Tommy Cooper's fez gifts to Grimsby boy to be auctioned
Two fezzes owned by comedy legend and magician Tommy Cooper are to be auctioned.Cooper gave them to Tim Dixon, then aged five, after performing at a children's Christmas party in Grimsby in 1955.Mr Dixon, now a retired businessman, said: "I was fascinated by the fez and just asked him straight out if I could have it." Cooper then gave him a second hat. Both hats - an iconic feature of Cooper's performances - are due to go under the hammer at John Taylor's Auction Rooms in Louth on Tuesday, with a pre-sale estimate of £200 - £400.
Mr Dixon told how he came to be in receipt of two hats.He said: "He [Cooper] took it [a fez] off his head and handed it to me. I saw it was a bit sweaty after the performance and I pulled a bit of a face."Noticing the look of disdain, Cooper "went to his props" and retrieved a fresh fez, before handing that over too, recalled Mr Dixon.
Cooper was still establishing his career when he entertained a group of children in the canteen of the Peter Dixon Paper Mill in Grimsby.The mill, one of the town's biggest employers, was run by Mr Dixon's father, Anthony Dixon. He introduced his young son to Cooper, who then handed the boy the fez hats as a gift.Auctioneer James Laverack said the provenance of the two hats is "rock solid", adding: "They're two wonderful pieces of memorabilia from a quite early stage in Tommy's career. "He went into showbiz in 1947 after leaving the army. In the early 1950s he was working mainly in variety theatres and the London nightspots. The television shows that would make him one of the most famous comics of the 20th century were still some years ahead."
Within a few years of the Grimsby show in 1955, Cooper would go on to enjoy huge success. His television shows were watched by millions who loved his comic timing, failed magic tricks and catchphrase "just like that". Cooper died after suffering a heart attack during a live TV broadcast at Her Majesty's Theatre in London in April 1984. He was 63.A fez, believed to be the last one owned by Cooper, sold at auction for £7,000 in Bedfordshire in March, more than twice its estimate.
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