Silent Ebay Watch: Valentino's Spirit, Mabel Normand's writing, and some Theda Bara

I think someone was reading this blog after the last Silent Ebay Watch. I thought some of those items were funny...wait until you see what I dug up this time! Did you know you can buy Valentino on Ebay? I swear to God if this watch goes on 10 years I may never see anything this outrageous again...

*Disclaimer: I am not the seller of any of these items. And I am not paid or in the know of any of these sellers. Its allllll good.*



Mabel Normand Telegram to Doctor

Mabel Normand was pretty cool. She was the female Charlie Chaplin if you will. Unfortanitly that whole TB thing killed her off before the 30s had barely hit (Feburary 1930). The above telegram is listed at buy it now for $7,999. I doubt anyone will drop the money for it, but it would be pretty cool if you had a few thousand lying around to blow.

Theda Bara "Cleopatra" Original Poster Card

Speaking of bad ass Queen Theda has a card from her 1917 "Cleopatra" listed on buy it now for $250. That picture is exactly why Theda is my new idol. She not only ate men she enslaved them too!!!

Natacha and Rudy Motion Picture Magazine 1923

Fittingly enough for Sheik Week a Valentino Motion Picture Magazine from September 1923 was recently auctioned off. It went for $63.75 (about triple what other standard mags from that period go for). I love that cover, just wish they'd lay off the lipstick on Rudy!

Theda Bara Autograph

Back to Queen Theda. I want her puppy! Anyways a 1920 autograph from her just went for $138.26. That's about on par with Mary Pickford's.

Son of the Sheik Original Italian Poster

Proof that the rest of the world is going crazy for Sheik Week we have TWO crazy ass Valentino items to top this edition off! First up is an Italian Poster for "Son of the Sheik" which is sincerly gorgeous (you may have noticed it round here). They wanted at least $800, but had buy it now for $1,000. They got neither.

The Craziest Fucking Valentino Thing Ever: *HAUNTED* Valentino Wax Dummy

Wow. Just wow. Words can not fully express how far people will go to sell junk. Usually I'd just sit here and be smart about it but please for all posterity let the auction description speak for itself:

"RARE! RARE! RARE! THIS ITEM WAS FEATURED IN A TV SHOW
CALLED 'HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD' JUST THREE YEARS AGO! LIGHTS....CAMERA.....ACTION!
RUDOLPH VALENTINO IS READY FOR HIS CLOSE-UP! THIS INCREDIBLE, ONE-OF-A-KIND HOLLYWOOD WAX FIGURE OF RUDOLPH VALENTINO WAS MADE IN THE EARLY 1920S. HE WAS DISPLAYED IN LONDON FOR DECADES. THIS BEAUTIFUL INCREDIBLE WORK OF ART WAS FEATURED THREE YEARS AGO IN THE TV SPECIAL 'HAUNTED HOLLYWOOD POSSESSIONS' PSYCHICS ON THE SHOW ALL AGREED THAT THE WAX FIGURE WAS INDEED HAUNTED, AND WAS FURTHERMORE THE MOST HAUNTED ITEM IN THE SHOW!!!!
RUDOLPH VALENTINO WAX FIGURE: This beautiful rare wax figure was on display for years at the McComber Historical Home Museum featuring "old Hollywood." He was also featured on the TV Show three years ago, "Haunted Hollywood Possessions."
1. NOTICE THE FACE OF RUDOLPH VALENTINO.....HIS EYES ARE LOOKING STRAIGHT AT YOU AND FOLLOW YOU NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO IN THE ROOM!
2. THE WAX FIGURE STANDS ABOUT 6' TALL. BEAUTIFUL old wooden body!
3. HE IS ALSO WEARING AN ANTIQUE/VINTAGE CAPE THAT WAS WORN BY RUDOLPH VALENTINO IN ONE OF HIS EARLY 'SHIEK' FILMS!
4. THE PIECE IS ALSO RUMORED TO HAVE VALENTINO'S OWN HAIR- AS VALENTINO WAS IN LONDON WHEN THE PIECE WAS MADE!
5. The piece is in great shape for it's age. Somewhere over the years he lost a thumb, but that does not detract from the value of this rare piece as that particular thumb cannot be seen as displayed.
6. Now is your opportunity for the rare Hollywood Collector to own a piece of "haunted" Hollywood in their home!
7. Great piece for a business; restaurant; or just keep him all to your self in your home!"

Umm. Now...Im sure that once Valentino died he said, "Huh...while Im not busy impregnating women years after I've died, making loons write out my grocery list, and haunting every where possible I think I'm going to get in that wax dummy and watch tourists with fanny packs gawk at me and wonder who I was..." (as for all the things said there stay tuned, we'll have an article on Valentino crazies later). I also have serious doubts it was made in the 20s or any time during Valentino's life, and I doubt a real Sheik cape is there on that dummy. Also Valentino may have balded but unless someone razored him before putting him in the crypt I doubt he had enough hair to donate to a wax figure.

However I will give an A for effort to try and unload a wax dummy on Ebay. Good for you Mr. Ebayer...it was a nice attempt. The bid price was $175,000 and the buy it now was $200,000...with 2 days to go as of this writing Im pretty sure no one will buy it.