LOS ANGELES, CA.- The 65th anniversary of Disneyland theme park in Anaheim, California is this month. It is a one for millions of fans worldwide, and an important milestone in the history of American pop culture. With Disney theme parks closed across the globe due to the pandemic, Van Eaton Galleries will celebrate the anniversary of Disneyland with an exciting free exhibition and auction. The auction event “Disneyland: The First 65 Years” will take place at Van Eaton Galleries over two days, Saturday, August 15th, 2020 and Sunday, August 16th, 2020 beginning at 10:00 a.m. each day. The on-site auction will follow all COVID-19 guidelines. The auction house will also stream the auction live and bidders can participate by phone or online.

The collection to be offered includes over 1,100 rare artifacts which trace the history of the iconic theme parks and Walt Disney’s vision from their inception to present day. Many of the items are coming to public display and auction for the very first time. The items include some of the earliest documents and conceptual pieces representing Walt’s visions for Disneyland and Walt Disney World, as well as extraordinary theme park props, ride vehicles, audio-animatronic figures, hand-painted attraction pieces, very rare early documents, remarkable memorabilia, signs, and more.

Walt Disney theme parks have welcomed over 200 million visitors since they opened and Walt Disney park-related memorabilia remains one of the hottest collectibles of the last several decades, with prices increasing more than 500% on many items over the last five years. The vast array of items to be offered at auction will surprise even the most avid collectors. Several iconic pieces in the collection date back to 1954, a full year before Disneyland opened. The collection also includes ephemera, stage-worn articles, artwork, programs, souvenirs, and more. Also featured in the “Disneyland: The First 65 Years” auction will be several items from Walt Disney World, Disneyland Paris, Disneyland Tokyo and Hong Kong Disneyland. An unusual item in the auction is a very rare sign for Don DeFore’s original Silver Banjo Barbeque. DeFore was a famous actor in the 1950s and 1960s and was a close friend of Walt’s. He opened a restaurant called Don DeFore’s Silver Banjo Barbeque and it was the only place in Disneyland that had the name of a living person on it other than Walt Disney. They are featured in the book “Growing Up Disneyland” and have never gone up for auction before.




Highlights include stage and screen star Don DeFore’s original signage for his “Silver Banjo Barbeque” restaurant in Frontierland (Estimate: $60,000-$80,000), this sign represents the only person other than Walt Disney that had his name on a sign in Disneyland; a unique 1955 Disneyland Plot Plan created as part of an engineering report (Estimate: $3,000-$5,000); an extremely rare Gold VIP ticket to the park’s opening day (Estimate $3,000-$5,000); a collection of never-before-seen 16mm films taken by Disney Legend Milt Albright that showcase locations on Main Street as they appeared when the park first opened (Estimate: $500-$800); an original hand-painted “Stretch Painting” from the Haunted Mansion at Walt Disney World (Estimate $60,000-$80,000); an original Space Mountain Ride Vehicle from Disneyland (Estimate $40,000-$60,000); original Attraction Posters from Disneyland (Estimates $8,000-$15,000); a Walt Disney Signed Disneyland Guidebook (Estimate $4,000-$6,000); a park used It’s a Small World Attraction Poster (Estimate: $2,000-$4,000); an original Haunted Mansion Tombstone Prop (Estimate ($8,000-$10,000), and hundreds of other items.

Walt Disney’s words from the dedication of Disneyland on July 17, 1955, have never been truer than they are today: “Disneyland is dedicated to the ideals, the dreams, and the hard facts that have created America; with the hope that it will be a source of joy and inspiration to all the world”

Other highlights include an original Eyvind Earle concept painting for the Sleeping Beauty Castle walk-through (Estimate: $10,000-$15,000); a rare Shooting Gallery rifle from the Main Street Shooting Gallery (Estimate: $3,000-$5,000); a hand-painted Fountain Shield prop from the Enchanted Tiki Room (Estimate: $3,000-$5,000); an It’s a Small World Animatronic Doll (Estimate: $15,000-$20,000); a Dumbo the Flying Elephant prop (Estimate: $1,000-$2,000); original paintings by Imagineer Walt Peregoy from the park’s opening year (Estimates: $2,000-$4,000); early Club 33 artwork (Estimate: $600-$800); a Haunted Mansion Ghost Maquette (Estimate: $1,000-$2,000); an original hand-drawn mock-up of the Pirates of the Caribbean souvenir guidebook (Estimate: $3,000-$5,000); a 1954 original concept drawing of Tomorrowland (Estimate: $8,000-$10,000); an original Epcot Center overview prepared for President Jimmy Carter (Estimate: $3,000-$5,000); and much, much more.

Our “Disneyland: The First 65 Years” auction showcases the history of Walt Disney’s original vision for his park, and its growth to today. This collection brings together a massive and varied array of artwork, props, original paintings and drawings, memorabilia, and collectibles from the most famous family of theme parks in the world. The auction offers the excitement of very rare items never sold before at auction, but also evokes a sense of nostalgia and sentimentality for those artists and performers whose work helped shape and define our popular culture. We are honored to be able to offer such remarkable items to fans and collectors around the globe and to be able to offer this collection during the 65th anniversary of Walt Disney’s original theme park, Disneyland.” – Mike Van Eaton, Co-Founder, Van Eaton Galleries

The “Disneyland: The First 65 Years” auction covers decades of Disney history, from the 1950s through today. The extraordinary collection has taken years to amass and comes from ex-employees of the park and their families, as well as from avid collectors and enthusiasts around the globe. Van Eaton Galleries will conduct the two-day auction on-site, online, and by phone. Interested bidders are encouraged to register early.