**Historic Tony Soprano Booth from “The Sopranos” Sold at Auction for $82,600**
The iconic parlor booth from the final scene of “The Sopranos” where Tony Soprano sat down with his family has been sold at auction for a whopping $82,600. This piece of TV history was a tourist attraction for years at Holsten’s ice cream parlor in Broomfield, NJ, but due to the need for renovations, the booth had to be sold to the highest bidder.
Holsten’s put up the famous furniture – including the booth, table, divider, and a custom plaque reserving seats for the Soprano family – on eBay with an opening bid of $3,000. An intense bidding war ensued, and when the auction closed on Monday, the booth had fetched a staggering $82,600. This amount will cover the costs for the upcoming renovations at Holsten’s, which include new floors and booths.
The booth, which is now in the hands of an unknown buyer, does not include the jukebox that Tony Soprano famously used to play Journey’s classic tune “Don’t Stop Believin'” in the final scene. The jukebox was added by the film crew and was accompanied by a plaque that read, “This Booth Reserved for the Soprano Family.”
Since the open-ended finale of “The Sopranos,” Holsten’s has been a popular pilgrimage site for fans of the show looking to visit Tony’s last known location. However, the wear and tear on the booth over the years led to the decision to sell it off. Holsten’s expressed their reluctance to part with the piece of TV history but emphasized that the structural integrity of the booth had been compromised due to multiple repairs over its 60-year-old lifespan.
While the ice cream parlor is undergoing renovations, they assured fans that the look and feel of the place will remain the same as when the Sopranos visited. They stated, “Please understand that we don’t want to do this. But the integrity of the booths is compromised. They have been repaired many times and this furniture is over 60 years old. Obviously, we do not want to do this, however it has come to a point where they are structurally not safe anymore as a whole and we need to think about the safety of our patrons first.”
At this time, the identity of the buyer remains unknown, but it is safe to say they probably didn’t pay with an envelope stuffed with cash. Despite the sale of the booth, fans can still visit Holsten’s and experience the charm of the ice cream parlor that played a significant role in the iconic final scene of “The Sopranos.”
