'Wizard of Oz' Cowardly Lion costume exceeds expectations at Bonhams auction

The Cowardly Lion costume from the original 1939 Wizard of Oz film has sold for over $3 million at the Bonhams auction in New York on Monday, put on in conjunction with Turner Classic Movies.

It was estimated that the costume, worn by Bert Lahr and made out of authentic lion skin, would go for $2 million. A previously sold secondary Cowardly Lion costume sold for $1 million. However, it was sold for $3,077,000, including a buyer’s premium of $477,000.

The costume had been discovered in the ‘70s in an abandoned MGM lot. Los Angeles TV museum founder James Comisar had bought it then and had it stored safely by museum curators until now.

NBC News reports the costume was among other Hollywood items sold during the auction.

People notes the piano from Casablanca, played by Dooley Wilson, sold for $3.4 million. It had been owned by a Los Angeles-based collector and built in 1927.

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