The story of Kathryn and Bing Crosby is a Hollywood classic. The power couple enjoyed an enduring partnership in their 20-year marriage with a shared passion for entertainment, art, memorabilia and philanthropy, all of which will be wonderfully reflected in the private collection curated by Sotheby’s and offered for auction this December in New York.
Few voices evoke nostalgia quite like Bing Crosby’s song, White Christmas. This timeless ballad of longing, warmth and hope remains one of the most famous songs of the 20th century, symbolising the quiet joy, reflection and sentimentality of the festive season. Much the same, Sotheby’s upcoming auction offers a similar spirit, a ‘White Christmas’ moment where history, sentiment, and elegance converge in a rare collection of the Crosbys’ personal treasures.
In celebrating and extending the legacy of the Hollywood legend, the auction house has worked with the Crosby children to preserve and share the memories of their parents, who touched the world in countless ways, inspired generations and shaped the golden age of American entertainment.
Drawn from the Crosby family’s private holdings, the collection brings to light a remarkable ensemble of pieces amassed by the couple over decades, including fine art, furniture, jewellery and rare Fabergé creations that reflect the stars’ shared life and passions and highlight both the glamorous world that the Crosbys inhabited as well as the stories behind the collections.
The Swinging on a Star sale offers an intimate glimpse into the legacy of two Hollywood greats, with a total worth estimated at $7 million. The collection will be offered on 18 December at the Breuer Building – Sotheby’s new headquarters on New York’s Upper East Side. Timed to the festive season, a moment forever linked with Crosby’s classic charm, the auction is set to deliver both glamour and nostalgia in equal measure.
At the heart of the upcoming auction is a selection of furniture from the Crosbys’ Northern California home, a Norman-style estate just outside San Francisco, recently sold for $25 million. This was where the couple raised their family and settled into a quieter pace of life as Bing began to step away from the spotlight. Among the highlights is the grand satinwood piano featured in High Society, used in the jazz number composed by Cole Porter and performed by Crosby and Louis Armstrong. Later acquired by the Crosbys for their own home, the piano now carries an estimate of $20,000 to $30,000.
It is the Fabergé pieces that marked life's biggest milestones for Bing and Kathryn Crosby, though. Kathryn preferred the artistry of the brand and chose an enamelled stickpin as her first Fabergé present from Bing Crosby, a gift which marked a lifelong passion where every special occasion for the couple was celebrated with a piece of Fabergé.
Seven lots from the Russian jeweler are part of the New York auction, including a pearl-set photograph frame in lime green enamel showing the couple in a warm embrace, a lilac pill box reminiscent of an Imperial Egg gifted by Nicholas II in 1907 and two whimsical creatures – a quartz lion and a sapphire mouse – symbolising the couple’s shared wit and deep affection for each other.
Among other personal treasures in the Crosby auction is a rare Patek Philippe dome table clock, made in gilt brass and adorned with a cloisonné enamel scene depicting a championship golf course. To commemorate Bing Crosby's charitable work, the dome table clock was presented to him by close friends to mark the 25th anniversary of the Pro-Am golf tournament established in his honour. The clock belongs to Patek Philippe’s celebrated Pendulette Dôme series, introduced in the mid-20th century, showcasing the maison’s mastery of cloisonné enamel. It carries an estimate of $15,000 to $25,000.
As delighted as Kathryn Crosby was with her Fabergé pieces, she was equally enamoured with and truly proud of her precious jewels, which are second to none in terms of artistry and provenance. The most historically significant entries in the Crosby auction are a pair of 18th-century diamond dress trimmings from the Russian Imperial Jewels that once belonged to Empress Catherine the Great. Crafted by Louis David Duval of Geneva – jeweller to the Empress from 1764 and a resident of St Petersburg for over three decades – these rare pieces are survivals of Imperial Russia’s decadence.
The first pair, dating to 1780, comes in the form of ribbon-tied closed flower buds, set with delicate old-cut diamonds and mounted with gold pins. It is estimated at $20,000 to $30,000. The second piece, also attributed to Duval, is shaped as a half-open flower, set in silver with gold fittings and carries an estimate of $8,000 to $12,000.
Forming part of an important assemblage of Russian state jewels, these pieces were acquired by Mr and Mrs Harry L. Crosby in 1967, bearing witness to tangible history, imperial grandeur and the Crosbys’ deep appreciation for provenance.
They met on the site of Paramount Studios in 1953 and four years later, they were married.
At the time, Crosby was already a box office sensation with millions of records sold, while Kathryn Grant had just arrived in California after securing a contract with Paramount.
Singer, actor, and leading figure in radio and television, Bing Crosby remains one of the most influential entertainers of the 20th century, with a career spanning over five decades during which he topped the charts 44 times, won an Academy Award for Going My Way, and starred in 104 films, including White Christmas and High Society.
Kathryn Crosby also enjoyed a successful career as an actress and television host, appearing in more than twenty films, including The 7th Voyage of Sinbad and Anatomy of a Murder. A regular presence on Bing’s beloved holiday specials, she later turned her focus to philanthropy and hosted the Crosby National Golf Tournament.
Sotheby’s New York auction celebrates not only the Crosbys’ univocal contributions to culture and entertainment but also the enduring spirit of a true Hollywood love story, reflected in the art and objects the couple cherished most.
The exhibition will be open to the public at Sotheby’s New York galleries in the Breuer building from 13-17 December, offering collectors a chance to experience these extraordinary works firsthand, before the hammer’s final fall on 18 December.