Wax Museum auctioning off old celebs

NEWBURY PARK, Calif. At a warehouse in /*Newbury Park*/, some showbiz movers and shakers are definitely not moving or shaking. They're all former headliners at the Wax Museum. Over the years, as the museum fills up with new waxy celebrities, the old stars pile up in storage.

"Cher, Michael Jordan, Steven Seagal, Elizabeth Taylor, it goes on and on," said Aileen Stein from the Hollywood Wax Museum.

But the storage room doesn't go on and on, so the folks at the Wax Museum are more or less holding a celebrity auction. The difference is this time you get to keep the celebrities, some of whom go back decades. Take a look at Kareem Abdul Jabbar's short shorts for evidence.

"The Hollywood Wax Museum opened in 1965 on Hollywood Boulevard, so a couple of the figures, like Muhommad Ali and Sammy Davis Jr. were made by High Sky Chief, one of our original sculptors in the 60s," said Stein.

More than 200 of the figures are hitting the auction block, including stars like /*Tom Hanks*/, /*Brad Pitt*/ and /*John Travolta*/. These are guys that get $20 million a film, and they can be yours for just a fraction of that.

"They're going to start at about $1,000 for individual," said Marc Kruskol from Profiles in History. "As a group, they'll probably start at about $8,000."

Unlike Yoko Ono, the auctioneers are not going to break up The Beatles. Ben, Hoss and Little Joe from the TV show "Bonanza" also come as a matched set.

Here's the beauty of it -- these celebrities don't need to be pampered.

"They're quite durable," said Stein. "In fairly heated conditions as well as cool conditions, dusting them, making sure they don't get nicked or cracked, are the main ways to take care of them."

With that kind of ease of use, you too can be a Hollywood handler -- and be able to wax nostalgic from the comfort of your own home.

Visit LiveAuctioneers.com to bid on the Wax Museum statues


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