‘Casablanca’ Piano From 1942 Hollywood Classic To Be Auctioned In New York By Bonhams

Correction: In this story, it was incorrectly reported that a piano from the movie Casablanca, which was sold at a Sotheby’s auction in 2012, will go on sale again in November. According to Turner Classic Movies, the piano that fetched $602,500 when it was last sold at the 2012 auction is different from the one that will be auctioned in November by Bonhams. However, both pianos were used in the movie.

An iconic piano from the 1942 Hollywood classic “Casablanca” will be up for sale at a film memorabilia auction in New York in November, media reports said Monday, citing Bonhams, a British auction house.

The piano is expected to be one of the highlights of 30 items from the classic World War II drama put up for sale by a private collector. The piano, which is one of two featured in the film, makes an appearance in a cafe owned by Rick Blaine, played by actor Humphrey Bogart, and is the one on which the signature song "As Time Goes By" by singer Dooley Wilson, is played in the film. The musical instrument is expected to fetch a seven-figure amount.

"Bonhams is thrilled to represent this remarkable Casablanca collection, certainly one of the most significant film memorabilia collections still in private hands," Catherine Williamson, director of Entertainment Memorabilia at Bonhams, reportedly said.

The piano fetched $602,500 when it was last sold at an auction in 2012, below Sotheby’s estimated range of $800,000 to $1.2 million.

The auction, which is being conducted by Bonhams and Turner Classic Movies, on Nov. 24, will also reportedly feature interior and exterior doors from the Casablanca nightclub, where Bogart and Ingrid Bergman, who portrays the character of Ilsa Lund Laszlo, meet to revive their romance again.

Other "Casablanca" items for sale reportedly include signed photographs of cast members, documents created for the film, and the final draft of the original screenplay.

According to Reuters, the auction will also include costumes worn by Barbra Streisand in the films "On a Clear Day You Can See Forever," "The Way We Were" and "Yentl."