Every collector wishes for a time machine.
The chance to go back and stop your parents from throwing out that Jordan rookie card. Maybe keep that original Mario Bros. sealed game or get a baseball signed by Roberto Clemente.
It’s an endless game of what-if that can never be a reality.
But what if you could live the life of a fictional character and collect items from his or her journey?
There’s only one option: Forrest Gump, the man who lived through every major event and met many historical figures of the late 20th century.
From teaching Elvis Presley to dance to playing football for Bear Bryant, Gump had a chance to build the greatest collection known to man.
As the movie “Forrest Gump” turns 30 this weekend, we’re doing a retrospective … with a cllct twist.
What if Forrest Gump was a collector (and maybe could sort of see the future)?
In the mid 1950s, a pre-fame Elvis Presley stays at the Gump boarding house. Gump inspires the hip-swinging moves used by Presley in his performances of his song “Hound Dog.”
Around that time, Elvis would have been traveling around with his 1942 Martin D-18 guitar, which he used to record some of his most famous early songs. Collector Gump would surely have identified the potential of the young singer and had the wherewithal to convince Presley to gift him the guitar.
Considered one of most important guitars owned by “The King,” Gump would have done well to hold on to it. In 1993, it sold for $152,000. Then, in 2020, it sold again for more than $1.3 million.
When Gump makes the University of Alabama football team in the early 1960s, playing under coach Bear Bryant and alongside Joe Namath, his opportunities would be off the charts.
A team-signed football is never a bad place to start. Definitely grab that and stash it away back at the Gump house. But maybe the best opportunity would be nabbing Joe Namath’s game-worn jersey from the Tide's 1964 national championship season. It would be incredibly easy as jerseys were rarely thought of as anything special. Gump could just ask the equipment manager.
Today that jersey could be worth upward of $250,000.
Why stop there? Ask Bryant for the houndstooth hat off his head, too. One sold for $28,000 in 2021. Worn during a national title season? That’s six-figures easy.
Moving on …
Time for Gump to meet his first president, John F. Kennedy, in a ceremony at the White House honoring the year’s All-America team. It took place just weeks before JFK’s assassination, so even a run-of-the-mill autograph would become an irreplaceable collectible given it would be among Kennedy’s last.
But that’s a bit morbid.
How about Collector Gump merely engages in a few federal crimes? The White House is full of important and valuable stuff to steal. A pen from the resolute desk? A Kennedy-signed letter to Gorbachev? Maybe, if he could fit it, Gump could manage to sneak out with the famous portrait of George Washington, which First Lady Dolley Madison saved from a British ransacking in 1814.
Considering a portrait of Dolley just sold for $456,000 and another portrait of Washington from the same artist sold for $2.83 million in January, it would make for a nice keepsake.
After Gump returns from Vietnam, he finds his way to a “Vietnam Veterans Against the War In Vietnam” rally next to Abbie Hoffman. Should be easy enough to have Hoffman sign a first-edition copy of his first book (or, in this case, pamphlet) “F--- the system.”
On his next visit with a president, Gump should certainly add to his autograph collection with a signature from Lyndon B. Johnson. Of course, Gump would keep the Medal of Honor the president bestows on him. Worth noting, it’s illegal to sell Medals of Honor in the U.S. (though, if you were so inclined, one sold in Germany for more than $15,000 in 2020.
As Gump’s ping-pong career takes off, and President Nixon sends him to play in China, a Mao Zedong-signed pin-pong paddle would be a must. Signed copies of Mao’s “Little Red Book” fetch upward of $250,00, and while a table tennis paddle is a slightly different animal, Mao’s signatures are so incredibly rare, it would certainly be worth a fortune. Even a menu signed by the Chinese leader sold for $275,00. This might or might not have to do with rumors of the Chinese government purposely propping up the prices of Mao-related items to honor his legacy.
Next, Gump enjoys his new-found celebrity as a guest on the “Dick Cavett Show” alongside John Lennon. During the show, Gump inspires the lyrics to Lennon’s “Imagine,” which would come out a few years later. Now, while it might not be in the collecting spirit to get litigious, Gump certainly has a claim to copyright infringement of some sort.
But, rather than sue Lennon, perhaps it would be best to arrange a gentleman’s agreement: Gump agrees to drop any claims to the rights to the song in return for Lennon’s Patek Philippe 2499, one of the most famous and valuable watches in all of horological history. The watch, which was famously captured on Lennon’s wrist in a photo shortly before his death, has become one of the great stories in the entirety of watch collecting.
The rare Patek pictured, limited to just 349 examples produced in total, was a 40th birthday gift from Yoko Ono and is considered "by many to be the ultimate Patek Philippe, capturing old-world charm with modern wearability,” Hodinkee founder Benjamin Clymer wrote. After believed to be lost for many years, it surfaced recently due to a series of court disputes. Experts have estimated its value to be as high as $40 million, making it the most valuable wristwatch on the planet.
Once again, Collector Gump meets a president, this time in the form of one Richard Nixon, who awards Forrest the "U.S. Member of Table Tennis of the Year, 1971", while giving him a room in the Watergate Hotel.
Here, Gump has a few options. The Nixon autograph is a no-brainer. But what about the Watergate access? Perhaps it would be prescient for Gump to save his room key from the evening (which happens to coincide with the Watergate burglaries). Maybe he offers up his services to Woodward and Bernstein, earning a presentation copy of the first-edition of “All the President’s Men,” signed by both journalists. A rare copy of that significance in fine condition is easily worth a few thousand bucks today.
As 1975 arrives, Gump famously invests in Apple, or as he calls it “some kind of fruit company.”
The Apple part of the story is admittedly a little bit of a mess.
The letter that Gump finds in his mailbox is dated Sept. 23, 1975, which is problematic because Apple wasn't incorporated until 1977. But let's say Gump was Apple's first investor. That would line up with Mike Markkula, who invested a little less than $100,000 and secured a line of credit for 26 percent of Apple. If he held that today, Forrest Gump would be the richest man in the world ($884 billion) by a mile.
Besides for the wealth Gump would have accumulated through the years, this sort of access to the early days of Apple offers the greatest chance imaginable for a tech collector.
Collector Gump’s wisdom would, of course, mean he would save his original stock certificate, have Jobs sign it and date it to April 1976. For good measure, Gump would hang on to a Jobs-signed business card from the early days as well.
Jobs signatures are absurdly valuable. A business card dated to 1983 with Jobs’ autograph sold for a record $181,183 in March. With a six-year head start, Gump’s 1977 example would crush this 1983 copy.
Plus, Gump’s wisdom would lead him to purchase at least one of every Apple product ever released, and, when relevant, keep them sealed. A highlight would be an original Apple I computer, one of just 200 produced in 1976. A working example sold for $323,789 in March.
Plenty of other products over the years would make Gump into the most prolific Apple collector in history, including the Apple Lisa, iPod and more. But to bring things to more recent days, it could have been Gump’s decision to buy an original iPhone in 2007 — the rarer 4GB version of course — and keep it sealed along with its original Apple Store bag, receipt and a letter of provenance from his friends at Apple that could make for the best short-term flip.
Sealed iPhones have sold for as much as $190,000+ in recent years. The Gump provenance would certainly command a premium.
Finally, Gump’s jog across the country and his burgeoning relationship with Nike, which would certainly bloom thanks to the free press the company earns as a result of Gump wearing the Nike Cortez sneakers. As a prominent figure and veritable American folk hero, it would seem only natural for Collector Gump to sign a deal with Nike. But not for cash. Gump would want a pair of the legendary prototype Moon Shoes, credited with the invention of the waffle iron sore, of which just 12 were made. In today’s market, we’re talking over $200,000.
As Collector Gump’s journey concludes, it's time to take stock of his collection (and its value).
- Elvis’ 1942 Martin D-18 guitar: $1.3 million+
- Joe Namath’s 1964 National Championship jersey: [$250,000+]
- Bear Bryant’s Houndstooth hat worn during the 1964 National Championship ($100,000+)
- JFK autograph, weeks before assassination ($10,000)
- George Washington portrait from White House ($2.83 million)
- Abbie Hoffman signed first-edition copy of “Fuck the system.” ($2,000)
- LBJ autograph ($5,000)
- Mao Zedong-signed pin-pong paddle ($200,000+)
- John Lennon’s Patek Philippe 2499 ($40 million)
- Nixon autograph ($500)
- First-edition signed “All the President’s Men” ($3,000)
- Early Apple stock certificate signed by Jobs ($300,000)
- Early Jobs signed business card ($200,000)
- Apple I Computer ($300,000+)
- Sealed 4GB iPhone ($150,000+)
That's more than $45 million of collectibles in current value!
Along with a collection rivaling the likes of Jim Irsay or the late Paul Allen, Gump would also be the richest man on earth, thanks to his Apple investment.
So, Collector Gump would have no problem picking up a few additional T206 Honus Wagners to boot.
Will Stern is a reporter and editor for cllct.