There was an auction yesterday of Johnny Cash memorabilia, and the hottest item ended up being a blue jumpsuit that Johnny Cash wore while rehearsing at Folsom Prison in California.
It went for $50,000.
The auction was held by Juliens Auction. You may remember them as the ones who auctioned off the chest x-rays of Hollywood icon Marilyn Monroe. If you don’t remember that, join the club!
So, yeah, Juliens had the auction, and beyond the blue jumpsuit, it’s fascinating to look through the list of Johnny Cash stuff for sale.
Some highlights:
His Air Force uniform sold for $11,520.
Johnny Cash’s 1968 passport sold for $21,875.
A letter from Kirk Douglas, offering condolences upon the death of Johnny Cash’s wife, June Carter, sold for $1,280. Kirk Douglas and Johnny Cash worked together on the 1971 western A Gunfight.
A letter from President Richard Nixon — but that’s not the interesting part. There were also notes by Johnny Cash about Watergate. Johnny Cash and Richard Nixon shared an attorney, you see.
Finally, a script for a run-through of Johnny Cash’s TV appearance on The Dinah Shore Show in 1975 — the “script” sold for $64.
Here’s a video of Johnny Cash on that show, performing his song “Strawberry Cake”: