James Van Der Beek is auctioning off his personal collection of Dawson’s Creek and Varsity Blues memorabilia amid his fight against cancer. Following news of his stage 3 colorectal cancer diagnosis last November, Van Der Beek is working with Propstore for their Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction being held Dec. 5-7.
“I’ve been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with them, and with all of the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented recently, it’s clear that the time is now,” Van Der Beek told People. All proceeds will go to Van Der Beek to assist with the financial cost for his battle with cancer, according to the outlet.
Among the items being sold is the necklace Dawson Leery (Van Der Beek) gifted Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) for prom, which is estimated to go for $26,400 to $52,800. “Dawson wore his iconic stone necklace throughout the series until the Season 3 Episode ‘Homecoming’ where he gifted his necklace to Joey, signifying their eternal relationship to each other whether as either friends or lovers, defining them as simply ‘Dawson and Joey,’” reads the auction page.
Other memorabilia includes Dawson’s flannel shirt worn throughout the TV series and the the cleats and West Canaan Coyotes hat the actor used in 1999’s Varsity Blues.
“While I have some nostalgia tugging at me as I part with these items, it feels good to be able to offer them through Propstore’s auction to share with those who have supported my work over the years,” he told People.
Last December, the actor shared photos of the Varsity Blues limited edition Number 4 jerseys he offered for sale to help ease the “financial burden” stemming from his colorectal cancer treatments and to help other families in the same situation.
In September, Van Der Beek announced that he was forced to drop out of the live Dawson’s Creek reunion due to illness.
Love Music?
Get your daily dose of everything happening in Australian/New Zealand music and globally.
“This is the evening I’d been looking forward to MOST since my angel Michelle Williams said she was putting it together, way back in January… So you can imagine how gutted I was when two stomach viruses conspired to knock me out of commission and keep me grounded at the worst possible moment,” he wrote in a social media post at the time. “Despite every effort… I won’t get to be there. I won’t get to stand on that stage and thank every soul in the theater for showing up for me, and against cancer, when I needed it most.”
From Rolling Stone US
