David Frangioni, Collector: Clint Eastwood ICON Author and Netflix’s King of Collectibles

I have been collecting since I was a kid, and over four decades I have built one of the most respected private collections of film and music history in the world. I am the author of Clint Eastwood: ICON, The Essential Film Art Collection and its Revised and Expanded Edition, and I appeared on Netflix’s King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch in Season 2. In November 2026, twenty movie props from my collection went to auction at Hanlin’s, led by important Clint Eastwood pieces.

Clint Eastwood: ICON, The Essential Film Art Collection (Insight Editions), built from my Eastwood archive.

Past Auctions

Hanlin’s Shock and Awe Memorabilia Auction, November 6 and 7, 2026

Hanlin's Hollywood Memorabilia Shock and Awe Memorabilia Auction poster, November 6 and 7, 2026 — Flyer: Hanlin’s Hollywood Memorabilia

Twenty movie props from my collection went to auction with Hanlin Auction Service of Quincy, Illinois, led by Clint Eastwood pieces along with props from Die Hard 2, Heat, Out for Justice and Sabotage. John Malkovich’s assassin gun from In the Line of Fire led my lots at a $3,500 hammer, followed by Robert De Niro’s H&K USP from Heat at $2,800 and Walt Kowalski’s Colt M1911 from Gran Torino at $2,430.

Read my full recap with results and the story behind each piece. Earlier stories are collected on Past Stories.

The stories I wrote on the headline lots:

Clint Eastwood’s Kelly’s Heroes helmet and prop machine gun (Lots 203 and 204)
The Firefox conning tower diorama and MiG-31 model (Lots 146 and 147)
Walt Kowalski’s Colt M1911 from Gran Torino (Lot 157)
The Die Hard 2 ejection seat, McClane costume and crew jacket (Lots 107 to 109)
Neil McCauley’s H&K USP from Heat (Lot 166)
Steven Seagal’s hero guns from Out for Justice (Lots 253 and 254)
More Eastwood: In the Line of Fire, American Sniper, Sully, Absolute Power and Paint Your Wagon (Lots 182, 255, 6, 21, 20 and 403)
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Sabotage costume and props (Lots 308 to 310)

Clint Eastwood: ICON

Clint Eastwood: ICON, The Essential Film Art Collection was first published by Insight Editions in 2009, with essays by film historian Thomas Schatz. The Revised and Expanded Edition followed in 2018 with new pieces I located and acquired in the decade between the two books. Together they document Eastwood’s career through more than 400 pieces of original art: posters, lobby cards, standees, Italian premiere posters for the Sergio Leone Westerns, studio ads and rare memorabilia from around the world.

The books follow Eastwood from the nameless gunslinger of the Dollars trilogy, through Dirty Harry and the films of the 1970s and 1980s, to his work as one of America’s great directors. I wrote them as the books I wanted to own as a collector, and they are now widely used as a reference for Eastwood film art. You can find them on my Author page.

How the Collection Started

My mother used to take me to the Regent Theatre in my hometown of Arlington, Massachusetts, for the weekend matinee. I got to know the theater manager, Mr. Gunn, and he gave me the posters once each engagement was over. That was the start. Eastwood’s films grabbed me early: great characters, great art and lines that stayed with you. Dirty Harry’s tagline said it all: “You don’t assign him to murder cases. You just turn him loose.”

At its largest, my Eastwood collection held more than 10,000 items. Two of my favorite pieces were from the Rome premiere of The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: a complete set of three character panels and a one-of-a-kind Italian 24-sheet created for the premiere.

A Track Record With the Major Auction Houses

Pieces from my collection have been offered by the leading entertainment auction houses, each with documented provenance:

Propstore, London, 2024. Propstore presented the David Frangioni Collection in two parts. Part 1 included 51 lots, led by the Rome premiere 24-sheet for The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, estimated at £40,000 to £80,000, and the complete set of three Rome premiere character panels. Other lots included a Dirty Harry six-sheet, a Back to the Future British concept one-sheet, a You Only Live Twice teaser and a Star Wars Marler Haley set. Propstore described me as “one of the world’s most prominent and knowledgeable collectors of Clint Eastwood memorabilia.” (Tripwire Magazine, Propstore)
Propstore Western auction, 2024. Lots included Italian premiere art for For a Few Dollars More and an autographed Bronco Billy promotional poster. (Entertainment Focus)
Heritage Auctions, 2018. Six pieces of Frank McCarthy’s original concept art for Where Eagles Dare. (The Clint Eastwood Archive)
Goldin, 2024 to 2026. Historic drum kits from my music collection, including kits played by Alex Van Halen, Eric Carr of KISS and Neal Smith of the Alice Cooper band.

On Netflix: King of Collectibles, The Goldin Touch

King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch follows Ken Goldin and his team at Goldin as they source and sell rare pieces from sports and pop culture. Season 2 premiered on Netflix on June 12, 2024, and Episode 7 came into my collection, where the cameras covered Ringo Starr’s one-of-one Ludwig kit, the KISS mirror ball kit and Carmine Appice’s Slingerland leopard kit. Watch King of Collectibles on Netflix.

In March 2026, Ken Goldin sent his team to Florida to film a full tour of the collection for his own channel:

The Music Side of the Collection

My other great collection is music history. The Modern Drummer Hall of Fame collection at the Frangioni Foundation holds one of the most significant groups of historic drum kits in the world, from Ringo Starr, Carl Palmer, Hal Blaine, Buddy Rich and Alex Van Halen. That collection is the basis of my book CRASH: The World’s Greatest Drum Kits, and you can read more about how I judge a piece in What Makes a Historic Drum Kit Valuable?

Nicko McBrain at the Modern Drummer Hall of Fame museum with Carmine Appice's Ludwig kit and Joe Stefko's Bat Out of Hell kit from the David Frangioni collection — Iron Maiden’s Nicko McBrain in the music collection, between Carmine Appice’s Ludwig kit and Joe Stefko’s Bat Out of Hell kit.

What I Look For

Whether it is a prop, a poster or a drum kit, I look at the same three things: the person, the moment and the paper trail. A piece tied to a defining film, scene or performance carries that moment with it, and documentation is what turns a great story into provenance. That standard is why the major houses present my pieces under my name.

Collecting With a Purpose

My collecting supports the Frangioni Foundation, a nonprofit that inspires young artists and communities through music. CBS Evening News featured that work in Drummer and collector opens school to inspire young musicians. More of my appearances are on the Press page.

Quick Facts

Collector: David Frangioni, film and music collector, author and owner and CEO of Modern Drummer.
Known for: One of the world’s most prominent collectors of Clint Eastwood memorabilia.
Books: Clint Eastwood: ICON, The Essential Film Art Collection (Insight Editions, 2009) and the Revised and Expanded Edition (2018). CRASH: The World’s Greatest Drum Kits (Insight Editions).
Television: Netflix, King of Collectibles: The Goldin Touch, Season 2, Episode 7.
Auction history: Propstore, Heritage Auctions, Goldin and Hanlin Auction Service.
Most recent auction: Hanlin’s Shock and Awe Memorabilia Auction, November 6 and 7, 2026, with 20 lots from my collection. Read the recap.

For auction, consignment or media inquiries, please contact me.