Betty White dies at the end of 2021 a few days before her 100th birthday, but the TV icon is not forgotten. Wealthy fans secure exclusive souvenirs of the "Golden Girls" actress in a large auction.
An auction of souvenirs of TV icon Betty White has ended in the USA with millions in proceeds. The three-day auction with bids from all over the world brought in more than four million dollars, said the auction house Julien's in Beverly Hills. The estimated prices for most of the more than 1,600 estate pieces were clearly exceeded. All items were auctioned.
The top prize went to an original director's chair from the shooting set of the sitcom "Golden Girls" with the name "Betty". The auction piece, estimated at around $1,000, fetched 76 times as much - in the end the bid was $76,800 (around 79,000 euros). Two scripts, autographed by "Golden Girls" actresses White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty, combined for nearly $58,000, well above the estimate of $500 to $700.
Items on offer included jewelry, award trophies, wardrobe and furnishings from White's homes in Brentwood and Carmel. The actress became world famous with the sitcom "Golden Girls" (1985-92). She played the naïve widow Rose Nylund in the series about four elderly women who share a flat. White died in Los Angeles on December 31, 2021, a good two weeks before her 100th birthday.
A 1950s oil painting depicting White in an elegant dress with opera gloves sold for more than $43,000. The diamond-studded wedding ring, which White had worn since 1963 after her third marriage to actor Allen Ludden, shot up to $25,600. A purple silk dress with white polka dots worn by White for promotional purposes fetched $32,000. A diamond-studded brooch found a new owner for almost $22,000.
(This article was first published on Monday, September 26, 2022.)
