One of the ways that David Letterman showed his appreciation to his Late Show employees was through commemorative varsity jackets. Bestowing these “Letterman letterman” jackets had been a long-standing annual tradition, with the former host personally designing each year’s iteration.
The gifts are also coveted by fans, and given that Letterman just said farewell, these coats will probably increase in value—particularly the finale wrap jacket. Perhaps sensing an opportunity, crew members are already taking to eBay and putting their 2015 Late Show farewell jackets up for sale. Last night, one auction closed with a winning bid of $1,925. With two days left, another jacket is already up to $1,075.
TMZ discovered that the deep-pocketed Letterman likely paid upwards of $60,000 for these gifts. While it might seem a bit callous for Letterman’s employees to be selling these thank you gifts on eBay, if you consider the current employment status of many Late Show crew members, its understandable why somebody would be willing to part with such a sentimental—and valuable—gift. At least they aren’t being heaved into a dumpster.
And if throwing down a couple grand on a coat doesn’t fit your budget, there are some regular old non-farewell crew jackets floating around eBay, comfortably in the three-figure range. If that’s still too steep, there’s this “very rare” Franklin And Bash cast location sign going for the affordable asking price of $45.