Alan Alda's screen-used M*A*S*H items went for $125,000 at auction

The six-figure sum was donated to charity.

When M*A*S*H ended after a record-breaking finale episode — "Goodbye, Farewell and Amen" — Alan Alda only took home two things from the set: his boots and his dog tags.

"I put these boots on every day that we shot MASH, for eleven years," Alda wrote. "And the dog tags, too. And every time my foot found its way into one of the boots, or the necklace of tags went over my head, I remembered: Someone had worn these once in a real war."

Both of the items had been worn by veterans in a real war, which Alda said helped him step into the shoes of his character — literally. The men who had worn the boots and tags were always on his mind when he put on his wardrobe each day. 

"As the years passed — more than fifty since I'd first put them on — I realized they could have a life again," Alda wrote. 

The actor decided to put them up for auction to raise money for charity. The proceeds would go to the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brook University in New York, an organization that aims to teach scientists how to communicate more effectively with the public.

The boots and tags, purchased by an anonymous buyer, finally went for $125,000. 

Who knows? Maybe one day you'll see them again on an episode of Collector's Call.

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12 Comments

janice691 8 months ago
Very cool Alan..I have the glass in bottle they used to make vodka in..I treasure it..came with the tube and metal brackets that it was hung from.got it from a friend of a friend I loved watching mash with my husband who was in the Korean war..he said it was very life like except he stayed in a quassant hut no tents and when his boots got wet he put them on the wood or coal burning stove and they melted lol
MeeSkipp 8 months ago
Great Idea and very nice ! Communication is often as vital as the task one is educated on.
Example, I had a good doctor but unfortunately communication was ‘not’ a strong asset,,,
Wiseguy70005 8 months ago
Did Alda make any attempt to find the original owners or families of the original owners? Dog tags should provide enough info.
AgingDisgracefully 8 months ago
Was The Frank Burns Change Purse up for auction?
It promised to say "No!" to pickpockets with a capital N.
Would you want to pick Frank's pocket? Would you even want to get that close to Frank?
15inchBlackandWhite 8 months ago
The recent pandemic proved that most scientists are pretty awful at communicating with the public.
DocForbin 8 months ago
My Aunt Barbara used to work as a nurse at SUNY Stony Brook Hospital.
LoveMETV22 8 months ago
Glad to see the items Alan Alda donated for auction sold and the proceeds went to charity.
harlow1313 8 months ago
"The boots and tags, purchased by an anonymous buyer, finally went for $125,000. " I continue to wonder about the sort of person who imbues ordinary objects with magical power.

Don't get me wrong, I have my share of useless junk, but I paid very little for it.
LoveMETV22 harlow1313 8 months ago
" The boots and tags, purchased by an anonymous buyer."
" Who knows? Maybe one day you'll see them again on an episode of Collector's Call."
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Who knows, perhaps the anonymous buyer has plans for the items? Maybe they will show up in one of the "Smithsonian Institution Museums", or something similar.
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