MishM*A*S*H 26: Alan Alda’s Dog Tags and Boots Auction (July 2023)

In July 2023, Heritage Auctions sold Alan Alda’s boots and dog tags from M*A*S*H as a fundraiser for the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science. The auction was held in Dallas, Texas, and the dog tag and boots sold for an incredible $125,000 (including buyers premium). Alda was interviewed before the auction and said that he was glad that the items were doing good by raising money for the Alda Center. For the auction, Heritage printed and sold catalogs dedicated to the sale of Alda’s M*A*S*H items, and I was able to get a copy of the catalog. Let’s take a look at the catalog and see what we can learn about the dog tags and boots that Alda wore for all eleven seasons of the iconic series.

Alda famously wore the same boots (not the ones with a hole he tried to get replaced in “For the Want of a Boot” (02×17)) and dog tags for the entire eleven season run of M*A*S*H. In his introduction in the catalog, Alda states, “When the show ended, the boots and tags were the only things I kept.” They were more than just a part of the uniform he wore as Hawkeye, they were a reminder that “someone had worn these once in a real war.” That was true for the dog tags. Each of the two tags belonged to a soldier from World War II. One tag belonged to Herbie Davenport from Texarkana, Arkansas and the other belonged to Morris D. Levine of Brooklyn, New York. They were two real people who fought in a real war before Alda wore them on the set of M*A*S*H. The boots were likely Army surplus, but the fact that the cast put on real Army boots, real fatigues, and, at least in the case of Alda, real dog tags contributed to the realism that M*A*S*H portrayed on the screen.

Inside the catalog, there are several photographs of the boots and dog tags and information about the auction. The first page has the details of the auction. It was held in Dallas on July 28, 2023. There is also information about the bidding options including in person, by telephone, online, or by fax. Details about the buyer’s premium (25%) is also included. On the back of the first page is information about Heritage auctions and its staff. Next is an introduction written by Alda in which he describes the boots and dog tags and discusses the Alda Center, which benefited from the sale. The middle of the catalog is dedicated to the boots and dog tags, including the names and information of the soldiers represented on each of the tags. The last several pages of the catalog include the terms and conditions of the auction and the upcoming auction schedule.

Alda’s boots and dog tags weren’t the only M*A*S*H objects to be sold by Heritage in 2023. In June, several M*A*S*H items sold at auction at Heritage including:

• M*A*S*H Signpost
• P.A. Speaker
• Field Switchboard and Radio Transmitter
• “M*A*S*H 4077th” Sign
• “No Smoking” Sign
• Glass Section of the Still from The Swamp
• Show Tent Shower Head

Seeing so many M*A*S*H objects sold this past year is both interesting and kind of sad. It is likely that many of these items will disappear into private collections and will not be seen again for many years, if ever again. The signpost and Alda’s boots and dog tags are probably the most important M*A*S*H props and wardrobe to ever sale.

I applaud Alda for choosing to sell two of his M*A*S*H items for a good cause. The fact that his boots and dog tags have been documented and were seen by the public before being sold at auction is a good thing. We learned more about the deep connection between the series and the men and women of the armed services and in the real MASH units that the series portrayed. Watch a replay of the auction below, or purchase a copy of the DVD for M*A*S*H: When Television Changed Forever, which includes a mini-feature about the auction.