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Lot #11. HOWARD HUGHES | OWNED AVIATION PHOTOGRAPHS FROM COMPANY HEADQUARTERS
A top selection of the most interesting lots from Spotlight: History & Technology and Trader Vic's Tiki Paradise.
13007 S. Western Avenue, Gardena, California 90249
Phone 310-836-1818 | Fax 310-742-0155
July 11, 2024
Lot #117
A white metal sign featuring the original Trader Vic's logo of a Papa New Guinean mask with a spear and club and cut copper letters that read "Trader Vic's" above an arrow pointing to the right.
53 x 41.5 inches
PROVENANCE Property from the Trader Vic's Beverly Hilton
Lot #11
A collection of four framed large-format vintage photographs that were originally displayed on the walls of Howard Hughes' headquarters at 7000 Romaine Street in Los Angeles during the late 1940s through the early 1950s, and later relocated to Hughes' offices in Las Vegas in the late 1960s.
Photos Include:
Hughes standing next to the Hughes H-1 Racer Aircraft, in which he broke the Transcontinental Flight Record for the second time, in 1937, flying from California to New Jersey in 7 hours and 28 minutes.
The Northrup Gamma 2G Aircraft, in which Hughes first broke the Transcontinental Flight Record in 1936, flying from California to New Jersey in 9 hours and 27 minutes.
The Hughes XF-11 experimental reconnaissance aircraft in flight. Hughes would nearly lose his life after crashing an XF-11 into a house in Beverly Hills after engine trouble.
The Hughes H-4 Hercules prototype strategic airlift flying boat, commonly known as the "Spruce Goose."
The photos were obtained by Hughes' former chief executive of Nevada Operations, Robert Maheu, who was later fired by Hughes.
Accompanied by four notarized statements signed by Rich Burgel verifying the origin of the photos and that they were purchased from Maheu in 1999, together with four Letters of Provenance signed by the current owner, who purchased them from Burgel in 2014.
Framed: 24.5 x 28 inches (each); Sight: 15.25 x 19.5 inches
Lot #15
A hand-carved wood tiki panel featuring carvings of Polynesian people.
37.5 x 13 x 5 inches
PROVENANCE Property from the Trader Vic's Beverly Hilton
Lot #4
A vintage cream-colored crepe shirt with coconut shell buttons, bearing a "Made in Hawaii" label. Displayed on the left chest pocket of the shirt are the embroidered initials "H.H." for Howard Hughes.
The shirt was originally auctioned off in 1976 by the widow of Colonel Walter C. Fain, former commander of a military base in Phoenix, Arizona during World War II. Fain won the shirt in a craps game against Hughes, who humorously gave Fain the shirt off of his back in lieu of payment
Accompanied by a handwritten letter from Fain's wife detailing the event, as well as a 1976 newspaper clipping featuring the shirt following its original sale at a KCET fundraiser auction, and two letters of provenance from subsequent owners.
No size present
Lot #42
A pair of ginger jar lamps with a Chinoiserie motif featuring birds and flowers.
Height, 34 inches
PROVENANCE Property from the Trader Vic's Beverly Hilton
