David Lynchs Personal Effects Fetch $4.25 Million at Auction: Including Unfinished Film Scripts

The personal effects of the late film-maker David Lynch have been sold at an auction in Los Angeles, fetching a total of over $4 million. The highest bid of $195,000 went to scripts for his unrealised film project Ronnie Rocket, which he started working on after the success of his 1977 debut Eraserhead but shelved due to lack of financing. The auction, which took place on Wednesday, included almost 450 items, including props from Lynch's films, personal items such as video cameras and music equipment, his director's chair, two taxidermy deer heads, and his 35mm print of Eraserhead. The auction also featured his beloved La Marzocco GS/3 home espresso machine, which fetched $45,500 and is sure to produce a fine cup of coffee. Big-ticket items included scripts from the production of Mulholland Drive, which sold for $104,000, and for the pilot episode of Twin Peaks, which sold for $91,000. His director's chair, emblazoned with his name, fetched $70,000. The director's custom-built guitar with five fretted necks sold for $39,000, while his red curtain and black and white zigzag rug, in the style of the Black Lodge from Twin Peaks, fetched $32,500. The total amount raised at the auction came in at approximately $4.25 million, including auction house fees. The proceeds will go to Lynch's estate. Ronnie Rocket: The Absurd Mystery of The Strange Forces of Existence has accrued a cult status over the years due to drafts of the screenplay circulating on the internet. Despite Lynch's preference to keep his work under wraps until completion, elements of the story appeared in many of his subsequent film and TV projects. It's not known who bought the trove of scripts, or whether Ronnie Rocket might finally get his day on screen.