Kirstie Alley Scratchiti and All—Bar From Set of ‘Cheers’ Fetches $675,000 at Auction
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Sam, Coach, Norm, Cliff, Woody…everyone knows the names of the cast of Cheers, the 1980s NBC sitcom set in a Boston bar.
The set of that iconic pub sold for US$675,000 on Saturday night in Dallas, the culmination of a three-day sale helmed by Heritage Auctions.
Complete with brass hardware and the bar stools—as well as “engravings” on the bar’s surface by cast members like John Ratzenberger (Cliff) and Kirstie Alley (Rebecca), according to a video made with Ratzenberger and George Wendt (Norm) in advance of the auction—the set of the classic comedy was one of a collection of nearly 1,000 props, costumes, and sets from some of television’s most beloved shows.
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The collection—amassed over more than three decades by James Comisar, an art market specialist focused on television artifacts—realized US$5.35 million, according to Heritage. More than 4,700 bidders participated, but Heritage declined to identify any of the buyers. Comisar conserved and preserved the items with plans to open a museum, but it never came to fruition.
“The auction’s success confirmed what I have always known: that television characters are cherished members of our extended family and that their stories and our own are inseparable,” Comisar said in a statement. “These pieces have finally been afforded the cultural significance they deserve.”
Other highlights of the auction included the Batman and Robin costumes worn by Adam West and Burt Ward from the 1960s series of Batman, which were sold for US$615,000 on the first day of bidding; the set Johnny Carson used on NBC’s Tonight Show, complete with the desk, couch, and backdrop painting of downtown Burbank, Calif., realized US$275,000; and Archie and Edith Bunker’s chairs from both All in the Family and Archie Bunker’s Place fetched US$250,000.
There were also items from M*A*S*H, Gilligan’s Island, and Star Trek V: The Final Frontier.
“We knew from the moment we began working with James last year that this auction would be extraordinary, and thanks to Heritage’s client-collectors we were not wrong,” Joshua Benesh, chief strategy officer at Heritage, said in a statement. “These are amazing items with amazing stories.”
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Employment grew for the 16th consecutive month as companies expanded.
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According to a recent PMI report, Qatar experienced its fastest non-energy sector growth in almost two years in June, driven by surges in both existing and new business activities.
The Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) headline figure for Qatar reached 55.9 in June, up from 53.6 in May, with anything above 50.0 indicating growth in business activity. Employment also grew for the 16th month in a row, and the country’s 12-month outlook remained robust.
The inflationary pressures were muted, with input prices rising only slightly since May, while prices charged for goods and services fell, according to the Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) report.
This headline figure marked the strongest improvement in business conditions in the non-energy private sector since July 2022 and was above the long-term trend.
The report noted that new incoming work expanded at the fastest rate in 13 months, with significant growth in manufacturing and construction and sharp growth in other sectors. Despite the rising demand for goods and services, companies managed to further reduce the volume of outstanding work in June.
Companies attributed positive forecasts to new branch openings, acquiring new customers, and marketing campaigns. Prices for goods and services fell for the sixth time in the past eight months as firms offered discounts to boost competitiveness and attract new customers.
Qatari financial services companies also recorded further strengthening in growth, with the Financial Services Business Activity and New Business Indexes reaching 13- and nine-month highs of 61.1 and 59.2, respectively. These levels were above the long-term trend since 2017.
Yousuf Mohamed Al-Jaida, QFC CEO, said the June PMI index was higher than in all pre-pandemic months except for October 2017, which was 56.3. “Growth has now accelerated five times in the first half of 2024 as the non-energy economy has rebounded from a moderation in the second half of 2023,” he said.
Chris Dixon, a partner who led the charge, says he has a ‘very long-term horizon’
Americans now think they need at least $1.25 million for retirement, a 20% increase from a year ago, according to a survey by Northwestern Mutual
