Archie Bunker’s living room, the Cheers bar, Shatner’s Star Trek tunic and more go up for auction

Ever wanted to own a bar where everybody knows your name? Or a little house in Queens, circa 1975? Or perhaps, like Kramer in an old episode of Seinfeld, you’d like to interview your friends on your own late-night TV show set?

All this and more is possible thanks to a massive auction of television props, sets and memorabilia taking place June 2 to 4 in Dallas and run by Heritage Auctions. The event features almost 1,000 items from the Comisar Collection, one man’s decades-long quest to preserve relics from television shows that are no more.

James Comisar remembers being a “chubby kid” in the ’70s who loved watching TV on Saturday mornings and after school – anything to avoid sports. As a result, he developed a lifelong love of certain programs, beginning with the classic kids’ show H.R. Pufnstuf. (His treasured Witchiepoo costume will not be part of the auction.)

Later, as a television writer, he developed relationships with show creators, actors, producers and directors, leading to the impeccable sourcing, provenance and condition of much of his collection.

But at 58, Comisar says he’s ready to give up the bulk of these items to others, especially since his dream of founding a new museum of television hasn’t come to fruition. “I’m not upset as much as I am frustrated,” he says, but adds he’s hopeful that many of the pieces will bring joy to both collectors and fans of old shows.

The goal is to find that next person who will commit to caring for Archie Bunker’s chair

The centrepiece of the auction — and certainly one of the oddest finds in a field that tends to deal in costumes and handheld props — is the Bunker family living room set, as seen every week on TV’s All in the Family and later Archie Bunker’s Place. The lot includes walls, faux stairs, carpeting and furnishings, right down to the rotary-dial phone and a Bronx phonebook from 1977. It has a minimum bid of US$100,000.

Also on the menu is the bar from Cheers, three sections of “Luan wood paneled counter sections studio-painted with faux woodgrain” with attached brass rail armrests and footrests. It includes taps, beer mugs, bar stools and pretty much everything else you’d need to open your own Boston watering hole, short of alcohol and one Cliff Clavin.

The auction is also offering two iconic late-night talk show sets, one used by David Letterman, the other by Johnny Carson, who bequeathed it to Comisar when he retired. In addition to desks and seating, the lots include Carson’s painted backdrop and Letterman’s miniature New York skyline. It’s reminiscent of the Seinfeld episode in which Kramer found Merv Griffin’s old set in a dumpster, took it home and proceeded to interview Jerry and the gang whenever they came by to visit.

These and other high-profile pieces — Tattoo’s golf cart from Fantasy Island, anyone? Or Adam West’s and Burt Ward’s costumes and a Bat Shield from Batman? — are expected to fetch tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars, but Comisar notes that many of the items in the auction have no reserve price, and some are fascinating without being quite as expensively iconic.

Among the pieces for sale: tickets to tapings of television sitcoms such as Friends or Married with Children; an ugly Christmas sweater from an episode of Conan O’Brien; a stethoscope from Dr. Kildare; police photo ID from McMilan & Wife; a tiny Keebler Elves diorama used in TV commercials; and clapperboards and title cards from various shows.

Deep-pocketed buyers may even be able to purchase multiple lots, taking home Gilligan’s and the Skipper’s hats from Gilligan’s Island, along with a life preserver from the S.S. Minnow. You could purchase costumes worn by Barbara Eden on I Dream of Jeannie, as well as the bottle her character came in. Star Trek fans can find the costumes worn by William Shatner and Nichelle Nichols when they kissed in a famous episode, and possibly even spring for a few tribbles.

Comisar’s collecting tastes have ranged widely: “I coveted everything I didn’t have,” he says simply. And he’s not shy about taking credit for saving things that might have been carted to a landfill or left to molder in a damp shed or warehouse. “These sets would not exist today if I hadn’t seen the need to mine this area of history that was falling through the cracks.”

And while he is a savvy collector — he runs a consulting business, advising wealthy clients on the purchase of memorabilia — Comisar is clearly a fan first, and the breaking up of his treasure trove sounds bittersweet.

I coveted everything I didn’t hav

“The goal is to pass the baton,” he says. “The goal is to find that next person who will commit to caring for Archie Bunker’s chair, that next person that has to have Buffalo Bob’s costume from Howdy Doody. Creating happiness is ultimately as important as bringing in revenue. That’s really important to me.”

The auction items can be viewed online at ha.com/comisar.

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