WHY YOU’LL WANT TO OWN IT:  This rare, authentic artifact embodies a piece of old New York – a time when celebrities, athletes, politicians, and mobsters all rubbed elbows in the same smoky, whiskey-filled room. Toots Shor’s was the epicenter of mid-century Manhattan nightlife, frequented by icons like Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Joe DiMaggio, and Ernest Hemingway.  For the serious collector, a vintage enthusiast, or someone nostalgic for the swagger of mid-century Manhattan, this piece is a tangible connection to a bygone era. 

Relic of New York's Legendary Saloon, the Greatest Sports Bar of All Time.

Toots Shor's was a restaurant and bar owned and operated by Bernard "Toots" Shor at 51 West 51st Street in Manhattan during the 1940s and 1950s. Its oversized circular bar was a New York landmark.  It was frequented by celebrities, and together with the 21 Club, the Stork Club, and El Morocco was one of the places to see and be seen, a home away from home for the day's famous athletes, journalists, actors, mobsters or politicians, all lifting glasses in the same smoke-filled room.

While some called it a restaurant, Toots called his place a saloon. Eat when you drink? That was a crime in Toot's book. The liquor was hard and the food was mediocre. The place allowed women, but they weren't welcome. The center of Toots Shor's was the man himself, burly, impudent, hard-working, high-spirited and sentimental, possessor of a great talent for making friends and enemies.

Offered is a rare, authentic ashtray, a venerable relic liberated from the legendary saloon. The square maroon ceramic ashtray has 4 cigarette rests and sports the "TS" logo inside and "Toots Shor" on the exterior side.  Captures a colorful period in American culture, a booze-fueled age. Handle with care, and pass down to the next generation.