LOS ANGELES, CA.- Nate D. Sanders on June 28th will auction one of the most esteemed artifacts of American cinema, 1943 Best Director Academy Award for “Casablanca,” awarded to Michael Curtiz.

“Casablanca is one of the most popular and beloved movies worldwide,” said Nate Sanders, owner of Nate D. Sanders Auctions. “Casablanca not only contains outstanding direction, but it’s a romantic melodrama that contains witty dialogue and superb character development. It’s only one of a handful of films from the Golden Age of Hollywood that everyone has seen and is immediately recognizable.”

A native of Budapest, Curtiz honed his skills in Vienna making 21 pictures for Sascha Films before immigrating to Hollywood in 1926. By the mid-1930’s Curtiz built a reputation for directing adventure films for Warner Brothers starring Errol Flynn including “The Adventures of Robin Hood.”

In 1942, Curtiz directed his masterpiece, “Casablanca,” the epic wartime picture about a couple that are in love, but ultimately sacrifice the romance for a greater purpose to fight the Nazis. The film starring Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Peter Lorre won three Academy Awards including Best Picture. Curitz was nominated for several Academy Awards and won an Oscar in 1940 for Best Short Subject (Two-reel) for “Sons of Liberty.”

In 2002, The American Film Institute selected “Casablanca” as the greatest romantic film of all-time. In 2006, the Writers' Guild of America announced that “Casablanca’s” screenplay was the best ever written. In 2007, the American Film Institute announced that “Casablanca” was the third best film of the past 100 years.

The Oscar is estimated to sell between $2.5 million to $3 million.

The auction ends Thursday, June 28, 2012. At 5 pm PST, extended bidding occurs allowing those who have placed a bid during the auction to participate. The auction continues until a bid hasn’t been placed for 30 minutes. Bids can be placed online at www.NateDSanders.com or by phone at 310-440-2982.