Channel Surfing for Icons – WorthPoint

Whether your favorite shows were streaming and enjoyed on binges or dropped once a week on broadcast television, everyone has that one show or cast of characters they follow closely. One of my prized possessions when I was nine was an I Dream of Jeannie hat complete with a fake ponytail. I used to run around wearing it and blinking, but somehow, it never worked for me the way it did for Jeannie.

In an upcoming auction, hosted live and in real-time online, Julien’s Auctions in Los Angeles will host a two-day auction chock-full of television memorabilia spanning seventy years of television content, whether from streaming services or major network broadcast offerings.

Julien’s auction will feature over 600 lots of iconic television items, including ephemera like tickets from studio tapings, as well as costumes and props. One of the lots receiving significant attention is no surprise. The bodysuit from the hit television show Wonder Woman, along with her bulletproof bracelets, will likely attract heavy bidding. The show, starring Lynda Carter as Diana Prince, a government agent by day but with a secret identity as superheroine Wonder Woman, ran from 1975 to 1979 and was a hit with audiences. Julien’s estimated sale price is between $100,000 and $200,000, but there are other Wonder Woman lots. Her headpiece, boots, and magic lasso will likely see keen interest from collectors and perhaps industry museums.

Television wasn’t all superheroes; there were some pieces from villains, including a jacket worn by actor Frank Gorshin when he played The Riddler in the pilot episode of the television series Batman. The coat was seen in multiple show episodes and included in the 1966 movie Batman when several villains teamed up to defeat the Dynamic Duo.

Snappy suits from an episode of The Sopranos in which Christopher Moltisanti becomes a “made man” are also part of the auction. The items in the auction are from a “one-owner” collection that has been curated for decades and spans many shows and actors.

Check out this interview with Julien’s Catherine Williamson from the Today Show, where she explains the details about the Riddler suit and other pieces, including a “Bat-a-Rang” signed by Burt Ward, who played Robin in the hit series. It was used both as a weapon and a grappling hook in several episodes.

Brenda Kelley Kim lives in the Boston area. She is the author of Sink or Swim: Tales From the Deep End of Everywhere and writes a weekly syndicated column for The Marblehead Weekly News/Essex Media Group. When not writing or walking her snorty pug, Penny, she enjoys yard sales, flea markets, and badminton.

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