John Wayne memorabilia on auction block

The family of Hollywood legend John Wayne is putting hundreds of his personal possessions up for grabs on Oct. 6. Online bidding is already under way.

Everything - including his cowboy hats, costumes and awards -- will be on the auction block.

Among the items - his "True Grit" outfit, including the famous eye patch, and even his last driver's license and American Express card.

Heritage Auctions President Greg Rohan gave "Early Show on Saturday Morning" co-anchor Russ Mitchell a sneak peak at some of the most sought-after pieces.

He told Mitchell the family decided to sell the memorabilia now - "The Duke" died in 1979, because, "The museums have core collections. All the family members have got things that are sentimental to them. Fans have been asking them to release things for 32 years. They've been stored away. And they wanted to release them to the fans rather than keep them locked away in a warehouse."

The items, says Rohan were in a storage facility in Newport Beach, Calif. All this time. "When I first walked into the facility," he told CBS News, "it was like being in a time capsule. All of his trophies were on the wall, costumes hanging on racks. It was mind-blowing."

Everything is, he says, in good shape. "As soon as Wayne died," Rohan says, "they locked down his house and put everything in storage. It's amazing how well it was taken care of."

Wayne, he says, kept all his possessions. "He believed in reusing them, too," Rohan added. "Many of the costumes were made at his direction. He'd wear many of the same hats and costumes in different movies."

How did he come up with the prices of these items?

"It's hard to say what some of these items are worth," Rohan replied. "We low-balled most of it and will let the market place decide."

Usually, he says, Hollywood memorabilia only attracts collectors. "This time, though, it's almost all genres -- art collectors, historians, Hollywood memorabilia collectors and people who were just huge fans of Wayne."

The collection's crown jewel, Rohan says, is the eye-patch from "True Grit," for which Wayne won his only Oscar. Online bidding has already exceeded the $4,000 - $6,000 asking price, Rohan points out.

For a complete list of the items, along with descriptions, .