This lot will be auctioned on Sunday, November 6th. The auction will begin at 3:00PM GMT and lots are sold sequentially via live auctioneer; tune in to the live streaming broadcast on auction day to follow the pace. Note other lots in the auction may close on Thursday, November 3rd; Friday, November 4th; or Saturday, November 5th.

Hand-painted concept artwork for an R2-D2 radio created and manufactured by Coca-Cola Japan to promote George Lucas' Star Wars: A New Hope. Coca-Cola released a limited number of R2-shaped AM radios for a sweepstakes in 1977. The original radio products are extremely rare.

This lot comes from the collection of the film's advertising and publicity supervisor Charles "Charley" Lippincott, who was gifted it in Japan during the film's promotional world tour. It features a mixed media R2-D2 illustration rendered on paper and overlaid with vellum, then applied with printed labels reading "Station Selection," "Light," and "On/Off Volume." The artwork exhibits creasing and folding, and the labels are coming loose. Dimensions: 26.75 cm x 35.75 cm (10.5" x 14")

Sold without copyright; see notice in the Buyer's Guide.

Lots in this section of the auction come from the collection of Charles “Charley” Lippincott. Lippincott is considered among the foremost marketing and merchandising experts in the history of fantasy and science-fiction. After an early start in traditional Hollywood publicity, his career exploded when college friend George Lucas hired him as Lucasfilm’s VP of Advertising, Publicity, Promotion & Merchandising, a role he used to create arguably the most successful – and bombastic – marketing campaign ever for Lucas’ 1977 blockbuster Star Wars. Lippincott subsequently masterminded the publicity strategies for such era-defining properties as Ridley Scott’s Alien and Mike Hodges’ Flash Gordon. The popularity of these projects further propelled him into the top ranks of film executives, leading him to produce Danny Cannon’s cult classic Judge Dredd.

While Charley Lippincott passed away in 2020, his personal collection of rare unseen production and marketing materials reflects a legacy of influence on some of cinema’s most memorable titles. All auction registrants will also be entered into a random giveaway drawing to win a T-shirt or brochure produced by Lippincott for the 2016 convention MidAmeriCon 2 (“MAC II”) which re-united Gary Kurtz, Alan Dean Foster, Marc Pevers, and Gary Kurtz. The giveaway is made possible by Lippincott’s estate.

Estimate: £1,000 - 1,500 Ω

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