Saddle up, John Wayne’s famous cowboy hat goes on sale for £17,000 #CarryGobySeanKellz #FutureGroupNG via @myentertain9jar

THE iconic hat worn by John Wayne in five major Westerns is up for sale – with a starting price of £17,000.

John Wayne's cowboy hat has gone on sale[BNPS]

The “Duke”, who died in 1979, sported the felt cowboy hat in the 1960s movies The Comancheros, McLintock!, The Sons Of Katie Elder, El Dorado and The Undefeated.

Wayne, who featured in around 170 movies, gave the hat to stunt double Chuck Roberson, with whom he worked for more than 30 years of a 50-year career.

The sweatband of the hat is marked with his name in black pen, probably by the wardrobe department, and the underside of the rim says John Wayne, with the name of the film Comencheros misspelt.

When Roberson died in 1988 his collection was sold and the owner is now auctioning it in Los Angeles.

The sale is next Tuesday and Laura Yntema, auction manager at Nate D Sanders, said: “The hat not only has cinematic value but personal value too. Wayne was famous for being close to the people he worked with and he was known for being rather generous towards his friends.

“It will probably be purchased by a fan or an institution.”