Aaaaay! Fonzie's Leather Jacket Sells for Cool $75K

The brown leather jacket made famous by greaser Arthur “Fonzie” Fonzarelli in the hit TV sitcom Happy Days, sold for $75,312 as part of the 26-lot Henry Winkler Collection at Bonham’s TCM sale December 8.

The jacket was part of a complete Fonzie outfit featuring: an original pair of blue jeans, two white cotton T-shirts and a pair of black leather biker boots. Winkler’s Fonzie character became a pop culture icon and has endured long after the ten-year run of Happy Days (1974-84). A statue of the character – The Bronz Fonz – was erected in downtown Milwaukee, home of the fictional TV show.

The Happy Days gang (from left) Chachi Arcola (Scott Baio), Potsie Weber (Anson Weber), Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard) Arthur 'Fonzie' Fonzarelli (Henry Winkler) and Ralph Malph (Don Most)

Winkler, 76, auctioned off a number of props and recognizable costumes he wore during his six-decade acting career, which began back in the early 1970s. The top-selling item in the event was Fonzie’s motorcycle, a 1949 Triumph Trophy 500, which sold for $231,562, including premium. The motorcycle was used throughout the series by Fonzie, although Winkler confessed he couldn’t ride the bike himself and rammed it into a sound truck the first time he tried.

Richie, Mr. C. (Tom Bosley), Fonzie and Ralph Malph discuss motorcycle safety in the Cunningham living room. While his Triumph was just another layer of cool for The Fonz, in reality, actor Henry Winkler couldn't ride it. Image courtesy Bonhams

Richard Rawlings, the star of the reality television show Fast N' Loud on Discovery Channel bought Fonzie's Triumph motorcycle in honor of his father who has Alzheimer's Disease. Father and son used to watch Happy Days together. . Image courtesy Bonhams

Other Happy Days-worn items that went for impressive sums included mechanic overalls that sold for $14,025; a button-up Army shirt for $2,040; a softball uniform that sold for $1,275; cowboy boots that went for $1,083. The auction realized $320,000. Winkler will donate a portion of the proceeds to This Is About Humanity, a nonprofit his daughter, Zoe, started with friends that aims to support separated and reunified families at the U.S./Mexico border.

Other auction items sold:

A pair of full-length blue cotton mechanic coveralls worn by Fonzie on Happy Days sold for $14,025. Image courtesy Bonhams

Henry Winkler's Happy Days softball uniform sold for $1,275. The cast and crew of Happy Days had a successful softball team. The team played games in Major League stadiums, as well as on tours of Japan and Europe. Guest stars Robin Williams, Tom Hanks and Rob Reiner joined the team from time to time. Marion Ross, who played Mrs. Cunningham on the show, had fond memories of the game: "We played so much softball. It kept the cast together. I don't know if we would have survived if we didn't have that softball team." Image courtesy Bonhams

Henry Winkler is an accomplished actor, but he came to sports later in life. "I never played sports before I got to the set of Happy Days," Winkler said. "Ron Howard bought me my first mitt and Anson Williams, my first bat. Walter, our dialogue coach, taught me to pitch in between rehearsals." Image courtesy Bonhams

A pair of custom-made cowboy boots of cream calfskin leather, with red snakeskin toe and heel details and decoupage floral detail worn by Henry Winkler as Fonzie during the Dude Ranch episodes, "Westward Ho!," season six, episodes 1-3, on Happy Days, sold for $1,083. Image courtesy Bonhams