"Wizard of Oz' Cowardly Lion costume fetches $3M

NEW YORK (AP) - The Cowardly Lion costume from the classic film "The Wizard of Oz" and the piano from the movie "Casablanca" each sold for over $3 million at a New York City auction.

They were among Hollywood memorabilia offered at Bonhams on Monday.

The big cat outfit, which went for just over $3 million, had been authenticated as the one Bert Lahr wore in the 1939 film. Its face is a sculpted likeness of the late actor.

A spokesman for costume owner James Comisar says a secondary costume used in the film sold at auction in recent years for close to $1 million.

Comisar has a trove of TV memorabilia from shows including "I Love Lucy" and "Lost." He has said he plans to use money from the Cowardly Lion costume sale to exhibit his collection.

The upright "Casablanca" piano fetched $3.4 million.

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