Rare Son of the Sheik Valentino Bookends

When I think of what I consider "rare" Valentino collectibles, besides personal items, autographs and original one sheets, there are only a few things that come to mind.  The elusive bookends, at least to me, are one of those items.  In my many years of collecting I had only seen one in person, up until now.  I just acquired one a few weeks back, yes only one.  I still need another to make a set.  I am happy to have at least one for now.  I checked and I posted a photo of a complete set a few years ago; however, this one is mine personally, so why not post it again?  Again, I do not have much information on these other than they are on the heavy side, they are made of some sort of metal and they depict Valentino from The Son of the Sheik along with his facsimile autograph.  I assume they were manufactured in the 20's after his death; however, I am not 100% certain.  If anyone has more specifics on the manufacture or when it was produced feel free to contact me.  In the meantime, I will enjoy my bookend as it is introduced to the many, many Valentino books it will be sitting next to!

Photos from The Son of the Sheik

There areso many promotional photos from Valentino's last film from 1926, The Son of the Sheik.  Many of the basic stock photos of Valentino are from this film.  I have included some of the more common photos along with a few you do not see too often.  One, is a fantastic side profile photo, that I just recently came across.

1930's/40's Film Advertisement for The Son of the Sheik

This is a advertisement for the 1930's/40's re-release of The Son of the Sheik.  This ad shows costs for purchasing the film.  16 MM with sound $300, 16MM Silent $150, 8MM Silent $75.  This was distributed by Nu-Art Films Inc.  The film is tagged as "Sensational Revival by Popular Demand!"  A unique  advertisement piece.

Italian Son of the Sheik Photoplay Book

This is a wonderful Italian edition of The Son of the Sheik, or Il Figlio Dello Sceicco.  I first saw a photo of this posted on Instagram.  After a little searching I found it on ABE, which is a great place to find books.  This is an awesome edition of the photoplay with a dust cover that depicts Valentino from The Son of the Sheik.  This is another example of an overseas item with different artwork than the American edition.

Italian Son of the Sheik Movie Poster

This is a movie poster from the 1926 film, The Son of the Sheik.  The poster is in Italian.  My best guess is that it is more of a modern poster instead of an original from 1926.  It almost has a 1960's/70's look to it.  There were many times Valentino's films were re-released and a poster depicting new artwork accompanied it.  I find this to be a unique poster.

1926 Moving Picture Stories

This is a great magazine called Moving Picture Stories.  The cover depicts Valentino from the 1926 film, The Son of the Sheik.  This magazine is dated August 3rd 1926, just 20 days before Valentino's death.  This magazine was obviously used to promote The Son of the Sheik.  This is not a common magazine, the photo almost appears to have a colorized look to it.  This is a great magazine.

Son of the Sheik Paperback Book

This is a rare paperback from Spain. This is a photoplay edition from the 1926 film, Son of the Sheik. This is a fairly rare book, it has a fantastic colorized photo of Valentino from the film on the cover. I really enjoy the items from overseas with all the unique, colorful artwork. It really is difficult to know just how many overseas editions of Valentino books exists.  Just when I think I have seen all of them, books like this pop up!  This is a fantastic piece!

Rudolph Valentino Miniature Sheik Bust

This is a miniature Bust of Valentino from what appears to be from the film, The Son of the Sheik. The base of the bust reads: Rudolph Valentino. It stands about 3 and a half inches tall. It is very heavy and appears to be made from some sort of metal or heavy duty plaster. My assumption is that these were produced in the 20's after his death. These do show up on ebay from time to time. The ones I have seen sell for a fair amount of money. Outside of seeing these on ebay, I have not come across these before. I did post a photo of various busts that was sold at an auction and believe there was one or two in that lot as well. Overall, this is a great Valentino memento. If anyone else has any further background on these let me know.

Error Photo from The Son of the Sheik

This is a fantastic photo! It is the famous scene from The Son of the Sheik where Valentino gets attacked while trying to cozy up to Yasmine. If you look at the photo closely, at the top you will see the tops of the backdrops! I am unsure why someone did not crop this photo; but, I think it's great! You do not see this too often from vintage movie stills. Although I will say, it does take a bit of the magic away for me, I wanted to believe this was out in the middle of the desert! Oh well, a great and unique photo!

Photos from The Son of the Sheik

These are five photos from the Rudy's last film, "The Son of the Sheik." For non-collectors / non-fans, items and photos from The Sheik and The Son of the Sheik are easily mixed up. As a collector / fan, this of course drives me crazy. These films were made five years apart and rarely do the photos look similar except for a few of the costumes; anyway, I digress. This early sequel was a great film and if Valentino had not died during the release of the film, I still feel it would have been a great success.

Vintage Son of the Sheik Stick Pin

This is one of the many random items out there.  I am truly unsure what exactly this is.  My best guess is a stick pin or simply a lapel pin.  If it is from the 20's, which is looks to be, it would be a memorial piece.  However, it may possibly be from the 60's or 70's.  I do not own the item, I just have a photo.  Maybe someone out there knows more about it, or owns one.  It depicts a colorized photo of Valentino from the film, "The Son of the Sheik."  This falls in the category of one of those random items that has to added to the collection, because you do not already own one.

1938 Re-Release Movie Poster from The Son of the Sheik

This is a 1939 Movie Poster from the film, The Son of the Sheik. This poster is similar to a window card, which typically measures 14'x22', this one happens to measure 12'x26'. This poster is Swedish and is from the re-release of the film. This is an interesting variation of the movie art for the film; however, the poster does a poor job of depicting Valentino as the star of the film. I still find it to be a great example of a 30's re-release poster.

Belt Buckle Personally Owned by Rudolph Valentino

This is a belt buckle owned by Valentino, it was listed in the estate catalog and was believed to be used in the film, "The Son of the Sheik." This buckle sold at auction in 2008 for around $4,700, source: antiquetrader.com. I did a little research on the belt buckle from the film. When I think of his belt from the film, I think of the part where Jasmin (Vilma Banky) complains while they are making out that the belt is pushing into her side. Valentino takes it off, then when attacked he reaches for a knife from his belt, but it is not there. That particular belt buckle from the film is definitely not the one that sold at auction, not to say it is not from film, he did have various costumes so it could have appeared in another scene. Regardless, it did belong to Valentino and is a great piece.

The Son of the Sheik Press Kit

This is a press kit booklet sent out from the poster production company to various movie theaters. These are fairly difficult to find. This particular one is from the re-release of SOS. It is amazing to see some of the prices, for example: One Sheet for 10 cents, a three sheet for 30 cents, or how about 100 window cards for $6!! If I only had a DeLorean!

Assorted Rudolph Valentino Busts

I found this photo on an auction house website a while back. These are various busts and possibly wall hangings that had been auctioned off...I always miss these things. Side note, I cannot tell you how many times I have gone into an antique mall or old country collectibles store where I inquire about any Valentino items and they proceed to tell me they had this or that and just recently sold it, oh well, I digress. This is a wonderful collection depicting Valentino from The Four Horsemen, The Son of the Sheik, and possibly The Sheik. Some appear to have been mass produced while other could have been privately made. If anyone has any further information, please let me know. I believe this lot sold for a fairly substantial amount. If they are truly vintage I would believe them to be fairly valuable.

Son of the Sheik Picture Show

This is a Picture Show Magazine from November of 1926. It depicts Valentino and Vilma Banky on the cover from the film, "The Son of the Sheik." These are fantastic magazines from the UK. Valentino appeared on the cover of these magazines many times. This particular one advertises a 16 page Art Souvenir from The Son of the Sheik. These are wonderful magazines and are fairly desirable.

Son of the Sheik Film Journalen Magazine

This is a fantastic magazine called Film Journalen, a Norwegian publication. This issue depicts Valentino on the cover, from the film, "The Son of the Sheik." These are great over-sized magazines featuring many great Valentino covers. These seem to be fairly difficult to find.

The Son of the Sheik Glass Slide

This is a glass slide from the film, "The Son of the Sheik." Most of the glass slides, this one included are very vibrant in color and are great collectibles. As I have stated with other Glass Slide posts, most are hand painted and are difficult to find without cracks in the glass. I still have yet to buy one from a film for my collection. They tend to be pricey if they are in good condition. This particular photo I found at emovieposter.com

Colorized Photos of Valentino Behind the Scenes

I came across these fantastic photos from a blog called, "Old Hollywood in Color." I emailed the administrator of the site, Bob, to get his permission to post a few of the photos. I find them to be fantastic. I think it is great to see a color photo of Valentino, these are especially interesting because they are behind the scenes photos. Photos are included from: A Sainted Devil, Beyond the Rocks, The Eagle, and The Son of the Sheik. Check out his site: http://oldhollywoodincolor.com/

1926 Motion Picture Director Son of the Sheik Magazine

This is a copy of The Motion Picture Director magazine from July of 1926. The cover depicts a fantastic depiction of Valentino and Vilma Banky from the film, "The Son of the Sheik." This is an excellent example of a 20's magazine, pre-August 1926. I have never come across this magazine, the unique cover would lead me to believe it would be a bit more valuable than most magazines from the period.