It turns out the late TCM host Robert Osborne was gathering more than hot scoops and exclusive interviews when he wrote 's Rambling Reporter column from 1988 to 2007. He also amassed a museum-size stash of memorabilia that will hit the auction block Oct. 10.
Among the prized possessions — inherited by Osborne's three nieces — are a gold record album that once belonged to Samuel Goldwyn, a copy of his own 1979 history of the Oscars book signed by more than 380 stars, and even an Oscar statuette .
Other items expected to drum up high bids include an original movie poster from the 1949 Gary Cooper film; a signed photo of Babe Ruth; and a guest program from the Academy’s Second Anniversary Oscar Awards Banquet on May 16, 1929, at the Roosevelt Hotel. “I was overwhelmed and in awe at the same time,” Zahajko adds of his reaction to seeing what Osborne had collected during his lifetime. “The one thing I’ve learned about him through his letters is how much he was loved and respected by everybody in the business. He had a connection with so many actors and actresses but also producers and movie companies. He was considered the historian of the Oscars, and I don’t know if there will be a better historian of film than him.