“Golden Girls” Fans Get Exclusive Keeps from Betty White at Auction

Estate of TV star Betty White
Souvenirs from “Golden Girl” bring rain of money

9/27/2022, 12:41 PM (updated)

Betty White will die a few days before her 100th birthday at the end of 2021, but the TV icon will not be forgotten. Wealthy fans get exclusive souvenirs from the “Golden Girls” actress in a big auction.

An auction of TV icon Betty White souvenirs has ended in the US with millions of dollars in revenue. The three-day auction with bids from around the world raised more than $4 million, according to auction house Julien’s in Beverly Hills. 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” named “Betty”. The auction piece, valued at about $1,000, fetched 76 times that — in the end, the bid was $76,800 (about $79,000). Two scripts, signed by “Golden Girls” actresses White, Bea Arthur, Rue McClanahan and Estelle Getty, together brought in nearly $58,000, well above the $500 to $700 estimate.

Items on offer included jewelry, prize trophies, wardrobes, and furniture from White’s homes in Brentwood and Carmel. The actress became world famous with the sitcom “Golden Girls” (1985-92). She played the naive widow Rose Nylund in the series about four elderly women who share a flat. White died in Los Angeles on December 31, 2021, just over two weeks before her 100th birthday.

A 1950s oil painting depicting White in an elegant gown with opera gloves, sold for over $43,000. The diamond-studded wedding ring, which White wore since 1963 after her third marriage to actor Allen Ludden, went up to $25,600. A purple silk dress with white polka dots worn by White for promotional purposes brought in $32,000. A diamond-encrusted brooch found a new owner for nearly $22,000.

(This article was first published on Monday, September 26, 2022.)