10 history-making objects from the 20th century

Extraordinary artefacts of American culture define The Jim Irsay Collection, which, alongside his world-famous guitar and music collection, includes literature, movie and sports memorabilia that shaped the post-war era. From Secretariat’s saddle to Hunter S. Thompson’s ‘Red Shark’, original film scripts from Rocky and Scarface and more, each artefact in the collection is a piece of history. With a portion of the proceeds going to philanthropic organizations Irsay championed, this sale is about passing the legacy forward. Read more about 10 objects from unforgettable moments that shaped 20th-century pop culture.

Jim Irsay’s first major acquisition was the original typed draft of Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, one of the most celebrated and provocative artefacts of American literary history, which he purchased at Christie’s in 2001. Widely recognised as the Father of the Beat Generation, Kerouac famously typed the manuscript in a frenzied 20-day burst in New York in April 1951, using a continuous 119-foot scroll of paper he fashioned himself to allow uninterrupted typing. The single-spaced text, devoid of paragraphs and marked with cross-outs and pencilled revisions, offers insight into the author’s creative process, including his choice to fictionalise the story. The manuscript was exhibited in the 1996 exhibition Beat Culture and the New America: 1950-1965 at the Whitney Museum of American Art.

Nicknamed ‘The Red Shark,’ this cherry-red 1973 Chevrolet Caprice classic convertible, powered by a 454 V-8 engine, was owned by author Hunter S. Thompson and stands as a defining artefact of Gonzo journalism and Hollywood memorabilia. Presented to Thompson by friends in 1991 as a realisation of the rental car immortalised in his book Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972), Thompson’s convertible then appeared in Terry Gilliam’s 1998 film adaptation and featured on the covers of Thompson’s subsequent books Better Than Sex (1994) and Hey Rube (2004). The Shark’s adventures were also chronicled in Thompson’s memoir Kingdom of Fear (2003), numerous articles, and the recollections of friends including Johnny Depp, Ralph Steadman, Walter Isaacson and Bill Murray.

This custom-made saddle owned and used by Hall of Fame jockey Ron Turcotte aboard the record-setting Secretariat ranks amongst the most significant pieces of equipment in thoroughbred racing history. Handcrafted in Kentucky shortly before the 1972 Blue Grass Stakes, the leather saddle features integrated pockets designed to distribute lead handicap weights evenly, earning its reputation as Turcotte’s ‘big race’ saddle. It was worn throughout Secretariat’s celebrated 1972 and 1973 seasons, including the 1973 Triple Crown as well as numerous major stakes victories across North America. Turcotte also used this saddle in landmark wins aboard Secretariat’s stablemate Riva Ridge and other champion horses, further cementing its extraordinary racing provenance.

The 1970s-era Mead spiral-bound notebook contains early handwritten notes and dialogue by Sylvester Stallone for the Oscar-winning film Rocky (1976). Comprising 29 pages in Stallone’s hand, this supreme example of Rocky memorabilia includes original plot ideas, scene outlines, dialogue passages and character development concepts, with numerous edits, annotations and revisions throughout. The notebook offers a rare inside look at the creative genesis of one of the most enduring films in American cinema.

This Edmonton Oilers jersey is the very one worn by Wayne Gretzky as he made his 500th NHL Goal on 22 November 1986. He also wore it for Game 7 of the 1987 Stanley Cup finals, when the Oilers defeated the Philadelphia Flyers to earn their third Stanley Cup in four seasons on 31 May 1987. Accompanied by detailed photo matching information and authentication documents, the jersey is a testament to what made Gretzky the leading career point scorer and assist producer in NHL history.

In 1974 Steve Jobs wrote and signed this letter to his childhood friend Tim Brown. It reveals a more candid, intimate side of the visionary Apple founder. Written in response to a letter from Brown sharing thoughts on Zen Buddhism, Jobs’ letter discusses his desire to travel to India for the Kumba Mela, a Hindu pilgrimage and festival celebrated approximately every 12 years. It’s postmarked a day before Jobs turned nineteen, when he returned to the San Francisco Bay area after dropping out of Reed College in Portland and working on a commune and apple farm. The important missive dates to the period when Jobs started working at Atari, a video game company led by Nolan Bushnell, while saving money for his trip to India. There is no return address on the envelope because he had no fixed address at the time.

This red-and-blue-stitched E. Barnard American League baseball autographed by Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig dates from the Yankees’ ‘Murderer’s Row’ era. Named for the New York team’s phenomenal lineup of Earle Combs, Mark Koenig, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Bob Meusel and Tony Lazzeri, the era saw the club score almost 1,000 runs in 1927 alone. Housed in its original box, this ball is in unusually excellent condition for such an artefact.

Jackie Robinson’s well-utilised bat displays evidence of ball marks and stitch impressions on the barrel, as well as a handle crack secured with heavy tape. Records peg this piece definitively to the 1953 Major League Baseball season — almost a decade after he became instrumental in the racial integration of MLB — as it was the only year Robinson requested the O16 model. The bat also displays the legendary Brooklyn Dodger’s number ‘42’ handwritten in black paint on the knob.

This served as Al Pacino’s personal shooting script during production of the Brian De Palma-directed 1983 crime drama Scarface, which forever changed the gangster movie genre. Pacino played Cuban immigrant Tony Montana, who ascended through the Miami crime scene to become a powerful drug lord. Several annotations in this 168-page volume include line changes and phonetic spellings to help the actor perfect his Cuban accent. This script was originally gifted by Pacino to an assistant at his production company, Chal Productions. The film’s title is embossed on the cover in gold-coloured lettering.

The ‘Golden Ticket’ from Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (1971) is immediately recognizable to generations — adults and children alike. Starring Gene Wilder in one of his most beloved roles, the movie became a cult classic. The prop ticket instructs the lucky finder to present it at the factory gates at 10 o’clock in the morning: ‘In your wildest dreams you could not imagine the marvelous SURPRISES that await YOU!’ Wonka factory tour and chocolate empire inheritance not included.