‘Succession’ auctions off ‘ludicrously capacious bag’ and other props
IN the season four premiere of “Succession,” the snooty Tom Wambsgans had a gripe with Cousin Greg over his date to Logan Roy’s birthday party.
Greg’s date, Bridget, was not exactly welcomed with open arms. Partygoers turned their noses up at her, and Greg (Nicholas Braun) couldn’t figure out why. Tom (Matthew Macfadyen) had an answer for Greg, and it had to do with Bridget’s Burberry bag.
“She’s brought a ludicrously capacious bag,” Tom mused about Bridget. “What’s even in there, huh? Flat shoes for the subway? Her lunch pail? I mean, Greg, it’s monstrous. It’s gargantuan. You could take it camping. You could slide it across the floor after a bank job.”
That bag, which inspired an internet meme almost instantly after the episode aired, now has a price tag of $18,750 as it was one of 236 items from the show auctioned off through Heritage Auctions on Saturday in Dallas. The auction fetched a total of $627,825 from more than 2,000 bidders.
The high-end price tags for the props aren’t all that surprising given that “Succession,” a story about the mega-rich Roy family and their battle to lead a media empire, was full of private jets, luxury cars and expensive watches (not to mention quippy one-liners and insults).
It was also full of goofy, offball moments, some of which included props that bidders snatched up on Saturday. A costume worn by Cousin Greg in the first season - that of Doderick, a Goofy knockoff mascot for the Roy family’s theme parks - went for $7,812.50 at the auction.
The auction included the dead scorpion paperweight (a stinger of a gift from Tom to Shiv as their marriage fell apart in season four) and sausages (of the “boar on the floor” variety from season two). Kendall Roy’s (Jeremy Strong) Prada suit and Saint Laurent dress shirt, which he wore in the season two episode “Hunting,” went for $7,500. Other items sold included fake Forbes and New York Magazine covers with Roy family members, as well as a pair of a framed ATN News poster.
The most expensive item sold had a more somber tone - the pink index cards from Roman Roy’s (Kieran Culkin) eulogy of his father, which went for $25,000. Other high-earning items included the bronze bell from Logan’s townhouse (as seen in season one, when Greg kept knocking it over) sold for $18,750, and Shiv Roy’s (Sarah Snook) media statement about Logan’s death went for $17,500.
“It is rare you can own something you saw on television worn or used or spoken by a favorite character on a favorite show that is still being feted and discussed and watched over and over,” said Robert Wilonsky, spokesman for Heritage Auctions. “Ultimately, people seized upon this opportunity.”
“It’s a cultural phenomenon, of course – a funhouse-mirror reflection of the moment,” Wilonsky added. “But that would have meant nothing without the extraordinary writing, the perfect casting and the clever accessorizing of this dysfunctional clan.”
Some social media users criticized the auction, questioning why people would spend thousands of dollars on items that could be bought for cheap, like Roman’s “With Open Eyes” outfit, which sold for $1,875 despite being previously being available at Walmart for about $14.
More praise for “Succession” might be on the way as it has more than two dozen nominations at the Emmy Awards on Monday night. It won four awards at the Golden Globes last weekend.