'Gone with the Wind' memorabilia draws top dollar up north

ATLANTA - An off-white cotton petticoat worn by Vivien Leigh in ``Gone with the Wind&#39;&#39; didn&#39;t garner the highest bids at a Christie&#39;s New York auction - a wool sweater did. <br> <br> The sweater, worn by actress Olivia de Havilland, went for $16,730 at Wednesday&#39;s auction of the most comprehensive collection of ``Gone with the Wind&#39;&#39; memorabilia. More than 348 lots, everything from scripts to board games and Madame Alexander ``Scarlett&#39;&#39; dolls, were on the block at Christie&#39;s offices in Rockefeller Center. <br> <br> By day&#39;s end, 98 percent of the lots had been sold, for a total of $334,588, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported in Thursday&#39;s editions. <br> <br> ``This is the first time Christie&#39;s has dedicated a full auction to one film,&#39;&#39; said spokeswoman Bendetta Roux, adding that it was ``an exceptional collection.&#39;&#39; <br> <br> Former Hollywood makeup artist Jim Tumblin snapped up the sweater for his ``GWTW&#39;&#39; Movie Museum in Marietta, Ga. <br> <br> The piece appeared in two key scenes: when de Havilland meets Ashley at the train station and when she accepts Belle Watling&#39;s money for the hospital. It was expected to sell for about $6,000. <br> <br> The items, assembled over 40 years by Sharpsburg resident Herb Bridges, included coveted treasures like Spanish movie posters and signed first editions of Margaret Mitchell&#39;s novel to seats from Loew&#39;s Theatre, site of the 1939 Atlanta premiere. <br> <br> Bridges, 72, said it was a difficult decision to get rid of most of his collection, but he didn&#39;t want to burden his children with everything. <br> <br> A hardcover copy of the novel signed by the film&#39;s major stars and owned by actress Ona Munson, who portrayed Watling, drew the second-highest bid at $11,352. <br> <br> Other best-sellers included publicity photographs sold at $7,767 and the petticoat worn by Leigh. It sold for $6,572. <br> <br> Some bids were made in advance by mail or e-mail, or by telephone. Fans were eager to get their hands on anything. <br> <br> ``I would love to have Rhett&#39;s vest or any of Rhett&#39;s clothes,&#39;&#39; said Ann Rossi of Glenside, Pa. ``I have always adored this movie since I was 7 years old and I especially adore Clark Gable.&#39;&#39;