Ted Nugent is auctioning off an arsenal of rare guns, guitars and other personal items, ranging from his custom Dodge Hellcat Challenger, to a cut-out of late al Qaeda terrorist Osama bin Laden.
The eight-foot-tall cut-out of Bin Laden is among more than 400 unique items owned by Mr. Nugent, a rock musician and conservative activist, set to be sold under the hammer soon by Burley Auctions.
Mr. Nugent, 71, used the Bid Laden cut-out as a stage prop on several tours, according to the auction house. He fired arrows at it from a U.S. flag pattered bow during concerts, Burley Auction said.
Burley said the U.S. flag bow “used to shoot Bin Laden” is being auctioned as well, along with over 200 other weapons owned by Mr. Nugent, a longtime board member for the National Rifle Association, or NRA.
Numerous firearms owned by Mr. Nugent, including various Glocks, rifles and Uzis, are among the other weaponry up for auction, as are boxes of ammunition, multiple hunting knives and additional bows.
Several of the guns were given to Mr. Nugent, include a Smith & Wesson presented by the rock band KISS after they toured together. It is engraved with “Kiss Crew” and “Preciate The Hospitality.”
Other items being auctioned include dozens of instruments from Mr. Nugent’s personal collection, including rare and one-of-a-kind items custom made specifically for the “Cat Scratch Fever” guitarist.
Among the instruments up for grabs are several prototypes made for Mr. Nugent by the Paul Reed Smith guitar company in Maryland, as well as valuable Gibsons and Fender guitars from the 1950s.
One of the Paul Reed Smith guitars is autographed by the guitar company’s namesake and comes with a letter he wrote to Mr. Nugent: “Ted Here is a good idea of a starting point for a guitar for you.”
Two of the Gibsons – Les Pauls from 1958 and 1959 – are each expected to sell at auction for upwards of a quarter of a million dollars, making them among the most valuable items up for bidding.
Other items expected to bring in high bids include Mr. Nugent’s 1968 Ford Bronco Half Cab truck and his custom 2015 Dodge Hellcat Challenger. Each vehicle owned by the so-called “Motor City Madman” is expected to sell for at least $50,000.
“All personally owned by Ted & covered with Nugent mojo,” Burley said about the items up for auction.
It was not clear why Mr. Nugent had decided to auction so many of his belongings. Of the more than 400 items, the product descriptions for five — two guitars, two jackets and a fiddle signed by late country musician Charlie Daniels — say the proceedings from those specific auctions will go to the Ted Nugent Kamp for Kids, a non-profit corporation charitable organization in the rocker’s name.
The Bin Laden cut-out has a starting price of $500 and is estimated to sell for as much as $5,000. The product description says that Saddam Hussein is “underneath” Bin Laden, suggesting the prop likely saw ample use on stage. Indeed, affixed to the back of the cut-out is an old, worn-out sheet of paper referencing “Damn Yankees” – a rock group that Mr. Nugent toured and recorded with in the 1990s.
An outspoken conservative, Mr. Nugent previously contributed opinion pieces for The Washington Times. More recently, he performed at several rallies held last year in support of former President Trump’s ultimately unsuccessful reelection bid.
The auction is scheduled to take place March 27 in Waco, Texas.
• Andrew Blake can be reached at ablake@washingtontimes.com.
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