Great news for Roy Rogers fans, after being stuffed and mounted and on display for more than 40 years in a museum, Roy Rogers' horse, "Trigger," and his wonder dog, "Bullet," will be TV stars once again. Isn't that great?
Trigger and Bullet were both sold by Christies Auction House in New York on July 14 to RFD-TV, a rural cable television station in Omaha, Neb.
The television station will soon be airing Roy Rogers movies on Saturday afternoons, starting Nov. 6. Roy Rogers' son, Roy Jr., will introduce each film, as Trigger and Bullet stand in the background.
Trigger and Bullet were not the only items that were auctioned off by Christies Auction House in New York, from the now closed Roy Rogers and Dale Evan's Museum in Branson, Mo.
Rogers' silver jeep, "Nelly Belle," usually driven by Pat Brady in Rogers' movies, was sold to an auction bidder in Pennsburg, Pa., for $116,500. That was first estimated to bring only $20,000 to $30,000.
Dale Evans' stuffed horse, "Buttermilk," sold for $25,000, and Triggers' body double named, "Trigger Junior," also stuffed, sold for $18,750.
Rogers' 1964 Bonneville Convertible once driven in a Fourth of July parade in Ripley, W.Va., and adorned with collectible silver dollars, sold for $254,500.
Readers, remember the flower straw hat that Trigger wore in some of Roy Rogers' movies? It sold for $2,750. There was a local Parkersburg guy bidding by telephone on the hat, but lost out to a higher bidder.
The hand drawn music and lyrics to, "Happy Trails," that I mentioned in last week's column that was estimated to bring $500 to $1,000 sold for $27,500.
Roy's first cowboy boots set in bronze sold for $7,500.
A replica of Roy Rogers' childhood home in Lucasville, Ohio, sold for $500, including hundreds of other items to numerous too mention. No items in the auction went unsold. The auction grossed $2.98 million.
Readers, today I'm still trying to find out what happened to the 1923 Dodge that I have a photo of that Roy Rogers' father drove from Portsmouth, Ohio, down old Route 66, all the way to California in 1929.
I'm interested in knowing what happened to this automobile.
Larry Koon is the author of several price guide books on antiques and collectibles. His column appears every Monday on Life. Send letters to Treasure in the Attic, c/o The Marietta Times, 700 Channel Lane, Marietta 45750; or e-mail him at koonantiques@yahoo.com. When writing, send a complete description of the item, along with size, color, any markings on the item along with condition the item is in, and how the item was obtained, and any other information. If possible, send a photograph. Letters will be answered through this column.
