NEW YORK (ACNI) – At a Sept. 24 auction at Guernsey’s, Oscar-nominated actor Leonardo DiCaprio was among a group of buyers paying $305,000 for a falcon statuette used in the 1941 film-noir classic The Maltese Falcon. The price included a 22% buyer’s premium.

The person actually lodging the bid was billionaire Stewart Rahr, owner of pharmaceutical and generics wholesaler Kinray, the largest privately owned pharmaceutical distributor in the world. Reportedly, both Rahr and DiCaprio were in attendance at the 123-lot auction titled “Iconic Objects and Documents.”

The resin falcon, weighing 4 pounds 5.4 ounces and standing 11½ inches tall, was discovered in New Jersey in 1991 by Emmy-winning producer/director Ara Chekmayan. Recognizing the Warner Brothers “WB 90456” serial number scratched into the base, Chekmayan began to research the figure extensively. He found that among those familiar with the production of the film, the consensus was that the resin copy was, indeed, the falcon that appeared in several 8- by 10-inch publicity photos taken on the set of the film and held in the hands of the film’s star, Humphrey Bogart.

Internet live bidding was provided by LiveAuctioneers.com. View the fully illustrated auction catalog complete with prices realized online at www.LiveAuctioneers.com.

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