The gold-plated Hamilton watch from Dead Poets Society sold for $32,500. That’s 16 times its high estimate. It sat next to a watercolour by Gus Van Sant that fetched $90,000, a sum that dwarfs its $1,500 presale ceiling.
Sotheby’s wrapped up the sale in New York on October 4, 2018, four years after the actor’s death. The catalogue, titled Creating a Stage: The Collection of Marsha and Robin Williams, moved 300+ lots. This included personal watches, film props, and a Gryffindor robe worn by Daniel Radcliffe in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.
Marsha Garces Williams curated the items alongside her late husband. The couple amassed these objects during their marriage, blending Hollywood artifacts with personal interests like bicycles and furniture. The final hammer price of $6,088,250 beat the $4.6 million high estimate by a wide margin.
Who gets the money? Not just one charity. Proceeds flow to the Juilliard School, where Williams studied, establishing the Robin Williams Scholarship Fund as a permanent endowment. Other beneficiaries include the Wounded Warrior Project, the Challenged Athletes Foundation, the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Human Rights Watch.
The Van Sant painting, depicting a man in a boat from Good Will Hunting, was inscribed to Williams. It anchors the collection’s value in his Oscar-winning role as therapist Sean Maguire. For the families of sick children and injured veterans, this auction isn’t just nostalgia. It’s a direct line to funding their care and education.