Henry Winkler to auction off personal items from his days as The Fonz

LOS ANGELES -- Henry Winkler is looking back and letting go of his "Happy Days."

The Fonz is saying goodbye to memorabilia he's had since the show began on ABC back in 1974.

For Winkler, those happy days spread to happy weeks, months, years and decades. Now, Winkler is ready to part with a collection of cherished items he saved from his days on the show.

"I never will say goodbye because it is always in my heart and always in my mind. It was the show that threw me out into the world and I will always be grateful," he said. "Letting a physical thing go doesn't, in any way, diminish the enormity of the experience."

The Fonz's motorcycle and his famous leather jacket are expected to fetch tens of thousands of dollars.

That signature jacket didn't start out that way.

"When I first wore it, it was fabric and I couldn't keep the collar up. Then, ABC allowed me to wear leather and it was so great and I got to be somebody I never was, I never could be. And now I look at it and it's annoying because it no longer fits!"

Winkler's collection of items from "Happy Days" and beyond are part of an auction called "TCM Presents: Hollywood Cool."

Winkler is donating a nice portion of the proceeds to This Is About Humanity. His daughter, Zoe, and two friends started the nonprofit to support separated and reunified families at the border.

"Not one penny goes to administration," Winkler said. "There are no paper clips. There are no secretaries. There are no pencils. There is only the needs of the children."

While Winkler graces the cover of the "Hollywood Cool" catalog, he's never seen himself that way.

"As I get older, I think I'm getting closer to just being authentic," he said. "But if other people want to think I'm cool, I'm down!"

The "TCM Presents: Hollywood Cool" auction is Dec. 8 through the auction house Bonhams.