![Bill and Joan Collins. Bill and Joan Collins.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/b58a2d47-fe53-496a-8abf-65496bf790fb.jpg/r0_0_1600_900_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Fans of the golden age of Hollywood and classic movie memorabilia, get your chequebooks ready.
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You can own a piece of Hollywood history with items ranging from movie posters to lobby cards, autographed Hollywood head shots, first-edition books, figurines, movie memorabilia and more.
Thousands of items from the late Bill Collins and his wife Joan's private collections will go under the hammer as part of an online auction.
Collins, known as 'Mr Movies' to generations of movie fans, was a renowned film critic, historian, television presenter and author who enjoyed a half-century long career.
![Bill Collins' collection of Hollywood memorabilia to go under the hammer Bill Collins' collection of Hollywood memorabilia to go under the hammer](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/nxytTGiVvgkfKtUJaBBBHD/05ee7f18-2664-4de8-81ee-c291217f034b.jpg/r0_0_962_609_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
The Berry resident died in his sleep in June 2019, aged 84.
Collins built a vast collection of books, photographs, publicity material and movie ephemera.
The items will be for sale as part of 'Bill Collins' Golden Years of Hollywood Auction'.
Both Bill and Joan Collins started the auction process with Theodore Bruce Auctioneers a few years ago, prior to his death.
"There are so many people who supported, followed and loved Bill, who may like to own some of his personal treasures," Mrs Collins said.
![Australia's 'Mr Movies' Bill Collins. Australia's 'Mr Movies' Bill Collins.](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/rdPnbxNSt95RbDXSGgzrdz/240f1c65-ca17-4ac2-8385-90398f76e3dd.jpg/r0_75_800_525_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
"Bill and I would often meet so many lovers of The Golden Years of Hollywood movies. Bill liked hearing the stories from fans about how the movies that he loved also touched their lives.
"One of Bill's prized possessions was his signed Olivia de Havilland photograph that hung in our foyer.
"He would often reminisce about the conversation that he experienced with her, over many meetings."
Another of Bill's most treasured items was his Gone With The Wind lobby cards.
"I remember the 2001 bushfires in the Blue Mountains where we lived," his wife said.
"We were forced to evacuate our beautiful home in Winmalee with very little notice. We fled with our beloved pets and Bill's precious Gone With The Wind lobby cards, and nothing more.
"We were lucky at that time our house was saved. This illustrates just how treasured these lobby cards were to Bill."
The auction will stream live from Sunday, October 18 at 2pm with a series of Timed Bid Auctions to follow every weekend until Sunday, November 29.
The auction items are now live and open for bidding via the theodorebruceauctions.com.au website.
"Once every few years we get to work on a collection that everyone seems to enjoy - this is one of those collections," James Badgery at Theodore Bruce Auctioneers said.
Collins had cited that his obsession with cinema began with his first viewing of Gone With the Wind - which would become his favourite film of all time - at the age of 10.
A passionate fan of Hollywood's Golden Age, Collins delighted in presenting on television the movies of a bygone era to be watched at home.
In 2009, Collins was inducted into the TV Week Logies Hall of Fame.
The Collins family has also donated books from Bill's library collection to the Australian Film, Radio and Television School in Sydney.
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