13 Original Items From Late Martial Artist To Be Sold August 6#
Bruce Lee name card, estimated to go for HK$7,000–8,000 (US$897-1,026)
This Saturday, August 6, 13 items once owned by the late, iconic martial artist and actor Bruce Lee will go under the hammer in his hometown of Hong Kong. Held by the local auction house Phila China in conjunction with the American house Kelleher Auctions, the public auction will take place at 50 Gloucester Road, 9th floor, at 10:00 AM.
In addition to rare martial arts membership cards, business cards and annotated books signed or owned by Lee, two lots in particular should pique the interest of Chinese memorabilia collectors: a long-form letter from 1966 written by Bruce Lee to his friend and protégé Taky Kimura about Lee's budding acting career and new life in Los Angeles, and a floor-length Chinese-style fur coat worn by Lee at a photo session done shortly before his premature death in 1973. Pre-auction previews are ongoing this week from 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM. Appointments can be made by calling Phila China at 25-300-100.
With Bruce Lee enjoying a resurgence of popularity in mainland China over the past several years -- a semi-autobiographical television series produced by CCTV, "The Legend of Bruce Lee" (李小龙传奇) ran for 50 episodes in 2008 -- we might just see a few collectors from Shenzhen, Shanghai or elsewhere popping up at the auction this weekend and competing fiercely with locals.
A long-form letter written by Bruce Lee to his friend Jaky is estimated between HK$200,000–300,000 (US$25,638-38,457)
This fur-lined Chinese-style jacket is estimated to go for HK$100,000–150,000 (US$12,819-19,229)
This framed collection of memorabilia is estimated to go for HK$100,000–150,000 (US$12,819-19,229)
This rare “Jun Fan Gung Fu Institute” student membership card is estimated at HK$75,000–100,000 (US$9,614-12,819)
Phila China Limited#
9/F Malaysian Consulate Building
50 Gloucester Road, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 25 300 100
Email: info@philachina.com