Al Capone's cocktail shaker and the claret jug from the Titanic: Amazing auction of art collector's trove

The private collection of Stanley Seeger will go up for auction next month

1,000 Ways of Seeing features hundreds of lots to be sold by Sotheby's

Seeger and his partner Christopher Cone used all of the items they owned

Admiral Nelson's teapot was used for afternoon tea, while Al Capone's cocktail shaker was used to make Bloody Marys

Eight 100-million-year-old dinosaur eggs and Orson Welles' personal draft script for the film Citizen Kane will also be up for sale







Al Capone's silver-plated cocktail shaker, an armchair once owned by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill and a cut-glass claret jug from the Titanic.

They are just three of the items from the private collection of American art enthusiast Stanley Seeger, described as the 'greatest of our time' and set to fetch thousands when they go up for auction.

Among the treasure trove is Orson Welles' personal draft script for the film Citizen Kane, which bears the director's amendments and is marked as 'Mr Welles' working copy'.

Lot 1 - American Gangster Al Capone's silver-plated cocktail shaker



Gangster: A silver-plated cocktail shaker given to American gangster Al Capone is one of hundreds of items from the collection of art enthusiast Stanley Seeger, to go up for auction next month

Inscribed: The cocktail shaker, which was given to Al Capone by his underlings, is engraved: 'To a Regular Guy from the Boys 1932' Present: Sotheby's employee Alice Bleuzen admires the shaker, which was given to Al Capone as a Christmas present. It is expected to fetch between £1,000 and £1,500 when it goes up for sale

The lot, which has an estimated price of £15,000 to £20,000, is part of a sale which features more than 1,000 items owned by the late art collector Mr Seeger.

Eight 100-million-year-old dinosaur eggs and a silver teapot which once belonged to Admiral Horatio Nelson, will also be up for sale.



Sotheby's auction house in London will host the sale on March 5 and 6.

Citizen Kane, which was released in 1941, has been voted one of the best films ever made.



It depicts the rise and fall of an ambitious tycoon modeled on the real figure of U.S. publisher William Randolph Hearst.

Lot 2 - Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson's silver teapot

Time for tea?: A bachelor teapot, dating from 1799, and owned by Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson will form part of the sale, entitled 1,000 Ways Of Seeing

Engraved: The tiny teapot is inscribed with the letter 'N' to denote its owner. The silver pot has been valued at £8,000 to £12,000



Lot 3 - A cut-glass Claret jug from the stricken RMS Titanic

Saved: A cut glass claret jug rescued from the RMS Titanic when it sank, is another of the lots on offer at the Sotheby's sale Historic: The glass jug bears the engraving RMS Titanic



Lot 4 - An armchair once owned by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill

Ministerial: Ms Bleuzen takes a moment to relax in an armchair once owned by British Prime Minster Winston Churchill. The chair is expected to sell for between £3,000 and £5,000

Lot 5 - Actor Orson Welles' personal working copy of the script for the film Citizen Kane

Cinematic history: Another lot, which is expected to attract high bids, is this working draft script for Citizen Kane. The copy, which was owned by the film's star Orson Welles, bears the directors amendments and is marked 'Mr Welles' working copy'

The script being sold - one of only two known surviving copies belonging to Welles - bears the movie's earlier title, American.



It was changed, in part, to distance the fictional Charles Foster Kane from Hearst.

Sotheby's director David Macdonald, who put together the sale, said Seeger often watched the movie, following along with script in hand.

Seeger, who died in 2011 at the age of 81, lived quietly but on a grand scale.



He and his partner Christopher Cone had 11 properties, including the Tudor manor house Sutton Place in southern England, once owned by J. Paul Getty.



All were filled with art and artifacts, as was Seeger's yacht which boasted a Cezanne on its walls.

Lot 6 - A painted relief by Evelyn Williams entitled Endless People

A work of art: A painted relief by Evelyn Williams entitled Endless People is part of the collection 1,000 Ways Of Seeing

For sale: The 1,000 Ways Of Seeing auction is taking place at Sotheby's in London on March 5 and 6



Lot 7 - A Faberge frame displaying a photograph of Emperor Nicholas I Lot: Another piece set to be sold is this Faberge frame displaying a photograph of Emperor Nicholas I in the uniform of a Field Marshal in the British Army

Lot 8 - Eight 100-million-year-old fossilised dinosaur eggs

Fossils: Eight 100-million-year-old dinosaur eggs are currently on display at Sotheby's ahead of next month's auction

The sale includes items from 50 countries, from Admiral Horatio Nelson's silver teapot to a claret jug from the Titanic and dinnerware by graffiti artist Keith Haring.

In his lifetime, Seeger sold major works including 88 Picassos that raised $32 million in 1993.



Mr Macdonald said he would get rid of collections when he considered them complete, or when works became too famous. Once, when a visiting paramedic recognized a Francis Bacon triptych hanging on a wall, Seeger decided it had to go.

Mr Macdonald said Seeger collected for pleasure and for fun. Every piece he added to his collection was used by himself and Cone during their day-to-day lives.

Lord Nelson's teapot was used for afternoon tea and the Al Capone cocktail shaker came in handy when Seeger or Cone fancied a Bloody Mary.



Proceeds from the sale will go to the Seeger Center for Hellenic Studies at Princeton University, of which he was benefactor.

Lot 9 - A selection of glassware



Worldwide: Items from all corners of the globe, from 50 countries, will be up for sale