Tony Soprano Outfits Fetch High Prices at Auction

NEW YORK, June 25 -- One used, black-and-beige short-sleeve polo shirt, a tank top and black pants: $43,750.

Inflation run amok? Nope -- just the premium you pay for the blood of Tony Soprano.

Twenty-five outfits worn by James Gandolfini's character on the smash HBO series raised $187,750 at an auction Wednesday for a charity that aids wounded soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan. Gandolfini attended part of the Christie's auction with a soldier from the nonprofit Wounded Warrior Project.

The highest bid was for the faux-bloodstained suit of clothes, including the shirt, tank top and pants the actor wore in a scene in which Tony is shot by a demented Uncle Junior.

The next highest bid was $21,250 for a four-piece costume that included a blue-, red- and yellow-striped robe and boxer shorts that Tony wore in numerous episodes of "The Sopranos."

Other top-selling outfits included a tan cotton bathrobe with lavender trim and "S" insignia on the breast pocket that was featured in the pilot when Tony fetched the morning paper and fed the ducks in his pool. It fetched $13,750.

All of the outfits were authenticated by Gandolfini, and many had the original production tags attached.

Earlier this week, HBO Video announced that a 30-disc box set with every episode of "The Sopranos" will go on sale Nov. 11. It weighs in at nearly 10 pounds with an equally heavy list price of $399.99.

Besides seven seasons' worth of episodes, the set has two bonus DVDs that include an interview with creator David Chase by Alec Baldwin. Chase discusses how the show was cast and the evolution of the characters. He includes three music soundtrack CDs that he curated and were previously released, and 16 scenes that never made it on the air. The set includes a recording of a New York seminar on cast members who were whacked and various spoofs on other TV outlets.

Four hundred dollars won't buy you Tony Soprano, however. Gandolfini didn't participate in any of the "extras."