John Wayne This article is more than 11 years oldJohn Wayne's True Grit eyepatch for sale in online auction
This article is more than 11 years oldPatch Wayne wore as Rooster Cogburn in classic western expected to sell for more than £20,000An eyepatch that John Wayne wore when he played Rooster Cogburn in the classic western True Grit is expected to fetch more than £20,000 at auction.
Wayne wore the patch in the 1969 film and in the sequel, called simply Rooster Cogburn, six years later.
He won an Oscar for True Grit and acknowledged the significance of the patch in his acceptance speech, joking: "Wow! If I'd known I'd have put the patch on 35 years earlier."
In November 1975, Wayne donated this patch to the Southern California Symphony Society to be auctioned off to raise funds, together with a letter in which he certified that it was authentic.
He wrote: "Dear Friend: Please let this certify that the enclosed 'eyepatch' is one which I wore during the filming of True Grit and Rooster Cogburn. Now that my eye is better I'm happy to donate it to such a worthy cause – the Southern California Chamber Symphony Society auction.
"Wear it in good health! Sincerely, John Wayne."
The patch is being auctioned online by Los Angeles-based Nate D Sanders.
The auction house's owner, Nate Sanders, said: "This is the ultimate piece for fans of the western movie, a uniquely American genre. John Wayne is the iconic actor for westerns and this eyepatch is the iconic prop in his most famous role."
The lot is estimated at $35,000. The auction ends on 29 May.
ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJ6Zobpwfo9qaWilka58c4COo6ahpl2srrq6xGarq62VYrSztdNmnLKdoJbBpLQ%3D