be revoked until he pays up.

"It's an amazing piece that ties Sinatra to his birthplace, where he is still a hometown hero of the one-square-mile town of Hoboken, dating back to the days where he must have still been dreaming that he would someday make it big - here and anywhere," said Bobby Livingston, executive vice president of RR Auction of Boston.

Meanwhile a collection of correspondence between Gone with the Wind author Margaret Mitchell and a fan went for $US14,087.

And Marilyn Monroe's notated script from the movie Gentlemen Prefer Blondes, complete with dialogue changes and personal acting tips, was purchased for $US22,689.

The items were snapped up during a Hollywood-themed online auction held by RR Auction.

The Mitchell collection includes six one-page letters - four signed Margaret Mitchell and two signed Margaret Mitchell Marsh - and focuses largely on contents of her novel Gone with the Wind and the forthcoming film, which would star Clark Gable as Rhett Butler and Vivien Leigh as Scarlett O'Hara.

Written after the release of the Pulitzer Prize-winning Civil War novel, Mitchell's exchange the fan provided a unique glimpse of the book's creation and characters.

She told the fan she "had every detail" of the epic novel in her head before setting "a single word on paper."

Another auction item, an oversize portrait of Marilyn Monroe, was sold for $US19,718. It was created for her appearance in the gritty "Asphalt Jungle," the 1950 film that helped propel her to stardom.

The auction also included a rare pair of production-made Wolverine claws created for actor Hugh Jackman's character, Wolverine, in "X2: X-Men United," which sold for $17,304.


Share

3 min read

Published

Updated


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world