Top 5 Items In The Breaking Bad Auction

21 September 2013 | 6:23 pm | Andrew Mast

Dreamt of owning Walt White’s tighty whities or Jesse Pinkman’s stash box? Going once, going twice…

As the much-adulated US meth-cooking TV series Breaking Bad comes to an end, the show's producers are selling off 224 props and “collectibles”.

Items range from the small, such as Hank Shrader's grabber and his mineral samples, to those that will require a significant investment, like Skyler White's Jeep or the Vamonos Pest Control van (no sign of Junior's birthday sports car though).

Auction site ScreenBid will begin the auction Sunday 29 September, the day the final episode airs in the US. For Jesse Pinkman's hardcore fans, there's iconic items such as his roomba vacuum cleaner, stash box and dashboard plastic Virgin Mary. You can also bid on Badger's skull caps, that coffee mug with Lydia's smudged lipstick mark so admired by Todd and lots of meth lab equipment (including their hazmat suits).

But these are the five items we most desire:

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Breaking Bad auction item

1. THE HELLO KITTY PHONE

Why bid:  "Seriously? Hello Kitty?" Yes. The phone that was gifted to Jesse by Saul Goodman, and then confiscated by Hank. Its innocuous appearance belies the significant role it played in setting off the chain of events that led to a climax spiralling as out of control as the body count. It was also responsible for another great Saulism after Jesse's initial rebuff of the phone: "We got a beggars-choosers situation here, so stop busting my balls."
Sales pitch: “This is the actual, very recognizable telephone that Saul, Hank, and Jesse all handle during the final season of Breaking Bad, several times in close-up… a one-of-a-kind piece.”
Starting price: $US100 (worth ten times that if Better Call Saul's number is programmed in).

Breaking Bad auction item

2. WALTER WHITE'S TIGHTY NOT-SO-WHITIES

Why bid: Walter seemed happiest in just his tighty-whities. Ahh, life was so much simpler pre-hazmat suits, when a man could just jump in his RV, drive into the desert and cook meth in his undies. [Drives in the New Mexican desert are not what they used to be these days… those darn nazis.]
Sales pitch: “This underwear, now on display at the Museum Of The Moving Image, is the pair Walt wore on the first episode of the Emmy-winning show.” [Note: These will remain at the museum until the exhibit is over, and will be shipped after Oct. 27, when the exhibit ends.]
Starting price: $US250 (imagine the asking price if they'd actually been cleaned).

Breaking Bad auction item

3. HECTOR SALAMANCA'S BELL

Why bid: Who wouldn't want to be Breaking Bell? This bell was the voice of notorious cartel patriach Hector “Tio” Salamanca. Confined to a wheelchair (also being auctioned) and no longer able to speak, Tio dealt out brutal druglord sentences with a menacing 'ding' of this bell.
Sales pitch: “This one-of-a-kind bell is direct from the set, and will bring the sound of Breaking Bad anywhere it goes.”
Starting price: $US3,500 (and it's far from mint condition having survived the retirement village explosion - unlike Gustav Fring's face).

Breaking Bad auction item

4. A LOS POLLOS CHICKEN BUCKET

Why bid: Speaking of Fring… Another case of the seemingly innocuous representing something quite sinister. The Los Pollos Hermanos chicken chain was the preferred drug money laundering outlet before car washes became on-trend for the meth-cook-about-town. Also, big buckets of greasy chicken are a great way to ward off unwanted tweakers.
Sales pitch: “These 2-gallon batter buckets were featured in several episodes of Breaking Bad…. a colorful and valuable addition to any collection.”
Starting price: $US25 (a bargain that leaves you with enough change to also contemplate Los Pollos name tags or logo air freshner).

Breaking Bad auction item

5. THE EYELESS PINK TEDDY BEAR

Why bid: It was difficult to decide on this, given the auction also features Walter's inscribed copy of Leaves Of Grass (everyone's favourite toilet reading) and the Puerto Rico spoon that Marie stole during her klepto phase (not to be confused with her purple patch). But this is the bear (or one of the bears - it had a stunt double with eyes) that kept us all asking “what the fuck is with the pink bear, bitches?” throughout season two. The answer put us all off our meth.
Sales pitch: “The bear, custom-built for the show, is seen in numerous episodes… ScreenBid is offering two screen-used bears – one with eyes, one without.”
Starting price: $US1,500 (at that price this is not something you give to a toddler to keep them amused on a flight).