The Cowardly Lion costume Bert Lahr wore in The Wizard of Oz is to cross the block at Bonhams' TCM sale in New York on November 24.
Titled "Theres No Place Like Home", the sale features a wealth of artefacts from the iconic film.
 The Cowardly Lion costume is fitted with a waxwork of star Bert Lahr's features |
MGM designer Adrian Gilbert was responsible for the look of the suit.
It's constructed from genuine African lion pelts, meaning that, despite rudimentary attempts at ventilation, the heat under the lighting would have been intense.
The lot's important place in cinema history has resulted in strong past sales.
It was first sold to a collector for $2,400 in an MGM studio sale in 1970. More recently it was acquired by collector James Comisar, who added a waxwork head cast from Lahr's son Herbert (who is reportedly a dead ringer for his father).
Comisar went on to sell it for $826,000 in 2006, equating to growth of 17.6% pa to date.
While Bonhams has yet to make an estimate available, the costume was valued at $1.5m-3m in 2011.
Profiles in History's upcoming sale of movie memorabilia includes a jacket Orson Welles wore in Citizen Kane.
We have this superb signed photograph of Judy Garland available.
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