Event Details

JULIEN'S AUCTIONS IS PROUD TO PRESENT "A SOUTHERN GENTLEMAN'S COLLECTION: THE PERSONAL PROPERTY OF GOODMAN BASIL ESPY III, MD", AN AUCTION TAKING PLACE IN BEVERLY HILLS AND LIVE ONLINE AT JULIEN'S LIVE ON THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH.

Goodman Basil Espy III, M.D., is the definition of a true “Southern Gentleman.” He has spent a lifetime procuring countless treasures based on his varied, cultured, and idiosyncratic tastes. 

In this multi-volume catalogue set, you will find that his items create bridges from one passion to the next. The collection highlights Dr. Espy's love for Sports, Hollywood (in particular, the one and only Marilyn Monroe), and varied other passions included in the “Vault” section, boasting historical documents, vintage radios, and more – an archive of incredible rarities spanning his seventy years of collecting.

Known to his family and friends (who number in the thousands) as “G.B.,” Dr. Espy's love of artifacts with a story to tell is unmistakable. Growing up with a mother who owned an antiques shop, he was inspired and introduced to the world of memorabilia at a young age.  The magnetism and magic of these artifacts and the stories that went along with them had a profound influence on the future medical doctor.

Though he began his collection with college football memorabilia, namely from his beloved "Georgia Tech" and from southern legend, Alabama State University, Dr. Espy quickly branched out. He began collecting other colleges’ football memorabilia as well as from sports, such as baseball and boxing.  Above all, Dr. Espy fell in love with items from the best of the best: Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Ty Cobb, and Knute Rockne, to name a few.

Between working full-time at the successful OB-GYN medical practice he founded in Marietta, Georgia in 1967, traveling the world on numerous medical and humanitarian missions, running over 80 marathons (including 4 Boston and 34 New York City ones), and participating in and contributing to dozens of charities and educational groups, G.B. still found the time to buy hundreds of objets d’art.

Born and raised in Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Espy's hometown love of Atlanta is clearly evident in the offering of a 1974 Hank Aaron Braves jersey and hat. A pair that will undoubtedly gain worldwide attention, this jersey and hat represent a year in which Aaron broke the home run record and unseated the previous record-holder, Babe Ruth.

Dr. Espy's love for sports is illustrated far beyond the city of Atlanta, particularly as it relates to those two iconic baseball teams in New York. Among the many remarkable lots offered in the Sports Collection will be a pair of Casey Stengel 1962 Home and Away coaching uniforms as well as one of Babe Ruth’s 1938 coaching uniforms.

Also featured among our highlights, the selection showcases a 1933 Major League Baseball contract from the Iron Horse himself, Lou Gehrig.  

Another exceptional highlight and one of the finest examples of Sports and Hollywood coming together is the Marilyn Monroe and Joe DiMaggio dual-signed baseball.  With these offerings serving as merely the tip of the iceberg, this collection represents a love for football, basketball, boxing, and beyond.

For the lovers of Marilyn Monroe, this sale is truly one of a kind.  From the USO tour jacket she proudly wore to visit the troops to her Department of Defense ID card allowing her to go on her honeymoon and visit those same troops, these items tell extraordinary stories of the life of one of Hollywood's most beloved icons.  If you want a deeper look into the Blonde Bombshell's social life, Dr. Espy has you covered with the offering of Marilyn Monroe’s address book!

The Southern Gentleman’s Collection - the “Vault” - is sure to compel and fascinate those who love history, travel, and high-end valuables.  The vintage radios, like the Air King Skyscraper and Emerson Little Miracle, are standout features of a collection that is truly remarkable.  Hand signed letters from E=MC² himself, Albert Einstein, will give buyers a rare and unique chance to truly own a piece of history related to the sciences.

Julien’s Auctions is proud to present “A Southern Gentleman’s Collection: The Personal Property of Goodman Basil Espy III.”  As he has always done throughout his life, Dr. G.B. Espy wants to share with others.  With this auction event, he is sharing his lifelong collection and welcoming a new generation of collectors to get as much love and excitement out of his pieces as he, his family, and guests have for decades.  G.B. is excited to see the next generation of popular culture stewards come forward to care for and enjoy these iconic pieces with stories and history woven into them, just as Dr. G.B. Espy  and his countless number of friends and family have over many decades.

“I would hope that people who would gain ownership of them would have the respect that I’ve given them.  I’m important only that I’ve taken them from one point in time to another point.  My name or anything else pertaining to me is not important.  I’ve just had the pleasure of being the custodian and I would hope people would gain them would have the pride of being the custodian to also push them to the next generation.”

- Goodman Basil Espy III, MD

If you can't make it out to Beverly Hills to bid in person, you can still watch all the action as well as bid online at Julien's Live!

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