A rare and easily recognized Asian figurine from the mantelpiece of the I love Lucy living room set appeared at a Premiere Props auction on Sept 28, 2013. It sold for $24,000. This statue was one of a pair that was seen on the mantelpiece throughout most of the series.
It has an interesting provenance see pictures and description below from the actual auction listing. 
Description from the Auction Listing:
“An instantly recognizable iconic piece of TV history. From the original “I Love Lucy” set, one of the Chinese Porcelain figurines (circa 1953) that graced the mantel of the fireplace in the Lucy and Ricky Ricardo New York Living Room Apartment set for many seasons. There was a male and female figurine that stood at opposites sides of the mantel. This is the male figure that usually could be seen on the far right of the mantel. This figurine was originally crafted by Stewart B. McCulloch at his California Pottery studio in the mid 1940’s. There was a popular collection of these Chinese figures as well as other Chinese themed figurines created at the time. This statue was re-discovered in the warehouse of what was once the Desilu Prop Department, by a set designer who was re-creating the original “I Love Lucy” New York Living Room Apartment set for the infamous Manhattan Transfer video of their hit song “Blee Blop Blues” in the late 1980’s. The base has “Stewart McCulloch – California Potter” as part of the actual porcelain mold. The official Lucille Ball Museum, the “Lucy-Desi Center for Comedy” in Lucy’s hometown of Jamestown, New Jersey has a replica of this figurine in their museum set, and have made reference to the fact that for many of the props and set pieces used in the original series, several “duplicates” were made and used, because of the physical comedy, some items needed to be replaced from time to time. This original figurine does show some signs of repair. It also shows the natural signs of age and use, with some chipping and color fading. This unique item also comes with a special Letter of Provenience by one of the founding members of the Manhattan Transfer, Alan Paul, who was on the set when the piece was found for his video. The figurine stands approximately 14″ tall and 4.5″ x 4.5″ at the base. This item has been authenticated and marked with new technology by MovieProps DNA to prevent against fraud and counterfeiting. A panel of industry experts not affiliated with Premiere Props in the movie & TV memorabilia business has authenticated this item. ”
There was originally a matching female statue that was not part of the auction. I have seen a similar one to the female statue on ebay recently which sold for just $39.99.
Related Posts:
- Another look at Lucy’s Asian Statue
- Project: I love Lucy Asian Statue Repaint
- Lucy’s Chinese Seated Woman Statue
- I love Lucy’s Mantel Statues: Seated Chinese Man Figurine
The Manhattan Transfer video, shot on the Desilu set with a remake of the I Love Lucy set, which let to the discovery of the statue
Reference & Photo credits:
http://www.liveauctioneers.com/item/20351933_i-love-lucy-chinese-set-statue