Julien’s Auctions 2012 Icons and Idols Hollywood, held November 9th and 10th, featured some 800 lots ranging from a complete Judy Garland costume from The Wizard of Oz to a blank bank note signed by Walt Disney. It also included three M*A*S*H items. Here are the descriptions from the auction catalog:
Gary Burghoff M*A*S*H Cap (Lot 38)
A cap worn by Gary Burghoff in his role as Corportal Walter Eugene O’Reilly (or Radar) on the long-running television series M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-1983). The army green knit cap has a rigid brim. $300-500M*A*S*H Cast Signed Script (Lot 39)
A copy of the M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-1983) script for season 11, episode 9 “run for the Money,” signed on the cover by Mike Farrell, Bill Christopher, Larry Linville, Loretta Swit, and Alan Alda, who has additionally written “Peace!” The episode aired on December 20, 1982. 11 by 8/1 inches. $300-500Harry Morgan M*A*S*H Cap (Lot 40)
A cap worn by Harry Morgan in his role as Col. Sherman T. Potter on the long-running television series M*A*S*H (CBS, 1972-1983). The army green cap has a silver tone colonel eagle insignia pin at the center of the crown. $300-500
Notice that once of the signatures on the signed script, for the Season Eleven episode “Run For the Money,” is Larry Linville’s. Why would his signature be on a script produced years after he left the series? Could he have been visiting the set while the episode was being filmed? Ultimately, the Gary Burghoff cap sold for $1,024, more than double the estimate, while the signed cast script sold for $448 and the Colonel Potter cap sold for $896.
Harry Morgan’s cap looks like the real deal, but that cap supposedly worn by Gary Burghoff is a TREMENDOUS fake! Trust me, look at it: there is way too much weave across the top edge of the brim.
See, take a look at what the cap should look like: Notice how there’s only a thin strip of weave atop the brim? Doesn’t that look more like what Gary wore on the show?
Furthermore, read this review of the cap itself for more details, then compare them to the cap that was sold at this auction. http://www.90thidpg.us/Equipment/Reviews/JeepCap/index.html
Other than that, yeah, that does look like Harry’s actual cap from the show.
Sorry, I guess you can’t post pics in comments, but there what the image was I was trying to link to in my second sentence: http://www.robertsarmory.com/10thm17.jpg
I think these are all fakes. Alan Alda does not sign “Peace!”… that has been Mike Farrell’s signature (no pun intended) forever. The signatures do not look real to me – I have real signatures, obtained in person, from the whole cast – and they do not look like these. I also agree that it is unlikely that Larry Linville would sign a season 10 script (which actually aired in season 11). I think all 3 are fakes.
Well then, three people had the wool pulled over their eyes.