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Marty McFly's (Michael J. Fox) screen-matched Erlewine Hondo Chiquita guitar from Robert Zemeckis' Back to the Future. This guitar screen-matches to the first shot of McFly as he plugged his guitar into a super amplified speaker in Emmett "Doc" Brown's (Christopher Lloyd) lab and strummed it with a metal plectrum, blowing the speaker.

As the highest grossing film of 1985, Back to the Future remains a popular cinematic touchstone with an extensive cultural legacy. Upon release, it received four nominations for the 43rd Golden Globe® awards and five nominations for the 39th British Academy Film Awards®; won three awards at the 13th Saturn Awards®; and received a prestigious Hugo Award® for Best Dramatic Presentation. In 2007, BTTF was selected by the United States Library of Congress for preservation for being culturally significant. The New York Times also singled out Back to the Future as one of the 1,000 Best Movies Ever in 2004.

This distinctive Erlewine Chiquita travel guitar, the one and only example used during production, was personally selected by Zemeckis for one of the most remembered scenes in film history. It originated directly from John Zemansky, prop master for all three films in the franchise. The guitar's wooden body is painted yellow, strung with six metal electric guitar strings, and stamped "Chiquita Travel Guitar" in silver on the peghead. Its output jack is hand-marked "ACE 01" - likely for "American Cinema Enterprises" - in what is believed to be Zemansky's handwriting.

Also included is a burnt sienna velour-lined hard case, a miniature amp with the Chiquita logo over the speaker, four trading cards, and one hex key. This lot exhibits a crack in the amp, discoloration and grime buildup on the case, and some scuffing on the guitar. Dimensions: 9" x 27" x 3" (23 cm x 68.5 cm x 7.75 cm)

Contains electronics; see electronics notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Estimate: $100,000 - 200,000



View all lots from BACK TO THE FUTURE (1985)

View all lots from BACK TO THE FUTURE - ALL ITEMS