As Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, a role that earned her three Emmy awards, Mary Tyler Moore became a television star. Her own show, The Mary Tyler Moore Show (1970-77), made her an icon. As Mary Richards, who worked for WJM-TV in Minneapolis, Moore led a cast of unforgettable characters, created a role model for real-life young women entering the workforce, and won three of the show’s record-breaking 29 Emmy Awards. She worked hard behind the scenes, too; The Mary Tyler Moore Show was just one of many hits produced by MTM Enterprises, the company she founded with Grant Tinker.
On June 4, 2025, an auction at Doyle Auctions of Mary Tyler Moore’s personal items and work memorabilia celebrated the beloved actress’s life, career, and collections. Unsurprisingly, the top lot was one of The Mary Tyler Moore Show’s most enduring props, the capital “M” that hung in Mary’s apartment in every episode. Bidding opened at $14,000, already well over the high estimate of $8,000. The “M” ultimately sold for $35,200.
It was purchased by Lena Waithe, an Emmy-winning screenwriter, actress, and producer. Waithe expressed appreciation for the prop’s significance, which may symbolize Moore’s groundbreaking career, saying, “I will cherish this piece of television history for the rest of my life…I feel honored to have custody of it until it’s time to pass it along to someone else.”
Other memorabilia from Moore’s television roles sold well. Two Al Hirschfeld drawings, one of the characters from The Mary Tyler Moore Show and one with Moore and Dick Van Dyke among the CBS Wednesday Night Lineup, sold for $7,680 and $6,080, respectively. A ticket to the live studio filming of the final episode of The Mary Tyler Moore Show, along with a photograph of the cast during the final curtain call, sold for $1,664 against a high estimate of $600.
One lot bridged Moore’s career and her decorative arts collection. A heart-shaped silver box from Tiffany & Co., with a presale estimate of $200 to $300, sold for an impressive $8,230. Its value was undoubtedly increased by the fact that it was a gift from co-star Cloris Leachman and featured the inscription: “For dear funny Mary with deep affection from Cloris.”
Moore had a fine eye for antiques and decorative arts. Many lots in the auction were items from her home, like a Victorian silver Montieth centerpiece bowl that sold for $12,160, over twice its high estimate of $5,000. A group of six Tiffany Studios candlesticks made of patinated bronze with blown-out green Favrile glass sold for $10,240. A slipware loving cup dated 1802 and decorated with the initials “MTM” sold for $2,176.
No discussion of Mary Tyler Moore would be complete without mentioning her activism. She supported diabetes research, as she had lived with Type 1 diabetes since age 30. Six awards for her charity work, including the 1990 Juvenile Diabetes Foundation Woman of the Decade, sold for $1,088.
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