James Van Der Beek is selling several items from Dawson’s Creek for a good cause.
Van Der Beek, 48, teamed up with Propstore to auction off wardrobe items, props and set pieces from both Dawson’s Creek and his 1999 film Varsity Blues, People reported on Tuesday, November 11. The items will be available at the Winter Entertainment Memorabilia Live Auction from December 5-7. One hundred percent of the proceeds from each sale will go to Van Der Beek to support his fight against stage 3 colorectal cancer, which he was diagnosed with last year.
The items for sale from Dawson’s Creek include the necklace that Van Der Beek’s titular character, Dawson Leery, gifted Joey Potter (Katie Holmes) for prom, which is estimated to earn between $26,400 and $52,800, and the outfit Dawson wore in the pilot episode, which could be sold for up to $4,000. Other items from the teen drama, which aired on The WB from 1998 to 2003, are expected to be up for auction as well.
“I’ve been storing these treasures for years, waiting for the right time to do something with them, and with all of the recent unexpected twists and turns life has presented recently, it’s clear that the time is now,” Van Der Beek told People. “While I have some nostalgia tugging at me as I part with these items, it feels good to be able to offer them through Propstore’s auction to share with those who have supported my work over the years.”
Interested bidders can register for the auction now. Live in-room bidding will take place in London on December 6, while global bidding will be available through December 7.
Van Der Beek announced his cancer diagnosis in November 2024.
“I’ve been privately dealing with this diagnosis and have been taking steps to resolve it, with the support of my incredible family,” he told People at the time. “There’s reason for optimism, and I’m feeling good.”
The Elle actor has continued to keep fans updated on his health since then. He’s also had endless support from his wife, Kimberly Van Der Beek, and their six kids, Olivia, 15, Joshua, 13, Annabel, 11, Emilia, 9, Gwendolyn, 6, and Jeremiah, 2.
“When you tell them what you’re doing and you tell them the approach, they can see it and they can feel it, and I think it’s also, your journey is their journey,” James said of explaining his cancer diagnosis to his kids during an appearance on Today in July. “I have kids making me tea. ‘Dad, what do you need?’ There’s been a lot of beauty that’s come out of it, but I would love to save everybody [from] this journey, which is why I’m saying get screened.”
James’ former Dawson’s Creek costars have also been by his side throughout his journey. In September, the cast reunited for a live reading of the Dawson’s Creek pilot at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, which was organized to support F Cancer in honor of James.
Though he was scheduled to attend the event, James had to cancel his appearance due to illness. However, he ultimately made a surprise cameo via video.
“I can’t believe I’m not there,” he said. “I can’t believe I don’t get to hug my castmates, my beautiful cast, in person, and I just wanted to stand on that stage and thank every single person in this theater for being here tonight — from the cast to the crew to everybody who donated their time and has been so generous. And especially every single last one of you. You’re the best fans in the world. Thank you for coming.”