Vintage McDonald's memorabilia for sale in Chicago

CHICAGO (WLS) -- The original Ronald McDonald playground statue, Hamburgler models, and never-before-seen prototypes are just some of the more than 350 McDonald's memorabilia being auctioned off at Heritage Auctions this weekend.

"This is a real part of American pop culture, this is real nostalgia," said Heritage Auctions Director of Animation Art Jim Lentz of the collection, which features Ronald McDonald and his friends from the iconic McDonald's marketing campaign.

Lentz expects some pieces to go for thousands of dollars, though he believes there will be affordable items available as well.

They're all from the collection of Duane Ament, president of Setmakers; the company produced colorful artwork and life-size figurines that decorated McDonald's restaurants for years. Ament and his wife JoJo are donating a portion of auction proceeds to Ronald McDonald House Charities, which helps families of sick children with support and temporary housing near hospitals.

The first 200 lots' auction goes live at 11 a.m. CT on Saturday. You can bid in person or online at HA.com. The remaining items will be available for online bidding only on Sunday at 1 p.m. CT.