Some autograph collectors only want signed memorabilia. There’s nothing wrong with 8x10s signed by your favorite actor, but they’re a dime a dozen. You can go into Pink’s and buy a hot dog, and looking at a wall full of signed pictures.

A script signed by your favorite TV show, or cast members of a movie you like, is a lot more interesting. To me, a step above that are the props from films.

A Planet Hollywood restaurant opened in San Diego (it has since closed), but the only one I ever ended up going in was in Las Vegas. I sat right underneath the handcuffs Mickey Rourke and Kim Bassinger used in 9 ½ Weeks. Now, you see why that would be so much cooler than an illegible signature of Rourke from The Wrestler?

I have a few props and outfits from movies, including an outfit Albert Brooks wore in one movie, and an Elvis shirt from Fun in Acapulco. I also have the soundtrack album of that signed by the King – which set me back $895 about 15 years ago.

One actor that gets the women as crazy as Elvis did back then, is Ryan Gosling. It could be because, as Emma Stone mentioned on screen when he was shirtless “You look like you were photoshopped!” I’m guessing it has more to do with his part in The Notebook.

The late movie critic Gene Siskel bought John Travolta’s white suit from Saturday Night Fever, although it had nothing to do with Travolta’s looks. He was a huge fan of the movie.

But you don’t have to be a movie critic to own a piece of Hollywood. If you want to own a jacket Ryan Gosling wears in an upcoming movie, listen up.

The film is The Place Beyond the Pines and it stars another Academy Award nominee – Bradley Cooper, as well as Ray Liota and Eva Mendes.

Gosling plays a high-wire motorcycle stuntman named Luke. The red leather jacket he wore in that movie is going to be auctioned to benefit Variety – The Children’s Charity of Southern California.

Auction house Profiles in History will host the auction, starting Friday, March 29^th. The movie will open in New York and L.A. that day.

If you want to take a peek at the jacket, it’s on display until April 5^th at the ArcLight Cinemas in Hollywood. Don’t get any crazy ideas and show up with an axe. It’s a movie theatre. I’m sure they have cameras on it.

And don’t think you’ll get some 16-year-old usher into being fooled and letting you try it on before you bid, and make a mad dash for the door. They won’t fall for that (don’t ask me how I know that).

If you want info on the jacket, here’s what I can tell you. It’s a Firstgear red leather motorcycle jacket with snap pockets at the front, black corduroy at the collar, zipper vents at both front and back with black leather in the vest, elastic at both cuffs and bottom, and zips to close. The lining from the auction item has been removed because of wear from extensive location filming of sequences in which Luke rides the bike.

Just describing that made me think of when my stepdad played Captain Smith in the second Titanic movie James Cameron did – Ghosts of the Abyss. He saw the original actors name written on one of the coats.

I also remember reading the Saturday Night Live book, and laughing at how thrilled Chris Farley was to wear a few of the outfits that had “Belushi” written on the inside seam. That being said, it doesn’t have Gosling’s name written anywhere on it. That doesn’t mean that you can’t win it, and someday ambush him at a red carpet screening or awards show, and have his John Hancock added to the sleeve. The John Travolta suit ended up getting autographed and personalized to Mr. Siskel (and has since been sold a few times). These things do tend to go up in value.

Variety was founded in 1941. It’s made up mostly of people in the entertainment industry. Back in 2005, they launched “Variety’s Kids Auction Program” which has raised over a million dollars auctioning off unique Hollywood items. Those include signed scripts and memorabilia, shirts worn by the cast of Brokeback Mountain, a Keira Knightley dress from Atonement, and the suit worn by Sean Penn in Milk.

Sometimes it’s vehicles they auction, like the 1966 Dodge Coronet used in A Serious Man. Since that movie had a car crash in it…I always wonder what they do with the cars that are smashed in movies. Surely somebody that likes Hollywood props would pay good money for a totaled car from a movie they loved. When I was at a party at James Cameron’s house, I believe I saw a Hummer used in True Lies in his backyard. He told me he likes to keep a prop or two from the films.

One of my favorite movies of last year was ParaNorman, and Variety auctioned two props used in that.

The 3-day auction will have proceeds going to help inspire hope, and build a better future, for children with special needs in Southern California. As somebody that has been a volunteer basketball coach for the Special Olympics for four years…I always try to get people to support great causes like this.

So…if you want an item that will impress your friends – especially that obnoxious guy that has the signed Michael Jordan jersey hanging on his living room wall – now’s your chance for something red and black worn by somebody famous. And your wife will like staring at that more than a sweaty Jordan jersey!