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Press Release - January 24, 2008

James Dean's "Lucky Charm" Watch to be Auctioned

Heritage to Offer Screen-Worn Watch from East of Eden

Dallas, TX: In their upcoming Music and Entertainment Signature auction, to be held on April 5 and 6, Heritage will offer the lucky charm to which James Dean attributed his success. Dean's lucky watch is one of the most important personal artifacts of James Dean left in existence, and we can only conclude that the bidding will be energetic.

The gold-filled pocket watch was manufactured by Standard Watch Co., which appears on the porcelain dial, with an Elgin movement (serial number 3071580). The back of the watch is detailed in a machined spiral pattern, with no markings or engraving. The cover bears James Dean's engraved initials.

When Dean made his debut starring appearance on the movie screens of America in East of Eden he insisted on wearing his lucky pocket watch. Dean purchased the watch in late 1951, as a struggling young actor in New York. It was his first big purchase and he was proud of it - he had his initials engraved on the gold cover of the watch, and carried it in his pocket for luck while working in TV and plays. Within two and a half years Dean was spotted and called to Hollywood to meet the author of East of Eden , John Steinbeck. Upon Dean's arrival in Los Angeles, he visited his estranged father. Afraid his son would lose his lucky watch, his father gave him his own gold watch chain. Dean wore the watch, hanging from a belt loop, throughout the filming of East of Eden despite director Elia Kazan's protests. Not only did Dean attribute his success to the watch, but it also linked him to his father. His insistence would finally cause Kazan to relent and allow him to wear the watch, though he held firm that Dean's engraved initials be covered in close-ups. Dean's performance in the film would earn him his first of two posthumous Academy Award nominations and two Golden Globes.

His lucky watch had worked; Dean was now a star. Dean gifted his lucky watch before his fatal car crash to a woman named Tillie Starriet. Dean had bonded with Tillie from the beginning of his movie career in L.A. Tillie, a Warner Bros employee, was older than Dean and acted as surrogate mother for the young 23 year-old actor and was the only person Dean would allow to prepare his hair for East of Eden and Rebel Without a Cause. Her letter attests to their closeness including last seeing him the day Dean was killed.

Other young actors capitalized on Dean's rebel image, further pushing groundswell of rebellion that boiled over from the '50s into the '60s. No one could have known then the extent to which this unique young man's persona would affect the progression of our modern culture. As John Lennon said: "Without James Dean, the Beatles would have never existed."

It is well known that a dress worn by Marilyn Monroe fetched over $1.2 million dollars, and that her wedding band sold for $772,000. But unlike Marilyn Monroe, James Dean left behind relatively few personal items from his short life of 24 years, indeed, not enough to fill a small closet. His Porsche Spyder, with a standing offer of one million, was actually scrapped in Texas decades ago and will never be available for sale. Dean gave the red jacket he wore in Rebel Without a Cause to Sammy Davis, Jr.; Davis' widow has stated that she will never part with it. There is, however, Dean's watch - an item that personifies his place in time and contribution to us in film history like no other.

The time on Dean's watch is still set at 5:43, the time Dean lost his life in the tragic car crash. It was most likely set by Tillie Starriet in memory of Dean. Tillie cherished the watch until near the end of her life when, at age 76, she decided to pass it along for future generations. Over the years, Dean's family had wondered where the famous screen-worn watch had wound up; not until the present corporate owners of the watch contacted them, in 2001, were they made aware of its location. "This piece of timeless movie history brings with it an impeccable, well-documented provenance including a letter of authenticity from Tillie Starriet and formal procurement documentation from the present owner," said Doug Norwine, Heritage's Director of Music & Entertainment Auctions. "Being as it was, so close and dear to Dean, this watch is as much an American cinematic and cultural treasure as one can find, the ultimate collectible of the 1950s."

The piece is presented in a stunning 49" x 62" display case, attached to a pair of pants similar to those he wore in East of Eden, and includes three breathtaking backlit images of Dean wearing his lucky watch.

Heritage Auction Galleries will offer James Dean's pocket watch in their upcoming Music and Entertainment Signature auction, to be held on April 5 and 6, 2008, at their headquarters in Dallas, TX.

James Dean's "Lucky" Screen-Worn Pocket Watch from East of Eden: ESTIMATE: $75,000 & up

For more information about Heritage's auctions, and a complete record of prices realized, along with full-color, enlargeable photos of each lot, please visit www.HA.com.

Prospective consignors and sellers of Entertainment, Celebrity or Hollywood memorabilia are invited to www.HA.com and click on the "Sell Now" tab. Or simply email Doug Norwine at DougN@HA.com.

To reserve your copy of any Heritage auction catalogue, please contact Client Services at (800) 872-6467, extension 1150, or visit www.HA.com/Catalog to order by email.

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