A Bundle of Paper Thrown in the Trash... Sold for 37 Million Won

Sold at 30 Times the Estimated Price at UK Auction

Although it has been 20 years since it ended, the script for two episodes of the famous American sitcom 'Friends,' which continues to enjoy great popularity, was sold at auction for ?22,000 (about 37 million KRW).

On the 12th (local time), British broadcaster BBC and others reported that the 'Friends' script put up by the UK auction house Hansons Ross was sold for ?22,000 (about 37 million KRW), far exceeding the estimated price of ?600-800 (about 1 million to 1.34 million KRW). The identity of the buyer was not disclosed.

This script is for the two-part episode 'The One with Ross's Wedding,' episodes 23 and 24 of season 4 of 'Friends.' This episode was greatly loved by fans as it contained the scene where the love story between Chandler (played by the late Matthew Perry) and Monica (played by Courteney Cox) began.

American NBC sitcom 'Friends' [Image source=NBC, Yonhap News]

The script that appeared in this auction was originally almost discarded in a trash bin 26 years ago. After filming of the episode ended in 1998, an administrative staff member at a studio near Wembley, London, UK, retrieved the script that had been thrown into the trash to prevent leaks of the episode's ending.

The staff member said, "A few weeks after filming ended, I found the script in the trash bin," and "Not knowing what to do, I kept it in my office drawer." He resigned in 1999, one year later, and took the items in the drawer, including this script, home in a box all at once. Having not opened the box for 20 years, he discovered the script while organizing his belongings during a move. The original owner of the script, known to be an anonymous man in his 60s, said when submitting the script to the auction, "It's funny, but I'm not a 'Friends' fan," and "I want the script to be passed on to a real fan."

The auction company expressed amazement, saying, "People were enthusiastic about this script," and "The global interest was astonishing." They added, "Although the final episode of 'Friends' aired 20 years ago in 2004, millions of people still love this show."

'Friends' aired on NBC in the United States from 1994 to 2004. The drama depicted the love and friendship of six friends living in Manhattan, New York. In particular, the six main actors showed a strong bond not only on screen but also in real life. When Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, was found dead at his home on October 28 last year, the five other main actors?Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Courteney Cox (Monica), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), David Schwimmer (Ross), and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe)?issued a joint statement two days after Perry’s death, saying, "We are all deeply saddened by the loss of Matthew," and "We were more than just co-stars. We were a family," mourning his passing. Perry’s cause of death was revealed to be a side effect of the drug ketamine, used to treat depression and anxiety.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.