Welles’ ‘Citizen Kane’ Oscar sells for $861K
December 21, 2011 8:12PM
Orson Welles directs a scene from “Citizen Kane.” | AP
Updated: January 23, 2012 11:03AM
LOS ANGELES — The Academy Award statuette that Orson Welles won for the original screenplay of “Citizen Kane” was auctioned for more than $861,000 Tuesday in Los Angeles.
A Nate D. Sanders Auctions spokesman said magician David Copperfield was among the bidders from around the world vying for the Oscar.
The auction house declined to release the highest bidder’s name. It said only a handful of Academy Awards have sold for nearly a million dollars.
The 1942 Oscar was thought to be lost for decades. It surfaced in 1994 when cinematographer Gary Graver tried to sell it. The sale was stopped by Beatrice Welles, Orson’s youngest daughter and sole heir.
Copperfield, who was outbid in the auction, said he admires Welles. AP
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