Alan Alda's "M*A*S*H" Boots and Dog Tags March Off to Auction

DALLAS — When Alan Alda reported to the 4077th Mobile Army Surgical Hospital in the summer of 1972 he received two items from wardrobe that became the only "M*A*S*H" memorabilia he kept from the smash TV series that ended its run in 1983.

"M*A*S*H" won 14 Emmys during its run as one of the most popular TV shows of all time. Photo by 20th Century-Fox TV/Getty Images

Alda, then 36, received a pair of scuffed-up combat boots, inside which someone had written in black marker the name of his character: "HAWKEYE." He was also given a pair of dog tags, stamped with the names of strangers: Hersie Davenport and Morriss D. Levine.

Every day, throughout 251 episodes as Capt. Benjamin Franklin Pierce in the 14-time Emmy-award-winning TV show, Alda slipped on those boots. Every day, he put those dog tags over his head. Now those souvenirs from one of the best series in TV history head to auction July 28 in a one-lot event at Heritage Auctions.

The combat boots worn by Alan Alda in "M*A*S*H".

The sale will help fund what has become Alda’s greatest passion: the Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science at Stony Brooks University. All proceeds from the sale, including Heritage’s cut, will go to the 14-year-old center founded by Alda, Stony Brook and the university's School of Communication and Journalism.

When "M*A*S*H" ended, the boots and tags worn by Alda as Hawkeye were the only things he kept from the show. "I never wore them again - just kept them on a shelf," Alda said. Courtesy Heritage Auctions

"Hawkeye's boots and dog tags are not only entertainment memorabilia from a beloved series, but the cherished keepsakes of a national treasure," says Heritage's Chief Strategy Officer Joshua Benesh. "And before that, they were the personal artifacts of real soldiers. They now take on a new life as a source of fundraising for a noble cause in which a noble man has invested so much of his time and resources, and we are honored to be even a small part of such a grand gesture."

M*A*S*H was one of the most beloved shows of all time. Its finale, “Goodbye, Farewell and Amen,” was the most-watched and highest-rated single television episode in U.S. television history at the time. The finale brought in a 125 million viewers. Throughout its 256-episode run, M*A*S*H has won numerous television awards, including 14 Emmys, a Golden Globe and a Peabody Award.