Recognize this former president? Wax figures of all 44 go on the auction block
If you happen to be in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, this weekend, you could have a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: the chance to bid on George W. Bush. And then put him wherever you want. As long as it's air-conditioned.
Gettysburg's Hall of Presidents and First Ladies wax museum has closed down. And Saturday, all the goods — including the noble, dusty, somewhat terrifying wax men and women within — are to be auctioned off.
We have all 44 presidents. We have the first ladies, which are about a third of the size. They come in about three-foot-ten-inches tall.- Randy Dickensheets, auctioneer
Randy Dickensheets will be the auctioneer. He spoke with As it Happens guest host Helen Mann from Gettysburg. This is an edited version of their conversation.
Randy Dickensheets: We have full-sized presidents from George Washington straight through to Barack Obama — we have all 44 presidents. We have the first ladies, which are about a third of the size. They come in about three-foot-ten-inches tall. And they're dressed in their inaugural gowns.
HM: What kind of condition are they in?
Everything is there except for Mr. Thomas Jefferson, [who] is missing his left hand. And nobody knows where it went.- Randy Dickensheets
RD: They're in nice condition. But like all museums, they went through some restoration, some changes — even to the point where they had the heads redone by another sculptor.
RD: Everything is there, except for Mr. Thomas Jefferson, [who] is missing, I believe, his left hand. And nobody knows where it went. It's always been that way. It's just not there.
HM: Are there any that, in particular, stand out to you as maybe not looking so accurate, as being a bit off?
RD: Bill Clinton doesn't quite look like Bill Clinton to me. But, you know, maybe another person might see Bill Clinton in that. There are some that look real well, such as Dwight Eisenhower. He looks really good. Most of 'em, I think you can tell who they are. However, there are some that you would have to maybe have an imagination.
HM: Why are the first ladies all the same size and so tiny?
RD: Well, they didn't have room in this particular museum to make them all full size. So they made them smaller. They were more, really, going after the dress. They were more trying to capture the inaugural gowns than anything.
HM: I have to say, I'm not really a wax museum person. Do any of these give you the heebie-jeebies?
RD: Well, I don't know if it's because this is the third museum [I've done] that had wax figures in the last three years. The first one did, but I'm getting used to 'em now. They're part of the family.
HM: So who are the folks that you think are going to be interested in buying these figures?
RD: I can tell you there's some distant relatives of the presidents and first ladies that have some interest in some of them. I can tell you there's other museums that are interested in them . . . We have some professional people that are interested — such as attorneys and things that would love to have one in their office.
HM: How much do you think they're going to go for?
RD: Well, that's the million-dollar question there . . . There's nowhere to find anything like this. It's what I call a 'guesstimate.' I would guesstimate that the average one will go from between $1,000 to $5,000. But it will not surprise me that people bid . . . even up to $20,000 for one. Because if you want one, this is it.
HM: Which president do you think is going to be most popular and which first lady?
RD: I'm just gonna go with Abraham Lincoln. I would think Jacqueline Kennedy is going to be pretty popular.
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity. For more on this story, listen to the full interview with Randy Dickensheets.