Orson Welles' Oscar for Citizen Kane Fetches $861K

Unidentified fan snags the 1942 Academy Award for best original screenplay
By Dustin Lushing,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 21, 2011 1:57 PM CST
Orson Welles' Oscar for Citizen Kane Fetches $861K
Orson Welles directs a scene from "Citizen Kane" on location in Hollywood in July 1940, with cinematographer Gregg Toland handling the camera.   (AP Photo)

An anonymous bidder shelled out $861,000 for the Oscar that Orson Welles won for his original screenplay of Citizen Kane in 1942. The golden statuette was auctioned off in Los Angeles yesterday and attracted bidders from around the world, including magician David Copperfield, who was ultimately outbid by the unidentified winner, reports the AP. It's not an Oscar record: Michael Jackson once paid $1.5 million for the best-film award given to Gone With the Wind. (More Orson Welles stories.)

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