Margaret Mitchell Archive, ca. 1935
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APPRAISER:
You brought some very interesting "Gone with the Wind" material. I wonder if you could tell us a little about where you found it.
GUEST:
My husband's a mechanic, and a lady he needed to do a motor job for, she didn't have the money, and she had this stuff. She wanted to do the barter system, and he said no.
APPRAISER:
Uh-huh.
GUEST:
So she sold it to me for $400, and she gave him the money, and I wound up with this stuff.
APPRAISER:
Yeah, and I understand your husband made you go to the bank, take out a loan for it.
GUEST:
Yup, I paid for it for a year. Yes, sir.
APPRAISER:
Well, you got some interesting material. And the first thing we have is actually a program for the original premiere of "Gone with the Wind" in Atlanta. And that's nice in and of itself. You see here it's the premiere, and the original ticket stub. But what's more interesting is the fact that this woman actually knew Margaret Mitchell. And we have a first edition of "Gone with the Wind." It says May 1936. But it's also inscribed by the author, Margaret Mitchell, and it says here, "To Vivian Ladiday, with much love from Margaret Mitchell." Now, that's good, but what's even better are the personal letters. And this is one here. And what's interesting about this is, the letter says-- it's talking about her fame. After she wrote "Gone with the Wind," and the movie was coming out, how it changed her life, and this is something-- she almost went into seclusion afterwards, because of the amount of attention. It says here, "For nearly a year, "everyone I've ever known has brought "or tried to bring their friends to meet me. "Utter strangers have descended on me in scores, "and people with letters of introduction "have arrived unexpectedly in the firm belief "that I would give them a day or two. "You cannot imagine "how bad the last year has been, "or the unbelievable numbers of people who have been on our doorstep." And what's interesting about this is that the letters are of such a personal nature, and there's two more of them, here.
GUEST:
Yes.
APPRAISER:
Now, have you ever had these appraised at all?
GUEST:
Not yet.
APPRAISER:
Just the $400 that you got to pay for them?
GUEST:
Right.
APPRAISER:
Well, of course, "Gone with the Wind" is always collectible, it's always in demand, especially here in the South-- it's very important. And because of the personal nature of the letters, they're even signed "Peggy" rather than "Margaret," which is very nice. I would place everything, as a whole, if they were to come up at auction, at $6,000 to $8,000.
GUEST:
Wow.
APPRAISER:
Yeah? (laughs) A little bit better for the $400 investment, right?
GUEST:
Yeah.
APPRAISER:
Okay. Well, thank you very much for coming.
GUEST:
Okay, thank you. (laughs)
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