Auctioneer Has Lots in Its Pouch

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Auctioneer Has Lots in Its Pouch
Captain Kangaroo

Brentwood auction house Nate D. Sanders Inc. has sold Oscar statuettes, handwritten poems by F. Scott Fitzgerald and trophies won by tennis legend Arthur Ashe.

But this week it auctions its biggest-ever single collection of memorabilia: nearly 1,000 items, divided into about 500 lots, all from the estate of Bob Keeshan.

You’d know him as Captain Kangaroo, host of the children’s TV show of the same name.

Keeshan died in 2004 and his family hired the auctioneer to sell all manner of Captain Kangaroo memorabilia, including the captain’s famous red jacket and side character Mr. Green Jeans’ denim outfit.

The massive collection is the result of the show’s longevity: New episodes aired from 1955 until 1984. Reruns continued until 1993.

“You have multiple generations of people who enjoyed Captain Kangaroo,” said Laura Yntema, auction manager at Nate D. Sanders. “This collection has a lot of items. We’ve handled big-ticket items before, but in terms of sheer volume, this is kind of unprecedented for us.”

Online bidding started last week. The auction closes Tuesday at 5 p.m.

Yntema said she expects a blue jacket worn by Keeshan during the first few seasons of “Captain Kangaroo” – when it was still broadcast in black and white – to fetch the highest price. She estimates it will go for between $10,000 and $20,000.

– James Rufus Koren

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