Lena Waithe Dropped Over $35,000 for a Special Piece of “The Mary Tyler Moore” Set: 'I Will Cherish This'

Lena Waithe has purchased a typical portion of tv history.

The Emmy Award victor has purchased nan gold-painted "M" that adorned Mary Richards' flat wall connected The Mary Tyler Moore Show. The waste took spot connected Wednesday, June 4, astatine Doyle’s "The Collection of Mary Tyler Moore" auction.

The humble prop was nan item of nan auction, receiving a ton of liking owed to its prominence successful nan inheritance of a beloved sitcom, which aired from 1970 to 1977.

Original estimates had nan portion going for anyplace from $5,000 to 8,000. The portion acold exceeded expectations, opening astatine $14,000 and yet trading for a stunning $35,200. 

In a connection astir nan sale, Waithe shares, "I will cherish this portion of tv history for nan remainder of my life. I consciousness honored to person custody of it until it’s clip to walk it on to personification else."

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Other Mary Tyler Moore items garnered awesome sales. A colorful image of Moore by Peter Max sold for $15,360. Original Al Hirschfeld drawings capturing Moore's roles successful The Dick Van Dyke Show ($6,080) and The Mary Tyler Moore Show ($7,680) besides exceeded expectations.

Moore began leading The Mary Tyler Moore Show in 1970, not agelong aft her starring domiciled on The Dick Van Dyke Show. The show was produced by her company, MTM Enterprises, which was down galore successful TV series.

Her TV change ego, Mary Richards, was not that different from nan existent Moore, nan precocious character erstwhile told PEOPLE successful 1974.

“I ne'er went nan actors’ workplace route. I'm not an character who tin create a character. I play me. I'm frightened that if I tamper pinch it I mightiness ruin it,” she shared, noting her azygous woman characteristic happened, successful part, because she didn’t want to play joined again, and CBS didn’t want her characteristic to beryllium divorced. 

She ended up pinch 8 Emmy nominations and 4 wins for her activity connected nan series.