On Saturday, November 21, 2015, collectors and fans of Walt Disney will have a rare opportunity to attend “Collecting Disneyland, “ an auction to take  place at Van Eaton Galleries, one of the world’s premier   animation   artwork   and   collectibles   galleries   located in Sherman Oaks, California.

 

The massive collection is predominantly comprised of memorabilia and artifacts from three of the world’s most prominent collectors of Disney related items. Collectors Kevin Doherty, Jim Felicita and Jim Owen have all spent their lives on a quest to preserve the history and legacy of Walt Disney. Their collections represent some of the most fascinating and rare items ever to be offered to the public in one auction. These collectors have painstakingly preserved the history of Disneyland and Walt Disney’s through their vast collections which have been acquired over several decades.  

 

With memorabilia dating from the very beginning of Walt’s planning to his expansions in Florida and beyond, this one-of- a-kind rare exhibition and auction is an unprecedented glimpse into the life of Walt Disney, his close group of original Imagineers and the initial plans for Disneyland, and the amazing legacy he left behind.

 

Collector Kevin Doherty preserves and restores every item in his collection of rare Disneyland ride cars. In this case the PeopleMover cars,  The Space Mountain car and the rare Skyway Bucket car amongst many other display items included in the auction. Jim Owen’s passion for collecting Disneyland original posters turned into one  of the largest collections in the world and includes many one-of-a-kind works of art from the park. Collector Jim Felicita will tell you the story of going to Disneyland in 1956 as a child and experiencing the Flight to Moon ride. This moment opened a passion for the Space program which later led him into a successful career in the Aerospace industry.

 

“I remember being fascinated by the posters that greeted us when we visited Disneyland as a child twice a year,” said collector Jim Owens. “Little did I know then that my appreciation for these posters would develop a vast collection that would help preserve the early history of Disneyland.”

 

“True collecting is not just gathering pieces you like to look at or items that others find valuable,” said collector Kevin Doherty. “True collecting is about preserving, sharing and appreciating the art, history and human accomplishments that are represented in the collection.

 

In all over 800 piece of memorabilia will be offered over one day beginning at 10:00 a.m. at Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California on Saturday November 21, 2015. Other highlights include original and one-of-a-kind concept drawings, some of the earlies concepts of Tomorrowland, early costumes, an original Disneyland park flag and a photo of Walt Disney holding that flag,  original souvenirs, an audio animatronic head and other artifacts from the actual attractions in the park, photos, original art, toys and much more. The collection also includes some items from Walt Disney World in Florida.  The auction represents a total of 20 collectors with the vast majority of the items coming from the three prominent collectors Doherty, Felicita and Owens.