Meet Bob Boden: Inside the Collection
Come on down! It's Collector's Call.
Apr. 12, 2026
Collector’s Call is back for a brand-new season, and our first episode kicks things off with a grand prize-winning collection.
Bob Boden is a game show producer whose credits include Match Game, Press Your Luck and Funny You Should Ask. His love of the genre didn’t end with his career — it doubled in size with his massive collection of game show memorabilia.
His goal is to preserve game show history through his collection and eventually house it in the National Archives of Game Show History, which he co-founded. He rescued an entire era of game show memorabilia and history from being wiped out — no whammies here!
When Bob was young, his love of game shows began when he and his mom would go to Manhattan to get tickets to see Password. At the time, Bob was watching on a black-and-white TV, but when he saw it live and in color, he knew it was for him.
"Come on down!" and learn more about this iconic collection featuring more than 10,000 items from the game shows we know and love.
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1. Wheel of Fortune Prize Wedge
Game show fans will recognize this iconic item!
This is a very special prize wedge from Wheel of Fortune, where the highest value on the wheel is typically $5,000.
This piece comes straight from Harry Friedman, who was the executive producer of Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy! for 25 years.
According to our expert, because this piece is from Bob’s collection, it’s worth a little more than your average game show memorabilia item.
Today, this item is valued at around $3,000 — not quite $5,000, but still a pretty good spin!
2. Press Your Luck Whammy Cards & Slides
This piece is from Press Your Luck, a game show from the '80s where players answered questions to earn spins on a big board.
The board had 18 squares, each displaying a slide that could reveal a prize, cash or a Whammy.
These items come from Bob's time working on Press Your Luck, and the slides are from the electronics department. Each one features original Press Your Luck images. Right place, right time — Bob was definitely pressing his luck!
According to the expert, this set would be worth around $5,000 today. This collection has no Whammies.
3. Gene Rayburn’s Match Game Microphone
This is Gene Rayburn’s microphone from the 1970s Match Game. It feels like a celebrity all on its own!
According to Bob, instead of bringing the mic up to a contestant’s face, Rayburn would swivel it — a move that became his signature.
This microphone is most associated with the host of the series, but it was also used by Bob Barker and other hosts.
It was once sitting on a table in an office when Bob asked about it. The owner had a couple and loaned him two mics — but only one came back! That makes this a truly one-of-a-kind piece.
According to our expert, because it was used by such iconic game show hosts, it adds significant value, bringing it to a game-winning $15,000.
Now that’s a match made in heaven!
4. The Joker's Wild Lever
This is a very iconic piece is from The Joker's Wild, a 1970s game show where contestants answer trivia questions, with prizes set by slot machine.
This lever is straight from the show and was a major part of the game. Do you remember it? It was given to him by one of the show’s head writers, who even included a certificate of authenticity—a detail we at Collector’s Call know is very important.
While it may not look like much, it’s worth $3,500. And while the certificate certainly helps, Bob really is all the proof and verification you need.
5. "J" from Jeopardy!
This is one of his most prized pieces in the collection!
In 1984, Jeopardy! returned to the air, and on the set were enormous letters spelling out the show’s name. When the letters were retired, someone put them all up for sale on eBay. Some letters had already been purchased, leaving only the J, R, and the exclamation point.
Bob purchased the J because he could easily say it’s the "J from Jeopardy!"—a true Daily Double of a find. It sold for $175, a small price for such a big letter.
Today, it would be worth around $15,000.
6. Family Feud Face-Off Podium
This item is a true classic!
It’s the original Face-Off podium from Family Feud. The Game Show Network borrowed it for a series of promos, and then it sat in a warehouse.
Luckily, Bob was able to save it from being thrown away, collecting an important piece of game show history!
A survey estimates its value at $25,000.
7. The total value of Bob's game show memorabilia collection:
