Collection of ‘Friends’ Props and Wardrobe Pieces to Sell at Auction

An auction of clothing, props, and decor from the hit sitcom “Friends,” will be held next month to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the show’s premiere.

The sale, which will be held by Julien’s Auctions live in Los Angeles on Sept. 23 and online, will offer 110 lots of original props, studio-made reproductions and costumes worn by stars Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, and the late Matthew Perry.

Leading the auction is a studio-made reproduction of the couch from Central Perk, the coffee shop that serves as a main hangout spot in the show. The orange upholstered sofa has a price estimate between US$2,000 andUS$3,000.

A studio-made reproduction of the couch from Central Perk has a price estimate between US$2,000 andUS$3,000.

Other auction highlights include one wardrobe item from each member of the main cast, which includes Rachel Green’s grey sweater from season 7’s “The One With the Truth About London”; a blue long-sleeved shirt worn by Ross Geller in season 9’s “The One with the Boob Job”; and a teal, cashmere polo-style sweater worn by Chandler Bing in season 7’s “The One with the Holiday Armadillo.”

Also up for sale are Joey Tribbiani’s brown, striped short-sleeved button-down shirt from season 10’s “The One After Joey and Rachel Kiss”; Monica Geller’s brown and tan knit top from season 9’s “The One with the Mugging”; and a blue denim coat with faux fur on the cuffs and neck and embroidered Japanese flowers worn by Phoebe Buffay in season 7’s “The One With Joey’s Award.”

Each wardrobe piece worn by the main cast has a price estimate between US$1,000 andUS$1,500.

Costumes worn by notable guest stars will also be up for sale, including a polo shirt worn by Paul Rudd, a fur-trimmed jacket worn by Christina Applegate—who plays Rachel’s sister Amy—and a bright-pink dress and coat worn by Winona Ryder. Each of these items is estimated to sell between US$600 andUS$800.

Some original props included in the auction are five “Monica’s Catering” business cards (estimate: US$100-US$200 each) and a blue metal bike used by Ross’ son Ben—played by Cole Sprouse—in the season 7 episode “The One With All the Candy” (estimate: US$500-US$700).

“Friends” first aired on Sept. 22, 1994, and ran for 10 seasons, concluding with a 2004 series finale, which is the fifth-most-watched series finale of all time and the most-watched television episode of the 2000s.

Alibaba Group co-founder Jack Ma said competition will make the company stronger and the e-commerce giant needs to trust in the power of market forces and innovation, according to an internal memo to commemorate the company’s 25th anniversary.

“Many of Alibaba’s business face challenges and the possibility of being surpassed, but that’s to be expected as no single company can stay at the top forever in any industry,” Ma said in a letter sent to employees late Tuesday, seen by The Wall Street Journal.

Once a darling of Wall Street and the dominant player in China’s e-commerce industry, the tech giant’s growth has slowed amid a weakening Chinese economy and subdued consumer sentiment. Intensifying competition from homegrown upstarts such as PDD Holdings ’ Pinduoduo e-commerce platform and ByteDance’s short-video app Douyin has also pressured Alibaba’s growth momentum.

“Only with competition can we become stronger and allow the industry to remain healthy,” Ma said.

The letter came after Alibaba recently completed a three-year regulatory process in China.

Chinese regulators said in late August that they have completed their monitoring and evaluation of Alibaba after the company was penalized over monopolistic practices in 2021. Over the past three years, the company has been required to submit self-evaluation compliance reports to market regulators.

Ma reiterated Alibaba’s ambition of being a company that can last 102 years. He urged Alibaba’s employees to not flounder in the midst of challenges and competition.

“The reason we’re Alibaba is because we have idealistic beliefs, we trust the future, believe in the market. We believe that only a company that can create real value for society can keep operating for 102 years,” he said.

Ma himself has kept a low profile since late 2020 when financial affiliate Ant Group called off initial public offerings in Hong Kong and Shanghai that had been on track to raise more than $34 billion.

In a separate internal letter in April, he praised Alibaba’s leadership and its restructuring efforts after the company split the group into six independently run companies.

Alibaba recently completed the conversion of its Hong Kong secondary listing into a primary listing, and on Tuesday was added to a scheme allowing investors in mainland China to trade Hong Kong-listed shares.

Alibaba shares fell 1.2% to 80.60 Hong Kong dollars, or equivalent of US$10.34, by midday Wednesday, after rising 4.2% on Tuesday following the Stock Connect inclusion. The company’s shares are up 6.9% so far this year.