Fans of the 1964 holiday-cartoon Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer have a chance to purchase some of the most classic pieces of holiday memorabilia.
Peter Lutrario, the owner of the Rudolph and Santa puppets, is selling the pair that appeared on the Rankin/Bass TV special and asking for $10 million in an eBay auction.
The auction allows bidders to “make an offer,” which could result in the the puppets being sold for a lot less than $10 million.
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Lutrario says that the puppets were restored to “new like condition in 2007.” His friend sold Rudolph and Santa to Lutrario around 2010.
Lutrario also told CNN in 2015 that the pieces brought back childhood memories.
“It was like seeing old friends!” Lutrario exclaimed.
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Lutrario’s eBay description says that Rudolph’s nose lights up and that all authenticated certificates are included with the purchase.
Rick Goldschmidt, a Rankin/Bass expert, said you can’t put a price on these classic puppets. Goldschmidt used to bring the puppets to events and said that the pair are two of several puppets used in the creation of the special.
“No one’s going to pay $10 million,” Goldschmidt said. “Not even a museum or the Smithsonian.”
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Goldschmidt also said that he’s “sad to see the puppets being put on eBay.”
If the puppets do sell, Goldschmidt hopes Santa and Rudolph are sold to a museum so fans of the classic Christmas TV special, which used a stop-motion technique called Animagic, can go visit them.
“People love to see them. It’s something that’s a treasured part of Americana,” he said. “I’d like to see it in a museum — not in someone’s briefcase.”
Lutrario’s auction closes on Dec. 25 at 11:59 PM ET.
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