David Lynch's Stuff Heads to Auction

David Lynch’s death this year at the age of 78 brought to an end one of the most singular filmmaking careers in recent memory. Besides his work in film and television, Lynch’s artistic endeavors encompassed everything from books about meditation to an extensive discography. What happens to the accumulated possessions of an artist like that once their time on Earth is over?

In the case of Lynch, at least some of his gear is heading to auction. On June 18, Julien’s Auctions and TCM are teaming up for an auction titled Julien’s & TCM Presents: The David Lynch Collection, which will allow for both live and online bidding. As per the auction’s website, the items offered will include “artifacts from all aspects of Lynch’s personal creative life” — and that’s far from an understatement.

If you’ve ever wanted to own Lynch’s personal print of his debut feature Eraserhead, that can be yours if you have the high bid. (Currently, bidding is at $15,000.) Multiple guitars are in the mix, as are prop menus from the Winkie’s Diner scene in Mulholland Drive, otherwise known as the most terrifying scene ever committed to film.

One item in particular neatly summarizes Lynch’s historical and moral interests. It’s a collection of signed books from his collection that encompasses everything from Stephen Mitchell’s translation of Lao Tzu’s Tao Te Ching to Eva Brewster’s Vanished in Darkness: An Auschwitz Memoir.

As befits the co-creator of a show whose protagonist had a penchant for damn fine cups of coffee, this auction also feature a lot of coffee-related objects and devices. It will probably not surprise you to learn that David Lynch owned multiple espresso grinders; the “coffee” section of the auction also includes more quotidian machinery, including coffee makers from Mr. Coffee and Keurig.

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Lynch’s gravesite at Hollywood Forever Cemetery was revealed earlier this year, including an inscription on his gravestone that paid homage to a particular smell that can be found in the air around Los Angeles. That, too, is part of his legacy — though this auction offers a connection to a more tactile part of Lynch’s body of work.