One of Charlie Chaplin’s iconic bowler hats and canes, the staple of Hollywood silent-era comedy, will go under the hammer in Los Angeles this weekend, auction house Bonhams said.

It is unknown how many of Chaplin’s bowlers and canes still exist

Chaplin’s hat and cane – synonymous with his trademark Little Tramp character in films such as City Lights (1931) and Modern Times (1936) – are expected to fetch between €31,403 and €47,105 in Sunday’s auction. It is unknown how many of Chaplin’s bowlers and canes still exist, said Lucy Carr, a memorabilia specialist at Bonhams. The ones up for auction come from a private collection but have a direct link to Chaplin, Carr said.

The waddling and bumbling Little Tramp character propelled Chaplin to global fame.

Chaplin’s hat and cane are the highlights of an auction of popular culture artefacts including a saxophone that belonged to jazz pioneer Charlie Parker (€17,275-€20,400) and a handwritten letter from John Lennon in which he sketched himself and wife Yoko Ono nude (€14,130-€17,270).