Celebrity chattels - Real treasure or just fan's obsession?

Why do trivial items of a celebrity fetch huge amounts? Because of fan fidelity, isn't it?

Bitney Spears, the American pop singer, dancer and actress might have enjoyed many bubble gums in her early age. However, after she shot to fame, bidding on one piece of gum chewed and spat out by the pop princess, reached $14,000. Read on further with awe.

Rontgen must have been very proud to have invented a devise that could show the working of our inner body parts without cutting through the flesh. More proud were however fans who bought Marylyn Monroe’s X rays of her chest, almost after six decades of that discovery, for an unusual amount of $45,000.

The boy at the hair saloon goes on wiping out the hair after each cut. The celebrity hair is nevertheless a commodity not to be left at the mercy of the broom. Elvis Presley’s hair had been put up for auction, fetching $40,668.

Lady Gaga, celebrated singer accidently lost her artificial gold acrylic nail on stage after a performance. The manager put it up for auction. A devoted fan gladly offered $12,000 for the deal.

How do you figure out these acts? Bouts of idiosyncrasy, eccentricity or fan’s craziness.

Show business, passion or fan following. Whatever way it is classified, the celebrity status undoubtedly puts a huge premium on the sale-able items belonging to a legend. Signed letters, autographs, photographs, clothes, boots, hats, musical instruments, sports goods, comics, the list may just be endless.

An assortment of such merchandise may be seen coming under the hammer at tailored events or on the Net. Generating a unique appeal, these items, touched by fame, turn into significant memorabilia. The fans just sprint for them at slightest indication of these being put up on sale. In fact, labeling the articles as merchandise is more or less downgrading their worth. These are, so to say, storehouse of goodwill, measuring up to a legend’s fame.

Among the dedicated aficionado, the passion to acquire a celebrity’s possessions may just be endless.

Not very long ago, a news report revealed that the Rock legend Billy Joel smashed his Citroen and that the remains of the wreckage were being put up for auction on the Web. Shelling out huge amount for vintage cars is common knowledge but going in for a twisted and dented vehicle sounds nothing short of idiosyncrasy.

The craze to treasure a celebrity’s chattels with or without any intrinsic value or utility probably empowers the raison d’être of the fans. It is a fascination, rather it is an obsession.

In such a fanfare and fan following, the variety on display is bizarre. The amounts remitted at the fall of the hammer are also exorbitant. Many illustrations on such transactions have been highlighted earlier in the story. Still, many more such dealings make an interesting reading. A painting of JFK by Norman Rockwell fetched £ 134,500. The proceeds of Marilyn Monroe memorabilia totaled $ 13,405,785. Surprisingly, even her Driver’s license fetched $ 1, 30,000. A jacket belonging to Rock legend late Jimi Hendrix was auctioned for £ 35,000. A 1939 comic book Detective No.27 featuring first appearance of Batman was sold for $1 million. There are examples galore of many hues and shades in such acquisitions where enthusiasts have invested without batting an eyelid.

Undoubtedly, therefore, a legend in any field serves the society at large, both while living as well as posthumously. Hats off to them. But here, think a while for the outpouring of generosity on the part of the fans. They respond in droves whenever there is a call for raising a charity for a social cause. Why do such trivial memorabilia attain huge worth? Undoubtedly because of the fan fidelity!

The Indian scene on such celebrity auctions had been dormant for many years. It however caught attention of organisers and some e commerce sites after huge calamities like Gujarat earthquake and the tsunami hit the country.

The Indian film industry came forward and raised a huge amount as a result of many star’s fans spending generously on such events as a ‘concert’ or ‘meet your star’ shows. Unlike West where celebrity articles are grabbed on auctions, the craze in India is more on meeting the celebrity than on acquiring their belongings. Therefore, the events like ‘A day on the sets with SRK’, ‘A gym session with Salman’, ‘Breakfast with Akshay’ or ‘High tea with Aishwarya’ are more popular than memorabilia auctions.

Well, a very noble feature in most of such auctions is that the proceeds are meant to serve humanitarian and social cause, a charity towards welfare of the downtrodden or medical relief to the needy such as a fight against cancer, an AIDS awareness programme, literacy drive or a drive against drunken driving or to rehabilitate animals. Although the bid started at just $6,700 but was sold for cool and the money raised was gone There may however be stray cases where investments are made with a commercial angle.

Studies have revealed that the fans get attracted towards celebrities as they consider that the superstars are gifted with qualities that they (the fans) desire for themselves. Such fans also get their motivation through their star’s tendency to fantasize. They also feel materially deprived or losing grip of life’s essentials. They therefore try to take refuge in their celebrity persona by acquiring their chattels. They carry a notion that their star represents a world which is full of hope, cheer and optimism.

Undoubtedly, therefore, a legend in any field serves the society at large, both while living as well as posthumously. Hats off to them. But here, think a while for the outpouring of generosity on the part of the fans. They respond in droves whenever there is a call for raising a charity for a social cause.

Why do such trivial memorabilia attain huge worth? Undoubtedly because of the fan fidelity!

And what do these enthusiasts get in return? Not even a name. Just a collective identity �" ‘Fans’ �" ‘Freaks’ �" ‘Crazy Bidders’ or the term ‘Fandom’.  Spare some thoughts for such buffs.

Three cheers for ‘The crazy bidders’.