Kirstie Alley Scratchiti and All—Bar From Set of ‘Cheers’ Fetches $675,000 at Auction
2 min
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.
More: Holy ‘Grails’ of NFT Art Are up for Sale, and Collectors Are Clamouring for Them
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.”
Copyright 2020, Dow Jones & Company, Inc. All Rights Reserved Worldwide. LEARN MORE
A long-standing cultural cruise and a new expedition-style offering will soon operate side by side in French Polynesia.
The pandemic-fuelled love affair with casual footwear is fading, with Bank of America warning the downturn shows no sign of easing.
The pandemic-fuelled love affair with casual footwear is fading, with Bank of America warning the downturn shows no sign of easing.
2 minThe boom in casual footware ushered in by the pandemic has ended, a potential problem for companies such as Adidas that benefited from the shift to less formal clothing, Bank of America says.
The casual footwear business has been on the ropes since mid-2023 as people began returning to office.
Analyst Thierry Cota wrote that while most downcycles have lasted one to two years over the past two decades or so, the current one is different.
It “shows no sign of abating” and there is “no turning point in sight,” he said.
Adidas and Nike alone account for almost 60% of revenue in the casual footwear industry, Cota estimated, so the sector’s slower growth could be especially painful for them as opposed to brands that have a stronger performance-shoe segment. Adidas may just have it worse than Nike.
Cota downgraded Adidas stock to Underperform from Buy on Tuesday and slashed his target for the stock price to €160 (about $187) from €213. He doesn’t have a rating for Nike stock.
Shares of Adidas listed on the German stock exchange fell 4.5% Tuesday to €162.25. Nike stock was down 1.2%.
Adidas didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
Cota sees trouble for Adidas both in the short and long term.
Adidas’ lifestyle segment, which includes the Gazelles and Sambas brands, has been one of the company’s fastest-growing business, but there are signs growth is waning.
Lifestyle sales increased at a 10% annual pace in Adidas’ third quarter, down from 13% in the second quarter.
The analyst now predicts Adidas’ organic sales will grow by a 5% annual rate starting in 2027, down from his prior forecast of 7.5%.
The slower revenue growth will likewise weigh on profitability, Cota said, predicting that margins on earnings before interest and taxes will decline back toward the company’s long-term average after several quarters of outperforming. That could result in a cut to earnings per share.
Adidas stock had a rough 2025. Shares shed 33% in the past 12 months, weighed down by investor concerns over how tariffs, slowing demand, and increased competition would affect revenue growth.
Nike stock fell 9% throughout the period, reflecting both the company’s struggles with demand and optimism over a turnaround plan CEO Elliott Hill rolled out in late 2024.
Investors’ confidence has faded following Nike’s December earnings report, which suggested that a sustained recovery is still several quarters away. Just how many remains anyone’s guess.
But if Adidas’ challenges continue, as Cota believes they will, it could open up some space for Nike to claw back any market share it lost to its rival.
Investors should keep in mind, however, that the field has grown increasingly crowded in the past five years. Upstarts such as On Holding and Hoka also present a formidable challenge to the sector’s legacy brands.
Shares of On and Deckers Outdoor , Hoka’s parent company, fell 11% and 48%, respectively, in 2025, but analysts are upbeat about both companies’ fundamentals as the new year begins.
The battle of the sneakers is just getting started.
In the remote waters of Indonesia’s Anambas Islands, Bawah Reserve is redefining what it means to blend barefoot luxury with environmental stewardship.
BMW has unveiled the Neue Klasse in Munich, marking its biggest investment to date and a new era of electrification, digitalisation and sustainable design.
