Steven Spielberg-gifted Jaws memorabilia, original typewriters, White House mementos, diving gear, historic manuscripts and objects from Benchley’s extraordinary life will be offered October 29
LINCOLN PARK, N.J. — October 2026 — More than 50 years after Jaws changed popular culture—and forever changed the way millions viewed the ocean—the personal collection of the man who created the story is coming to auction.
On October 29, 2026, Willow Auction House will present The Peter Benchley Collection: Jaws, A Life of Writing, A Legacy of Stories, featuring nearly 300 lots from the personal collection of Peter Benchley (1940–2006), the bestselling author, screenwriter, White House speechwriter, diver, explorer and ocean conservationist.
At the center of the collection is the phenomenon that made Benchley internationally famous.
Highlights include original Jaws production photographs and memorabilia, Benchley’s 1975 Jaws one-sheet movie poster, original typewriters, personal books and research materials, awards and personal effects, as well as an original Jaws T-shirt gifted directly to Benchley by director Steven Spielberg.
But the collection tells a much larger story.
Before writing Jaws, Benchley worked as a speechwriter for President Lyndon B. Johnson. The auction includes White House photographs, presentation pieces and personal material associated with President Johnson and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, including signed and inscribed photographs presented to Benchley.
Several objects from Benchley’s collection were recently exhibited at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Texas, as part of the 2025 exhibition From the White House to the Deep Ocean: LBJ, Jaws and Conservation.
Among them are deeply personal objects from Benchley’s working life, including his White House place card, professional identification and items that sat on his desk.
The auction also provides a glimpse into the wider Benchley family legacy. Works include paintings by Peter’s father, author and artist Nathaniel Benchley, as well as an original pen-and-ink drawing of the Benchley family by celebrated caricaturist Al Hirschfeld.
Benchley was a passionate collector of history, art and objects discovered through decades of travel. The collection includes material dating back hundreds of years, including a 13th-century French vellum Bible leaf, a royal decree signed by Philip II of Spain, documents associated with Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella I of Castile, and an early copy of The Massachusetts Spy.
His lifelong fascination with the sea is reflected throughout the collection.
Fine maritime art includes Christopher Blossom’s Ship Allerton and Thomas Hoyne’s First and Saucy, each carrying a pre-sale estimate of 6,000–8,000, alongside marine works, historic maps, photographs and maritime artifacts.
Some of the most evocative objects are those Benchley actually used beneath the water.
The collection includes his personal diving equipment, Henderson titanium wetsuit, shark teeth, fossils and archaeological artifacts recovered by Peter and Wendy Benchley, including objects connected with Bermuda shipwrecks.
That part of the collection tells another important chapter of Benchley’s story.
After Jaws became a worldwide phenomenon, Benchley grew increasingly concerned about public fear of sharks and spent much of the later part of his life educating people about the animals and advocating for shark and ocean conservation.
Photographs of Benchley diving with sharks and manta rays, together with his wetsuits, diving gear, specimens and marine collections, document the remarkable evolution of the man who wrote the world’s most famous shark story into one of the ocean’s most passionate defenders.
“This collection tells a much bigger story than Jaws,” said Jill Iorio of Willow Auction House. “When you go through Peter Benchley’s personal belongings, you begin to see all of the different chapters of his life—the writer, the White House speechwriter, the traveler, the historian, the diver and ultimately the conservationist. There are things from his desk, things he wore, things he collected and even objects he personally recovered while diving. It feels less like an auction and more like walking through the story of his life.”
From an object given to him by Steven Spielberg to a place card from his White House years, a typewriter used by one of America’s most recognizable authors to artifacts brought home from beneath the sea, the auction offers collectors an unusually personal connection to the man behind a cultural phenomenon.
The Peter Benchley Collection: Jaws, A Life of Writing, A Legacy of Stories will be offered by Willow Auction House on Thursday, October 29, 2026, in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, with online bidding available.
AUCTION INFORMATION
The Peter Benchley Collection: Jaws, A Life of Writing, A Legacy of Stories
Thursday, October 29, 2026
Willow Auction House
2 Frassetto Way
Lincoln Park, NJ 07035
862-895-5700
Preview by appointment.
Full catalog and online bidding:
WillowAuctionHouse.com
MEDIA CONTACT
Jill Iorio
Willow Auction House
jill@willowauctionhouse.com
862-895-5700
High-resolution photographs, lot information and additional details are available for media use.
ABOUT WILLOW AUCTION HOUSE
Willow Auction House is a full-service auction house based in Lincoln Park, New Jersey, specializing in fresh-to-market estate collections, fine and decorative art, antiques, collectibles, jewelry, historical material and significant private collections. Willow works directly with estates, families and collectors throughout the New York and New Jersey metropolitan area and brings property to an international audience through multiple online bidding platforms.
